Slip-Sledding Away....

Now that John has his new camera, and has been avidly using it (of which I am very thankful), his feelings get a little hurt when I don't post ALL of the pictures that he loves on my blog. I've tried compromising with him, but when I asked him to narrow it down to 10 for the "sledding post", he gave me 18 that he REALLY WANTED me to put on the post. (He has become a bit of a partner in the "book creation" that we are doing with these blogs, so he loves the idea that all these pictures will eventually make for a beautiful book). So, lest you think that it is just me that is overdoing it with all of the pictures we upload - now you know, "the rest of the story". (And, in case you are counting, I did narrow it down a bit, but expect more pictures soon as I do all of the "random fun ones" that don't fit any particular theme....)

As you can hopefully tell by these pics, we all had a great time sledding. Sydney is so worn out today from chasing everyone down the hill, then racing back up. Today is our last full day here. There is a bit of a melancholy feeling that comes with that realization, but as I made everyone promise last night when I had to retire early with a massive headache, we're trying not to think about it, and won't be doing a bunch of pre-mature packing so as not to remind ourselves of that reality.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

This was the scene when we woke up this morning. In the 7 years that we've done this Sunriver trip, we've never had a year like this, but always wished for one. We've never been completely let down with no snow either, so we count our blessings each year. But, we always hope for the magic to happen - the forecast to be just right - and this year we hit it. So much so that the end of the week is actually the best in terms of forecast, with low temps.

We've been enjoying ourselves immensely, but it will be good for us all to get out and go sledding this morning and then head into Bend this evening for bowling and Roadhouse Grill. The company all loves each other a ton, but there's been the annual, "I'm not grumpy, why would you say that?" or "Maybe you are just a little too intense for me when we play that game", or "It would be really nice to feel like I'm not being controlled on vacation". Throw in a little scorekeeping for who's been loading/unloading the dishwasher or taking out the garbage - ahhh, you catch my drift. Getting out of the house would be a good thing for us all! (Everybody is all "made-up", just so you know....)

Finding Additional Ways to Entertain Ourselves...

It feels like we are in the middle of a snowglobe right now. After yesterday's rain melted off much of what snow came down on Monday, we were hopeful things would begin to turn around today. It's been snowing steadily since early morning, and we are really optimistic it won't get too warm to change things by the end of the day.

Here's some pictures to show we aren't always connected to a power outlet.....

Michele, myself and Travis playing Christmas Monopoly (I think it's been at least 5 years since we've played....it's such a cool game). The kids were really interested in watching us, they did a great job taking care of our properties and monies. Travis hit every square of "fortune" and Michele and I scrambled to stay in the black as long as we could. Eventually, Travis took us both down.




Pictures of the kids playing outside (where they are right now). Isn't that a yucky looking snowman base they are rolling around? They made that happen yesterday....

I See No Theme in These Pictures....

You won't find any member of our party dependent on some sort of electronic toy or device...... Nope, none of us believe in this new confounded technological junk, not for us, no sirree.......

Being Bundled 'Neath the Covers Watching Snow Fall to the Ground

....Thank You Lord, How Could I Ask for More?

Lines to Cindy Morgan's "How Could I Ask for More?" - and two of my favorites. This morning has been magical - truly a dream come true.... When we woke up this morning, it was snowing, covering the scant 1/2 inch that was here when we arrived (better than nothing, we were thankful for that....). It's been snowing enough to make it about 3 inches. Soon, the ladies leave for Sage Springs - Sigh, - truly a dream come true.....

Look What We Found Under the Tree

This year, we decided to have the presents arrive in the morning just like a real Christmas experience. Since we knew what we had in store for them this year, we thought it best to not have them open up something promising vast excitement, and then tell the kids they had to go to bed.

So, once everyone was up, we opened stockings and had the kids all gather around one present in particular addressed to The Riley Family. Way back in September, on a random trip to Toys R Us, there was a sign posted, "We Have Wiis in Stock". Not thinking much of it, I happened to check out in the electronics dept. and asked the cashier if it would be a good idea to purchase one now, if we indeed wanted to purchase one for a Christmas gift. With an abundance of enthusiasm, she quickly talked me into it, guaranteeing my feeling of good fortune in walking into the store on just the day they just happened to have a truck unexpectedly bring extra stock in. Alright, I wasn't ready to begin my shopping quite that early, but I figured I'd feel better if I had it safely purchased and safe in my garage. Boy, was that an understatement.

Currently, Brayden and Mikayla are singing "The Start of Something New" with the mike for the High School Musical game on the Wii - priceless. I will say, if you are debating on whether or not to have a gaming unit in your home, this might what you would want to consider. Simply by buying the unit, it comes with "Sports" and your family can bowl together, play tennis, pitch and swing in baseball, etc. The experience is so non-intense, and simply a kick - there's nothing like standing on the couch trying to return a tennis serve....

Needless to say, the opening of the present brought a lot of smiles - they weren't expecting it. And, since Santa wasn't a part of the experience here in Sunriver, it was fun to have the kids pour out their adoration onto everywhere surprising them with such treasures. Certainly, a time when I'm glad John was happy to be clicking away on his new camera....

We've Arrived....

Sigh, we are here. "Deck the Halls" is playing on the tv, the kids are scattered, and the big boys are already playing video games. Now I find myself with the opportunity to "settle down and relax" and there's a part of me that is wondering if that's really okay. I think I will adapt fast.
The stockings are hung on the bannister with care....
The tree that we found on a logging road just east of Oakridge....
Sydney.....In bliss.....

