JP and I have a tradition of cutting down our own Christmas tree each year. We have funny stories and crazy adventures from every year so far, but they can be a post for another day. We ALMOST broke our tradition this year because we left all of our Christmas decorations in Utah. After a lot of begging, I finally convinced JP that we had to keep our one tradition alive. We had to go to 3 different stores in this little town to find a Christmas tree stand. It was pitch black by the time we got up to the mountain and we had to hike a super-slippery-super-steep-slope to get our perfect little tree, but it was definitely worth it. It smells so good and brings a tiny piece of Christmas into our home.




Oh, and those our just some mushrooms for the local potheads - and there are a lot of 'em out here (potheads and mushrooms) :)

We found out at the last second that JP didn't have to work Thanksgiving weekend, so we drove ALL through the night so we could spend Thanksgiving with the fam. We arrived at 7:00 am on Turkey day!!! Let me tell you, 15 hours in a honda civic with a man, two dogs, fog, and traffic makes for one "hecking" road trip! It was all worth it though. We got to have TWO delicious Thanksgiving meals with the best company ever (our families). We are so thankful for our fun, albeit crazy families, who let us crash their parties with little warning. We love you guys sooo much and feel so lucky we got to spend time with you! We forgot our crappy camera and I didn't take any pictures, so this is all you get. Aren't we pretty? YAY! I FINALLY figured out how to create a collage. I have been trying for MONTHS, and today I discovered that you cannot create a collage using Picassa if you are working on a mac. GGGRR!
 

JP had a sentimental reunion with the trail 90 crew and I got to go on a tandem bike ride (little Kai and Owen in tow) with the baby mamas; Emily, Des, and Shelby. It was a great trip and we can't wait to come back again in a week and a half :)!



Everyone has been telling us to go to Bend! We finally went a couple of weekends ago and liked it so much that we went back again this past weekend. This is a Mt. Bachelor where the snow if supposedly similar to Utah's - light and fluffy.


We spent one night in a condo and one night camping. It was pretty cold! I couldn't feel my fingers and toes on our bike ride. I woke up and all of our stuff was frozen including my hat and coat. I have decided that sometimes I think my little family loves me more than they really do. For instance, one night as I was walking towards JP he started patting the seat next to him. I went to sit down and realized he was actually patting his seat for Che. Another night I was bawling my eyes out (I can't remember why) and Che started howling and crying right along with me. I thought it was the sweetest thing ever until I realized he pooped in our house and really just needed to go outside. These pictures are living proof. Please notice who is sleeping comfortably in the tent on this freezing cold night.



Don't those camping chairs look a little out of place in the rugged outdoors? You should all want to be our friends when we go camping because these chairs are more comfortable than couches!


This was our second trip to Bend. We went with Jenny, Mike, and Emily. It was Jenny's birthday and we partied hard! It was much warmer this time and we hiked Smith Rock, which is a climber's wonderland. I love how they're all looking up at the climbers in that picture. Isn't Emily Precious?







Ridin' in the rain - trail 90 style. Peace out til next time!