Welcome Jilli and Maryanne!

The weather here is so wonderful!  And the beach outside our place… white and pristine… This morning, after we both zonked out from the busy traveling days, was lazy and slow.  Left for a walk around our ‘hood’… at 11:00 am…. Wrong time of day…. We know better… it was really warm… thank heavens we had our SPF on… cuz we might have returned as lobsters!  Found a couple restaurants we might want to check out later.

            Picked up Jillian and Maryanne about 2ish at the airport… fun to see the excitement in their eyes as they soaked up the sunny skies and warmth!  They had taken the red eye from Seattle to Miami, then a 4 hour layover before the flight here…and wanted some good grub… They both were glad Jerry was driving… it’s like the Brits drive, on the wrong side of the road in our opinion… Anyway, ended up at Coconut Joes… another score!  Then home, unpack… and we all feel asleep in the lounge chairs under the palm trees.

Dinner and wine this evening… out on the patio of Edorado’s…. Ahhhh this is the life!

leaving for our walk... we found this little guy... well, he really wasn't so little... 

This palm looked so weird... like it was hanging in the air... look to the right and you can see where a limb is growing sideways, and then this just grew 'up' to reach for the sun...

And here they come after the red eye and 4 hour layover... they're looking good!....

Great meal at this place.... and great drinks...

Laying in the sun, I looked up, and thought.. the moon is the same everywhere... 

So, here Jerry is snoozing on a rubber float in the pool, you see Jillian and Maryanne sleeping... we were all so comfy... I woke before they did, so I was spared getting caught by the camera!

After watching the sunset, we headed out for dinner.. Clink Clink!

Grand Cayman's and the Seven Mile Beach....

We left the chilly, damp weather on Thursday and after a quick meal with Halley in snowy and freezing Minneapolis, we arrived here in the Grand Cayman Islands, via Atlanta, right about lunch time… and the weather here is spectacular!  Warm and not too muggy at all!  Saw the Florida Keys from the air… the long bridge connecting all the Keys was really obvious!  We even flew over a part of Cuba…

We arrived here, unpacked and  hadn’t been here more than a half hour, and we were walking down the beach to take a dip in the beach…. Followed by a pool chaser… 

We truly recognize just how blessed we are!

Found a local eatery… on the water and not really noticeable from the main drag unless you knew it was there.  Great meal, yummy drink and my first experience with Wahoo (type of fish) and Jerk Seasoning…. Hot, hot, hot… I loved it!  Jer had some Wahoo too, but his was grilled… much more to his liking. 

Looking forward to Jillian and Maryanne arriving tomorrow… 

The Keys from the plane....

This place was so good... Rackem's

Blueberry Lemonade

Our digs....

View from our bedroom

Laying around the pool after our dip in the ocean, this was my view.... Oh yeah... I think I'm gonna like it here!...

A Baptism for a Sweet Little Girl

My nephew's little girl was baptized and it seemed like a really good reason to travel to Illinois and share in the celebration. We left Saturday morning, and returned on the following Monday.... Addison was such a good little girl, and of course, we thought the cutest! Besides us coming from faraway, her Great Grandma, Mel, also drove up for the celebration. Afterwards, Matt and Sarah had a little celebration at their house... what a great way to spend a day. The only hiccup, was our return trip... Got on our plane, went on to the runway, only to have to return due to a problem... Ended up our flight was cancelled, so we had to reroute... From Chicago... to Atlanta... and then back to Seattle.... grrrrrr.... plus, we were blessed with a 5 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta... They gave us first class seats, but, since the flight was leaving at 9:45 at night, we pretty much just tried to snooze our journey away! Got home safely and were pretty tired.... But, we'd do it again to be a part of this celebration!

Going home through Stevens Pass

We woke up to snow, snow, snow! The only problem is this is the day we are suppose to travel over the pass and get Halley and Dan to the airport. The forecast called for 10 - 15 inches of snow that day. Fortunately, the storm held off until we were over the pass. The pass was loaded with cars and skiers, who were loving the snow from the previous night and looking forward to more coming. After we got home, on the news, they said a normal ski day is 3000 folks... that day, there were 5000 folks.... We thanked the Lord for keeping the window of travel we had open free of the nasty weather! Dropped the kids off at the airport and headed home. Yup, there's no place like home.... oh... now we have to take all the Christmas Stuff down... So fun when it goes up, but, boy, we ready for it to come down now!

Our Host at the hotel....

Which picture shows the Sleeping Lady?

We took off to check out "The Sleeping Lady" conference center... Our Foss Family Foundation had meet there about 15 years ago... It was our very first Foundation meeting and held lots of special memories. The roads were clear so we off we went for Icicle Creek Road. Usually, the road is closed much closer to town... but, snow has been very light this year so we got to drive quite a way. The creek was fast and icy looking and the mountainsides were beautiful. We had lunch at the deli next to Sleeping Lady and the meals were yummy and made with local stuff... they grown all their own veg's, etc.
That evening we hooked up with a friend of Jerry's who we went to their wedding a couple years ago... Jim and Diane Zumini... Fun dinner and best yet, Fun People!

Snow.... where are you going???

Well, all the gorgeous snow from the night before, started to melt away around 10am. The sidewalks and streets were cleared pretty early, so with the warming up, we were able to walk around town. Lots of Chotsky Shops... and since it was after Christmas, lots of sales. Then. late in the afternoon, the rains poured down! We just sorta putzed around and at the end of the day topped off with a yummy meal, this time, Italian! Was quite tasty. While we eating the rains stopped and we had the promise of a clearer day tomorrow!

A Bavarian Town Here In Washington State

Christmas 2011… It wasn’t white in our little town…. But a short little trip to Leavenworth, WA on the 27th… well, that helped fill our need for the white stuff. 

We left late Tuesday afternoon, got over Snoqualmie Pass with just lots of rain coming down as we looked at the mostly empty ski slopes there. All the lights were on, but you could barely see up the hill… the rain/snow/fog limited our view…. Headed on east, then north through Blewet Pass…. And, then right as we went over the crest… ahhhhh, the white stuff started…. Unfortunately, a few miles over the summit, the snow was a bit heavier, and we were greeted by a jack-knifed truck. The police were just arriving at the scene… So, we pretty much got through before the big backup that was inevitable.

The place we’re staying is the Hotel Pension Anna… Scary when you are picking out something from the comfort of your home months before… you never know if the pictures and comments on the web are reality… fortunately, they were. Got here, snow is pouring down, all the town is decorated for Christmas…. Very, very cool! Checked in and braved the weather and ate a little German Restaurant… Never have before, and when we looked at the menu (Halley and Dan are with us)… I wasn’t so sure. Was almost ready to suggest we go somewhere else (later I found out Jerry was thinking the same thing). I kept my mouth shut and kinda glad I did. New foods for us, but they were good… well, we probably won’t go back, but it was good…know what I mean???

The snow was pouring down all the lights were on in town!  It was like Christmas Card!  I only wish I felt that way inside, and that's all I'm gonna say... I'm okay... just a bunch of stuff going on that is hard to deal with!