I saw this link on another blog and absolutely loved it!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8&feature=related

A Couple of Questions 93

I have got bins of every color strewn around the house right now - red ones, blue ones, big ones, small ones, clear ones, ones with lids, and one whose lids have been thrown out when John cleaned out the garage. They are being filled with food, snow gear, medicines, spices, clothing, shoes - yup, anything and everything to live away from home for a week and to feed 10 people for 7 days. Michele is talking to me right now and is indicating her van might have room for a tote or two, but the rest of them - better find a way to fit into that SUV that we have for just this sort of reason.

The spirits are high right now, Sunriver happens tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty prepared, with still a lot to do, but as Lisa says, "You're getting no sympathy from me girl....". John is pleased we are finally scheduled to leave on a no work day, so he will have actually had a full night's sleep going into the adventure, vs. waking up at 3am so he can leave early.

Last night, we had the most delicious meal for Tyson Steele Associates Dinner Party. I was able to sit next to Liz and totally catch up admidst lemon drops, amazing grilled tenderloin, and chocolate cake. It was a great evening.

Alright, on to questions - a little random this week, bear with me.

1. If someone were to ask you, "How are you doing?" and you felt the freedom to answer honestly, what might you say right now?

2. What is a tool/product (perhaps under $10) that you finally got that makes you think, "why didn't I get this earlier?"

Sweet, Sweet Mary

Apparently, Mikayla has within her, the capacity to only "be still and appropriate" for one Christmas performance a year. Given the two she was involved in, we were very pleased with her decision to choose her role of Mary as the one to take seriously.

There is a pride like no other to see your daughter take center stage. Sure, she has no speaking roles, just stands there and looks cute, but as I walked her in to the building, you could hear another mom say to her child, "Look at her honey, I think that's Mary". Because, to a three year old, Mikayla is the "big girl" at the school - one of the "kindergarteners" at the school - and those are the ones that get the big roles.

Mikayla walked Baby Jesus up to the front without a hitch, carefully laid him in the manger, and even did her part to instruct her fellow classmates on where to stand. It was a 180 of her last performance, and to some extent, that pleases me - to know that she has both of those personalities within her - the silly, crazy side, and the reverent, responsible side. I'm just very thankful she chose the reverent side when becoming Mary......





This last picture shows the kids with a surprise appearance of "Santa". You should have seen the faces of the kids when he walked into the sanctuary - so adorable. So, here's the kiddos with the big man -

Snow Poetry Project

As I am writing this, I am all dressed up waiting for John to come home to tell me if he likes or dislikes the outfit choice for Thursday night's "Company Dinner". The original blouse I had planned to wear just isn't working for me (it might have something to do with the comment/reply I made to Heather from the previous post) - so we'll have to see what John thinks of this. Feels funny though, literally all dressed up with no place to go.....

Given that this blog is a bit of a history/heritage thing, I thought it might be a good idea to post some pictures of Brayden's recent class project activity. The goal was to choose a theme and create a visual display with three poems about that theme. He had to memorize one, and use his own handwriting as well on one. I will put up pictures of the display, the poem he memorized (quite funny....and how I hooked Brayden into agreeing to choose "snow" as a theme), and the extra snowglobe he made to go with it. I think it all turned out pretty neat.....

Stressed Spelled Backwards....

Michele emailed this to me. I enjoyed the twist to the all-too-familiar endings of many of the chain emails we all receive! Enjoy....


Daily & Holiday Stress

This is a specially formulated diet designed to help men &
women cope with the stress that builds during the day, especially with the Holidays coming.

You may have this Menu already....but it is definitely the time of year to read it again!!

Breakfast
1 grapefruit
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 cup skim milk

Lunch
1 small portion lean, steamed chicken
1 cup spinach
1 cup herbal tea
1 Hershey's kiss

Afternoon Tea
The rest of the Hershey Kisses in the bag
1 tub of Hagen-Daaz ice cream with chocolate chips

Dinner
4 glasses of wine (red or white)
2 loaves garlic bread
1 family size supreme pizza
3 Snickers Bars

Late Night Snack
1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the
Freezer)

Remember: Stressed spelled backward is desserts. Send this to
four women and you will lose two pounds. Send this to all the women you know (or ever knew) and you will lose 10 pounds.
If you delete this message, you will gain 10 pounds
immediately.

That's why I had to pass this on... I didn't want to risk it.

The Amount of Calories on This Tabletop....

Oh, I don't even want to know......

So, this is how I spent almost all of Saturday. Baking away, watching "Miracle on 34th Street" from the kitchen (and crying, of course), and trying to absorb the happy feelings of the whole experience. I think this must be the 12th year I've been baking for the folks that either worked for John, or who John works for or works with. It really is a labor of love, however, the shocking thing is that when you start to divvy it all out between the trays how quickly it goes - which unfortunately leaves little left over for Sunriver or when we return for Christmas Day. Last year, I wrote on my "suggestions for next year" to bake more (so that I'd have plenty leftover), but as you can see, I kind of had my hands full with what I did bake, and really did not have any literal time to give from my oven to bake more.



The weekend was also filled with two visits to restaurants. After Brayden's soccer game on Friday, we thought it would be fun to meet at Red Robin with Amy's family - there were twelve of us, and we waited in the lobby for an hour and 10 minutes. (We were quoted 40 minutes). Keeping 7 children happy for that long - that's a bit of a trial.

On Saturday night, we decided to meet in Salem with the Schillings, as we were going to take their kids home with us so that Michael and Michele could do some more house work and I could take the girls to Erica's birthday on Sunday (very sweet, btw). We thought we'd meet up at Olive Garden (we all had gift cards)- however, they were quoting an hour and 40 minute wait! Unbelievable. We ended up at Applebee's where we waited twice as long as they told us, much of our food was cold, and some of us received the wrong entrees. After a little chat with the manager, John and I's meals were comped..... Certainly, a fun memories of all of us gathering, but note to self - if you want to go out to eat on a weekend in December, find a place that takes reservations!