Merry Christmas!

It's a semi-white Christmas here in Missoula. It's been a great trip so far, and I love the town. It reminds me a little of Eugene, but smaller and less hippier-than-thou. The Andersons have been great hosts and have made it a lot easier to be away from my family for the holidays. Bill's a little bruised after his annual football game, but boys will be boys--it was cool to see a bunch of 30-somethings tackle each other "for fun." It's snowed a little since we arrived, but I think we brought Oregon with us; it's now raining.
Everyone was WAY too generous with gifts, and the photo at right is a prime example--thanks to Bill, I am finally in the 21st century with my own digital camera. Also thanks to him, my Subie now has 4--that's right, 4--hubcaps!
As for New Years, no plans yet, but we're workin' on it ...

Happy Holidays from Bob, Phil, Betty, and Judy

Bill and I leave for Missoula, MT, tomorrow morning to spend the holidays with his parents. It’s going to be a long drive, but as long as the Manheim Steamroller is kept to a minimum, I think it will be a fun one. I’m definitely going to miss my family on Christmas—I’ve only spent one Christmas away from them. I’ll miss our traditional Christmas Eve gift, the White Christmas viewing, and my dad with bows and ribbons all over his head (don’t ask), but I’m excited to be a part of new traditions. I also have a better shot at a white Christmas than I ever have in Oregon or even Virginia, and living in Laupahoehoe, of course, usually meant a WET Christmas. I can’t say I am looking forward to the cold, but Bill says it’s a “dry cold.” Is that supposed to make me feel better?

I hope my friends and family have a great holiday, and I’ll see you next year! (Ba-dump-bump)

See Bill’s post and route map here.

Disney Photos Up

In an effort to save time and laptop battery power, I am simply going to refer you to Bill's post about our Disneyland trip, complete with photos. I think the photos capture most of it, but the videos really do justice to the extreme thrill of the trip. No video yet, but it's coming soon.

To sum up, we had a great time, and the Mills were awesome traveling partners. Bill and I made quite the team, and I can thank him for getting me on rides I wouldn't even consider if I were alone (my first loopy roller coaster!) and ones my mom would have a heart attack just thinking about (Tower of Terror). Oddly, the one ride Yvette and I pushed for the most (Ferris Wheel) turned out to be the most fearsome, thanks in part to a park employee from Lebanon, OR, who would not let us off the ride when we were in the grips of fear. Despite that, I hope we can make the SoCal trip an annual one ...

Photos here.

Disneyland Photos Coming Soon

Some of you (OK, maybe two of you) are asking where my Disneyland post is. Well, I am waiting for photos to be uploaded (the passive voice implies I am not to be held accountable). I haven't stepped into the 21st century and bought a digital camera yet, so I have to rely on Bill for that. He's been busy doing God knows what ... probably analyzing how he could increase his score on the Buzz Lightyear ride, or how a Ferris Wheel could be so death-defying.

Anyhoo, there's more to come. Until then, here's a taste of the thrills and spills we experienced in Anaheim. (Yes, my score DID improve after this ride.)

Religious Extremists in Utah

This is sick ...

PROVO, Utah (AP) -- A woman whose parents are charged with kidnapping her to stop her wedding testified tearfully Wednesday that they grabbed her by the hair and told her she was breaking the commandment to honor them.... (more)

California, Here We Come ....

We're heading down to Disneyland tomorrow evening for three days o' fun. I'm sure there will be dozens of pictures, so stay tuned. Will we run into Seth and Ryan and the gang in The OC? That's yet to be determined ...(the one on the right died in last season's finale. sadly, so did her FJ)

Another Good Season?

Bill, Jereme, and I got our first day of ski season out of the way Sunday. We headed up to Ski Bowl for the 9-4 shift. Normally a pretty low-key place to ski, Ski Bowl was crowded due to Mt Hood Meadows being closed. I guess Meadows pass-holders ski free at Ski Bowl, so they all descended on my little mountain at once. Nevertheless, we had a good time. The winds were gusty, but not intolerable, and the sun stayed out the whole time. There were some icy patches, but for the most part, the snow was good. It took a few runs to get my ski legs back, but by the end of the day, I was keeping speedy Bill in sight … We even ran into some friends up there, who were part of our season pass group last year. I’m regretting slightly that I didn’t get a pass this year, thinking nothing could match last year’s epic conditions, but it’s OK. There’s always next year …