It's the most wonderful time of the year

The view from the deck after a snow at Hyak, WA

Love me some Holiday spirit!

~When we decorate our houses with sparkling lights inside and out.
~When we make special meals to share with friends and loved ones.
~When we choose to connect with those we hold dear to our us via a card, greeting, or a party to tell each other how much we value their friendship.
~When we sing along to our favorite Carols from our childhood and to the new fav's as well.
~When give or donate to the needy because we are fortunate enough to have enough to share.
~When we slow down to see this season through the eyes of a child and marvel at all the history, fun, creativity, tradition, food, song and camaraderie the Holidays can bring us each year.

The Saturday afternoon hike in the snow

Let's go back home, it's cold and snowing HARD!

I'm a TOTAL sap and Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year! It's so cheerful to drive home in the dark and see all the lights.  My spirit was ignited even before Thanksgiving when I went to my best friend's cabin on Snoqualmie Pass to spend some quality time with her friends, our dear friend who moved to Utah and her friends from Renton area. We had over 6 inches of snow between our drive up Friday night and it continued snowing off and on through early Sunday morning.

My friend Cheryl's gorgeous log cabin

I wanted to skip Thanksgiving entirely and move right into Christmas! We laughed, cooked and ate together, played games, put jig-saw puzzles together, got to know new friends and catch up with old friends. We stayed up into the wee hours solving the world's problems and then consuming buckets of coffee in the morning again.  I drank in EVERY moment together!

 What a gift this weekend is every year us all! Thanks Cheryl.

Let it snow!

I haven't written on my blog in awhile, lots of life changes, little drama but all for the best. The time away gave me time to think and rejuvenate. Thanks for your patience and checking in on me!  Lots of ideas for next year brewing in my big ol' head for next year already...

Here's to capturing YOUR holiday spirit and rejuvenating when needed! Be kind to yourself first, then you'll have lots of energy to share with others.

Chow for now my friends! We'll be together again soon, promise.