Back in Oregon!

Home at last!

Andrew and I made it to Oregon.

We had a picture-perfect flight from Hoonah to Juneau ….unbelievably beautiful. We flew on a clear day with the full moon to the right and the sun

coming over the snowy peaks to the left. Andrew said with excitement, “Mom, we are flying above the sun!” He was all smiles, circling in his seat, trying to take in the massive expanse of

mountains, water and ever changing colors of the sunrise. Upon decent in to Juneau, we had a perfect view of the Mendenhal Glacier.

The challenging part of the trip came on the last leg with a 10:30 pm flight cancellation to Medford. I was determined to make the best of the situation, knowing that no amount of anger or complaining would get us a plane to Medford. Thankfully, the airlines put us up in a hotel. We finally settled into our room about 1 am. We ended having to fly from Seattle to Portland and then to Medford. We made it a good time playing, eating and window shopping in the airports. Mom greeted us at 2pm with arms wide open.

It was great to see Mom and to be home. Andrew and I have missed her greatly. On the flip side...I believe all home comings are some what bitter-sweet. Living in Hoonah, the passing of time and the lessons God has revealed to me… have changed me. The idea of "home" has changed as well. Those deeps thoughts I'll save for another post :)

Now - on to the fun stuff...

We went to church with Mom, enjoyed the pot-luck and afterward Andrew cornered Grandma for a piano lesson. He was dying to show off all he had learned from his Hoonah piano teacher.

Andrew and I dashed off to spend the afternoon with our friends,

Kelly, Shane and their four kiddos…Ryan, Sarah, Matthew and Ben. Andrew went to preschool with Ryan and have been best friends ever since.

Monday we woke up to two inches of fresh snow. Already sick of being cooped up in a car and house, we bundled our selves up and went to play in Lithia Park in Ashland. We drank hot chocolate, walked the paths of the park and got in a great snowball fight. Of course, I had my camera and I tried to be a savvy nature photographer.

More fun afternoons were spent playing with dates with Ryan, Sarah and Andrew Hall. Legos seems to be the obsession with these boys. Here, Andrew and Andrew and pictures with their latest battleships.

Aside from watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, another passion my mom and Andrew share is playing cards. These two go at it all the time. It is fun to hear them laughing and shouting from the other room. They play King on the Corner, Spit, Slap Jack, Double Solitaire and a new one involving Kings. Mom is a fierce competitor, so Andrew earns his wins legitimately…making all those victories very sweet.

Andrew met up with Santa this week and asked him for all sorts of video game stuff, including a “Wii.” His wish came true. I just got a call from Andrew saying that Santa came to his dad’s house early and delivered a “Wii” Andrew said he stayed up last night until 12 midnight playing golf.

Singing for residents in retirement homes at Christmas time is a family tradition. With Mom as my accompanist, I sang a few opera and operetta pieces, patriotic and religious songs, and some Christmas favorites. This year, Andrew played the piano as well as singing Jingle Bells in Tlinget. He did a great job!

Friday, Andrew’s dad picked him up. He will be having more great adventures with his dad until January 2^nd. Steve arrives in Medford tonight, December 20^th. He is really anxious to get home and relax. I am soooo excited to see him! Andrew, Steve and I plan celebrate Christmas and my mom's 79th birthday January 3rd.

It has a been a great week. Thanks for reading. I hope all you are enjoying the season with family and friends. We wish you all the best. We send you all lots of hugs and kisses!