Christmas in Seattle

After a special but brief visit with our special reatives visiting Idaho from Hawaii and S. Carolina, we loaded up the Avalanche and headed for Seattle. We had not spent Christmas with Shelly's family in many years and were looking forward to seeing many of her realitives during this special time of year.

Chain control, ice and snow reminded us why we usually make the 8 hr drive during warmer times but the truck proved the perfect vehicle as we continued on with no delays or incidents.

Our first stop was in snowy Snoqualmie, where Shelly's family from her Dad's side had gathered from all over the state. It was great to see so many in one spot. Some of whom we hadn't seen since our wedding reception some 16 years prior.

It was then on to Seattle, where we spent December 23 with Shelly's mom and step father, Myra and Tom. Shelly's brothers joined us in the morning and all enjoyed sourdough waffles, gifts and good times.

It was wonderful to have almost all of the cousins together.

On Christmas Eve, we spent most of the day with Shelly's dad and step mother, Larry and Nita. Keith and Troy joined us, so Shelly got to spend more time with her brothers, neices and nephew.

And the cousins had another day of fun and gift exchanges.

The day after the holiday, we met Shelly's mom in Tacoma at her work and she gave us a VIP tour. We spent the afternoon together in Tacoma exploring the Museum of Glass. Before we knew it the trip had come to an end and we were headed back to Boise.