Merry Christmas!

Christmas was so great this year! My parents came and stayed with us, so we were able to do things with Ellingsons and Cramers...the perfect combination :) The weather was a little crazy for awhile, but it didn't stop us from eating, playing games, and having fun! Highlights (or lowlights) included: Talking to Joe's brother Dave, (who is on his mission in Norway;) family getting stuck in the snow on the way to Glade's; me finally making some food worthy of the Ellingson family cookbook; and my parents getting stuck at the SLC airport for 4 hours! Here are a few photos...the rest are on flickr

Cute Mittens!

It's weird to think she's only been around for a week because she kind of acts like she owns the place. She and Joe have had some quality bonding time the past few nights, so they're pretty tight now.

Kitty's Stats

We took the kitty to get her shots yesterday, but they found out she's sick...so we get to give her medicine twice a day for 10 days instead. Fun :) Here's what they told us, though: She is about 6 months old and 3.75 pounds. Oh, and we named her Mittens (nicknames include Mitt, Mitters, Mitten the Kitten, and Mitty-Mitt-Mitt). She is pretty spoiled; she's got a sweet setup in the guest bathroom with a Booda litter dome, some high-quality cat food, and a kitty condo.

The second picture was taken after my unsuccessful attempt at a bath. She let me lather, but we didn't quite get to rinse. So she's kind of ticked; I'm letting her cool off (and dry off).

Christmas Party

Thanks to everyone that stopped by...it was tons of fun!

The Newest Member of our Family

So it all started when Joe saw a cat in the parking lot about 2 weeks ago. He told me how cute and little it was, and how we should try and feed it. So for a few nights we would walk around in the snow looking for this cat and leaving it some food. The food was getting eaten, but we felt like we needed to take care of this kitty. So we borrowed a trap, set it up 2 nights ago, and caught the kitty in 5 minutes! We're getting it it's shots on Monday, and getting it used to not living in the snow anymore. It was very scared when we caught it, so we left it in the guest bathroom for awhile so it could get used to its new surroundings. We would bring it food and water and say hi. Then we couldn't decide if it wanted the light on the bathroom or off, so we left the hallway light on, and cracked the door to the bathroom open...with the trap in front of the door so the kitty could not escape. Well, it did escape and came into our room meowing at 4:30 this morning. Smart kitty! The funniest part of the night/my life was after we caught it and put it back. Joe put it inside it's litter box and said to me "Cats have an instinctive need to dig and scratch. Watch this... he'll love it," and as soon as he said that, the cat bolted for the door.

Boo!

Yesterday was the second big snowfall of the year...and it claimed the Honda. Joe was ALMOST to his friend's house when another car lost control and slid into him. We are very thankful it wasn't any worse, and glad we have insurance :)

The first real snowfall...

..was actually a week ago. It was really pretty, but not fun to drive in. We braved it, and made the trek to the temple to see Don and Ann before they left for Toronto. I guess it will be snowing now off and on...so the novelty has worn off.

The Storm

Well my parents just called...the storm is finally gone!

Sustained winds in the area were close to 50 mph for over a day, with gusts around 100. Before the storm even hit, cell phone service was gone. Then the power went out. Luckily, my parents have a gas fireplace and stoves to keep warm. Safeway had one generator on for awhile so people could stock up on food, but no gas stations were open. I guess all those years of my dad demanding at least half a tank of gas in my car finally makes sense :) Hwy. 18 (the main way to get out of town) was closed, so my parents had to hope other roads were not covered in trees; they drove through Hebo to make it up to Portland. This might shock you, but they're on their way to Havasu since there's really nothing to do in Lincoln City :)

California Trip

So here's the rundown of the California trip:

Friday:
-Drove to Vegas and watched the Cirque de Soleil show Ka
-Stayed at the renowned Whiskey Pete's in Primm, NV

Saturday:
-Drove to LA; ate at the Grand Lux Cafe, drove around Melrose, and went to the Soda Pop Stop
-Saw a movie in Irvine
-Stayed with Jake and Carter in Ladera Ranch

Sunday:
-Drove to Carlsbad and went to Legoland
-Hung out with Asher, Jake and Carter

Monday:
-Drove to LaCanada to eat lunch and visit with Grandmother and Grandfather Welch
-Hit Hollywood on the way back to Jake and Carter's

Tuesday:
-Went to a Lamborghini dealership and a Ferrari dealership (on the same street!)
-Stopped in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo
-Stayed at the Carmel Valley Ranch

Wednesday:
-Drove the 17 Mile Drive
-Saw Carmel, Monterey, and Cannery Row
-Went to a mini-golf/arcade place to avoid sitting in traffic
-Stayed at Benjy and Carrie's

Thursday:
-Thanksgiving at the Grovers
-Food, family, football, and the Wii

Friday:
-Enjoyed Berkeley: the campus, Chinese food, and gelato
-Drove through San Francisco
-Went to an after-Thanksgiving pie party
-Stayed in Concord with Benjy's parents

Saturday
-Started the drive home, so we watched the BYU game in a sports book in Reno (go Cougs!)
-Stayed in Winnemucca, NV

Saturday:
-Stopped at the Salt Flats
-CAME HOME!

We drove the Honda 2500 miles in less than 10 days! We already have a list of things we'll need to do on our next trip (or 2 or 3...because I doubt a roadtrip of this magnitude will ever happen again). But it was a blast! I really enjoyed the quality time with Joe. And I have to say the trip probably would not have been possible without the iPod and the GPS system. For all the rest of our pictures, go here: Flickr Thanksgiving Pics