Wild Week In Oregon

This has been a wild weather week for the Northwest. We have had everything from high winds, torrential downpour, sunshine and snow! If you watched the national news the beginning of the week you probably saw that parts of the state are underwater. Tillamook is flooded as well as the Vernonia area (about 20 miles from us) Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Wilkes who called to check on us to make sure we were fine. Other than one downed tree we survived just fine and so did the beach house. The area where the Wilkes men/boys went fishing last summer had 45 foot high waves and 125 mile per hour winds- bet that would have been a really bumpy ride!!

Today, Sunday, we had some light snow flurries.

Monday the girls were off school so we had a field trip to the IKEA store that opened here in Portland this summer - we had fun wandering the huge store and ate lunch in their cafe. Cali decided she needed to redo her room so we picked up a few things for that.

Tuesday the girls had another trip to the doctor for more shots - only two each this time! One more trip and they are done.

I had some fun shopping this week for one of my "Beach Babe" friends whose daughter is getting married between Christmas and New Years and she needed some new Christmas decorations so she hired me to do it for her - so much fun! We got her all new tree ornaments and some fun things for her mantels! I didn't know it could be so much fun to spend other people's money!!

Wednesday was a trip to the Temple with the Stake Relief Society and lunch together afterwards.

The holiday activities are in full swing this week:

- Cali and her Cantores group sang 3 different nights - one for the Hospice Care at the hospital, the local Presbyterian church and an LDS ward for their Christmas party.

- The Mia Maids came over for some holiday cookie baking

- I spent one day sewing a Wise Man costume for the ward Christmas party (which we won't even be at!)

-Went to the Angel Tree Project with American Mothers - they buy and wrap presents for children of prison inmates. We had a nice luncheon and board meeting following it.

-Attended the Padbury's annual Christmas Party and White Elephant Exchange. I ended up with some Mt. St. Helen Ash and I don't remember what Jim got???

-Cut down a real tree for the family room on Friday afternoon - had to pull the girls out of school to do it because we only had one hour all weekend when everyone would be home and it would be light so we could get a tree

-Cali and I decorated the family room tree (see picture) The house is now fully decorated and ready

-Wrapped presents!

-Drove Tessa back and forth to ballet rehearsal for the their holiday ballet - a total of 13 hours of rehearsal just this weekend!

-Attended Bethany Ward's Christmas Party to hear Cantores sing.

-Did my Visiting Teaching and delivered Christmas gifts to those families.

Now I just need to work on digging out the Bonus Room before the boys come home - it has turned into Santa's Workshop.

The Car Saga - as a continuation from last week - Leigh Anne's car was finally freed from the garage on Tuesday. Jim's car will be in the shop for at least 8 working days (and lots of money). Thanks to neighbor Debbie and the use of her Yukon we were able to get everywhere we needed in the meantime!

Boy Update:

Logan had a busy weekend with a quick trip to Idaho for a Young Ambassador performance - got home at 2 a.m. Saturday night - just in time for his 6:00 a.m. Elder's Quorum meeting Sunday morning.

Clark had a date to the BYU game in SLC Saturday afternoon, dinner with her parents afterwards and then a romantic carriage ride around Temple Square (without the parents!)

Jim is headed out of town tomorrow for the entire week - back to Daily Access headquarters in Mobile Alabama. I am flying in to Mobile on Friday for the companies Christmas Party - yes they are flying me back just for the party! I figure I have never been to Alabama - so why not! Anybody know of anything to do in Mobile!!!???

Thought I'd share a couple of pictures of our trees -and yes the one does have a TON of ornaments on it but I love it. The other tree (the family room one )needs more but I could only fit so many in my suitcase and in my carry on when I visited TaiPan Trading last month! How I wish we had one in Portland (Jim is glad we don't!) It is my Joy tree!

We are off to dinner at our Home Teacher's house and then to Tithing Settlement.