Cali Christmas, Northport New Year

Ta-dah, found a cable, so time for more photos! Although sad that it means the holidays are now done, looking back on everything I got to do this break in summary is pretty fun - there's some cool stuff! The title pretty well frames the itinerary; Bryan wanted to come meet the CA family, so we did that first in order to cover my b-day and the Christmas Eve party with Gerry's family. Then on the 26th, flew back up to WA to relax at his parents' mountain ranch through New Year's. I think I'll just describe the events and any good stories by showing you some pictures!

Got down to Riverside on the 19th, and amid some last-second Christmas shopping I'd say my favorite part was a trip to the San Diego Zoo with the parents. This place has gotten pretty fancied-up since I remember it as a tiny tot. Note our color-coordinated family. We didn't even plan this I swear, I guess we're just that cool.


We even found giant statues of prehistoric animals, including this almost-familiar big cat - Go Cougs!


That Bryan, always getting up close and personal with the wildlife...


This is perhaps my favorite exact moment of the trip. What happens when you make a rhinoceros angry:


Next, we took a day to check out the So Cal beaches for Bryan's sake. Brought back some fun summer memories walking down the Newport boardwalk...and we ended the day with delightful cocktails at a sea cliff restaurant watching the sunset.


We also made sure to make the classic Riverside trip to see the Mission Inn decked out for the season. It's become a big deal these days, including an ice skating rink on the downtown mall.


And finally, some Christmas 2009 family moments...awww =)


My brain-like attempt at a peppermint cheesecake. It tasted great, but in retrospect I recommend putting the peppermint topping on AFTER baking.


NEXT: Flew back up to Spokane to fetch a car and make our way a little further north - to Northport in fact. This is Bryan's hometown, a picturesque outpost perched on the edge of the Columbia River and just shy of the Canadian border. His parents are still working on it, but have a pretty castle-like home nestled into ~400 acres of mountain wilderness.


The canyon view from the back door. (This is actually the scene before it started to snow!)


Man and dog, happily reunited for the week. Tuque got so big! Although we've had fun and will miss him back in Pullman, he's definitely living a dog's dream life here.


The first day, we hiked around the mountain behind the house to the hunter's cabin and lake. My very first experience on a natural ice pond. Kind of scary, but obviously I got past that.


Much of our time at the CCR (Carlson Canyon Ranch) was spent just relaxing around the house. This would be Bryan dressed up for western movie night...


And then the snow began...it snowed and snowed, and it was beautiful! So, first things first, a snowman was made.


Favorite thing in Northport was DEFINITELY the sledding! Once we got a good pack, a bunch of people from town headed to the locals' favorite spot where they have a whole system set up for it; the road is plowed, one family drives carloads to the top, and you get dropped off to go sliding down like little penguins.


That was fun!


And apparently no New Year's would be complete without a dance party at the Sik's! Most of the menfolk spent their time outside around the bonfire, but I did manage to rope Bryan into dancing inside with the ladies a few times.


How do you top that kind of fun? How about some llamas? These things are cool, and as you can see, in-your-face friendly.


And they seem to like cameras.


Last but not least, even when cars can't go, snowmobiles at the neighbor's ranch can!


Look out, I took turn at the wheel...


I'll admit, I felt pretty James Bondish.


And so it's been said, many times, many ways, but Merry Christmas to you! I probably won't have such an abundance of photos to share again for a bit, I gotta get back to this whole "Master's Degree" thing, but I hope you find these fun for a while. PS, if you want to see even more pictures from these weeks off, I've included some extras you can find at this website. If you're not bored yet, check it out. And of course, I hope you all made some happy memories of your own to think back on this holiday!