Home for the Holidays

How could we not give this dog the cover photo?

After three months of travel in Australia and New Zealand, we were happy to come home for Christmas and see our friends and family (and also have a proper kitchen to cook in). We flew from Sydney to Honolulu and had 48 hours to restock supplies and see our friends. We found really cheap tickets to Walla Walla, Washington which is about a 3-hour drive from Rory’s family in Idaho so we decided to spend a couple of days in Walla Walla which was very festive and fun. Rory’s brother-in-law, Sam, came for a day and drove us all to Grangeville, Idaho.

Em in Walla Walla and a pit stop at the Walla Walla Beer Parlor to watch some Gonzaga basketball (they won, so Christmas wasn’t ruined)

It was a full and fun house with most of the family able to make it home for Christmas. The prairie didn‘t offer a white Christmas but at least we could do a Christmas Eve hike to the nearby canyon without trudging through snow. Last year we had decided we wanted to do an Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes (hold the dried salt cod) even though we are neither Italian nor Catholic. Also, since Idaho is so close to the coast and known for its fresh and dizzying array of seafood options, it was our most practical menu choice. So, Christmas Eve was full of cooking in a nice kitchen! What a treat! (See full menu below and Em’s Grinch Cake Masterpiece). We watched It’s a Wonderful Life on a projector, as is tradition. We had a really fun Christmas Day with present opening, cookie and pasta making with the kids, and even a rendition of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas from Rory’s nieces!

Em and Chee Chee posing in their matching sweaters

Red and Sam’s family on the cold and windy walk to the canyon

Mary reading Christmas stories to Heidi, June, Peter, Penny, and Ida

Lunch with great-grandma Nan, Grandpa (whom they call Poem), and Chance

Peter is pissed and cold on the Christmas Eve walk

June and Heidi help Em make Crinkle Cookies

Don’t let that face fool you- Penny is up to no good

Ida and June narrating Heidi’s debut as The Grinch

It's a good face. I like it. I like George Bailey.

After Christmas, we visited Emily’s family in Salt Lake City for The New Year. It was another full house with all of her siblings and nieces and nephews! Our friend Carey from Honolulu visited us in SLC en route to her skiing adventures. Rory wanted to learn to snowboard so we all went to Snowbasin and Ror strapped on a board and slid down the mountain- we’ll call it ”snowboarding.”

Football in the backyard devolved into chaos

It was an odd feeling spending our last day in the U.S. knowing we won’t be back for 9 months but we are excited for our next adventure. Onward to Mexico City!