Winter Wonderland

I don't think I've ever seen the Seattle Olympia area so beautiful. It is completely covered with a blanket of at least a foot of snow. Remarkably we arrived to Seattle without complication and shuttled in a limo to Bainbridge Island (I know a limo sounds fancy but it was actually cheaper than to cab it). We ferried to Bainbridge Island where my brother greeted us with a great big "WELCOME TO ANTARCTICA"...which got a chuckle from a lot of passengers. Luckily he has a 4WD Suburban, so we were confident navigating the roads of Bainbridge. For those of you that don't know, my brother and partner own a B&B on the island called Ashton Woods Retreat. It is a PNW paradise and our personal family getaway. It makes me appreciate my roots and the wonder of nature. My brother took me on a snowy adventure in the Kubota, an all terrain tractor, at twilight (see the video below). We saw deer in the meadow and had snow drop on us from the branches that we swiped while going under them.

We then went to a holiday dinner at their neighbors where the power went out as soon as we arrived. No worries, the food was already cooked and there was plenty of candlelight. The hosting couple had just returned from a 3-week tour to Spain so we had plenty to discuss over dinner. We arrived at 6 and departed at 10 and Brooklyn slept the ENTIRE time we were there. Not to mention that she slept the entire flight to Seattle that morning as well. We were fortunate (which makes me worry about our return...which I'm doing ALONE). Do you know that feeling when everything goes well, you just know that doom is in loom? Well...please wish me luck. We flew to Seattle in the morning...and that is always her happy time. I'll be returning in the late afternoon...which is always her fussy time.

Anyways, we made it back to Seattle in time to pick up my sister and family from Texas at the airport (and I drove in the snow!) and then down to Olympia to my parents home. My mom has been anxiously awaiting our arrival. Brooklyn has been so in love with her cousins, grandparents, and auntie since our arrival (and they have been even more in LOVE with her). My father had a bonfire awaiting us in his backyard amidst the winter wonderland. Gotta love that! Deer made their way to the property line and I was just waiting for the birds to start singing. It's just magical.

Click on the image to see the video...

From Christmas 2008

You can follow my 10-day adventure here...