Holiday Recap

Sorry it's been so quiet from my side - it's been a wild few weeks.  

Like a lot of the year, the holidays were not without some ups & downs. Our original plan was to fly to Portland, spend a few days at my parents celebrating Christmas with the family, and then head to Bend to ski. My parents, & sister/nephews would also join for a few days for skiing & general celebrations. 

We all tested for COVID ahead of the trip, and M tested positive, but was asymptomatic. The kids had gone to my parents after finals, and were already in Portland. M quarantined in the house for a week (away from me, wearing a mask, staying to one room, not leaving the house). I tested negative multiple times over the week, and opted to go ahead & go to my parents, so at least one of us could spend the holidays with the boys. It was really hard for all of us not to have M.

The logistics were also really challenging. M is the driver in snow, the main skier, the gear transporter, and getting all of the kids ski stuff to Portland was an adventure with seven bags (skis, boots, helmets, gear, etc). My parents got 10 inches of snow the day we were supposed to leave for Bend. We shoveled their 1/2 mile driveway for hours & hours. It's a good workout. ;-) 

My nephews were supposed to join us on the 26th, but due to weather difficulties, couldn't get home until the 30th. Which means we didn't get to see them (the cousins were all very disappointed - they are quite close in age, and planned to ski/board together). My sister was also incredibly sad to not see her kids during that time. (They were with their dad for the actual holidays.)

The earlier plan had called for M to drive my parents to Bend, so they could avoid driving in the snow. That plan fell apart, so my dad drove 1/2 of the people, and my brother in law drove the rest. The conditions getting to Bend were *super* dicey. Mt. Bachelor also had very, very cold conditions (7 degrees, high winds & lots of snow). Check out the powder!

It was not the holiday season we would have wanted, and we so missed the rest of the family. But, we made the best of it, enjoyed the time together & really did what we could to make it fun. My brother in law took the kids skiing, we did some tubing, we played games, we had lots of laughs, we managed to get the driveway shoveled between fits of giggling, we puzzled... we made the most of a situation that was really reflective of 2021 itself. I'm also SO grateful that M was asymptomatic (he's fully vaccinated & boosted) & healthy. That is the most important thing. Holidays come & go, but he's healthy & we are all lucky to have each other. 

Here's hoping to a better 2022! Wishing all of you a wonderful New Year's and a healthy & happy 2022!