Girls Weekend 2010

Girls Weekend!

I love my girlfriends and spending time with them!  But anymore, it rarely seems like we spend enough time with each other outside of work.  So in the beginning of November, I decided to plan a little girlfriends get-away for right before Christmas.  Much needed, much deserved!

We decided that we would head up to the cabin for an over-night stay.  While Jenni and I do this often, the other 3 had never spent time up at the cabin before...so it was destined to be a fun and entertaining experience!

We piled into the "little yellow bus" (my car) at noon on Tuesday and headed on our merry way.  We stopped off at McD's for lunch in Enumclaw, grabbed a few last minute things at Safeway and continued on toward our destination.  

Sadly, when we arrived at the cabin, all of the beautiful snow from Thanksgiving had pretty much melted away with only a few spots here and there.  That wasn't going to dampen our fun though!  We went inside, got settled and started heating that place up...brrrrrrrrrr... it was cold in there!  Of course there was a race for the beds and our two "Goldilocks" had to find the one that was just right. 

Too Squished!

Too crowded!

Just Right!

 While we patiently waited for the cabin to heat up, we decided to head out down towards the river and explore.  Jenni and I <3 doing this whenever we are up there...but have you met the rest of my friends?!? LOL  They are very.... ummm... "girly".

 I love my Jenni...and all of the fun times we have had up at the cabin together!

 Merrill was a trooper...and look she even found some snow!

Tiff is always great for entertainment.  She always keeps me laughing...ALWAYS!

And Jaimi?  Well there was a little whining...and some big girl tears (LOL)...

I am such a great, comforting friend!

But we love her just the same!

Okay...so maybe there wasn't real big girl tears... but there was a little whining though! ;)

As we headed back toward the cabin we spotted a herd of Elk over in the clubhouse field.  What a special treat for these girls to see.  I was so hoping they would come out to play at some point while we were up there!

This little lady was either very friendly or very protective of her herd...she just kept coming closer and closer to us!  I have NEVER experienced that up there before.  I am usually the one that ends up startling them, not them startling me!

While we were gone... Santa had arrived!  Yay!!!!!! 

Stockings I made for the girls!

Mine!

 We each brought $5 presents for everybody...so fun!

Here are all my goodies:

When the girls arrived to my house earlier that day... we all just about died laughing when we saw this:

Yes Merrill and I in the same outfit!  Same sweats with striped gray thermals. :)  

After all...we ARE friends!

We thought we were pretty cool & special

until...

Jenni & Jaimi walked out in the same jammies!  

None of this was planned...  We are such dorks!

Poor Tiff... but she later discovered that her and Merrill were wearing the same toenail polish...so all was well ;)

We made fun crafts.

And they ALL turned out so great!

The most fun by far were the games!  Definitely some memories I will never forget :)

So glad I could spend some much needed time with my besties...during this crazy, hectic time of year!

Thanks Girls!!!!!

Can't wait to do it again!

Loves,

Jami

Go Hubby, It's your birthday...we're going to party like you are thirt-ay!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband!

So my husby's birthday was on Saturday, December 4th, and he finally turned the dreaded thirty!  While he feels pain and misery over this, all I can think of is "Yay!!!" we are both now in our thirties!  Now I officially feel like less of a cradle robber.
To celebrate, I bought Seahawk tickets wwwaaaaayyyyyy back in September, for the December 5th game against the Panthers.  Even better, the Panthers are currently like the worst team in the league...which I thought would be great for our struggling Seahawks.  I mean who doesn't want their team to win at the game they pay to go to!  Don't let our NFC West record fool you!... we are stinking it up with a 500 season, and that is just because everyone else we play sucks too!  It was so hard in the beginning to keep this a secret.  Plus, I let his brother Andy and his wife Kaylyn in on the action so that they could buy tickets and come with us!  This made it doubly hard.  Is that a word?  I guess so, no red squiggle line.  Hmmmm....
Anyways, I finally let him know last Wednesday of our weekend plans.  After dinner at the inlaws he arrived home to find this waiting for him in our entry way.

And Yes... it's "George"!

His own little personal Seahawks Christmas tree complete with loving card from the wifey, Seahawks ornaments, Seahawks beanie, and Seahawks tickets.  Yay!
We headed to Quest field on Sunday hoping for another Seattle W.  It was a chilly, but relatively dry day (just a few sprinkles here and there), which was good since we were not undercover.  In fact, we were the first row, on the 100 level, by the 40 yard line.  It was pretty sweet!

Quest Field

Andy & Kaylyn

Raising the 12th Man flag.

Big Mystery??????

Retiring Walter Jones' #

12th Man in action!  Boys working on a false start.

Gotta LUV the Seahawks touchdowns!

All in all, they won...and, well... a win is a win...and that is all I am going to say.  Who needs to know the rest of the story any way?  What it says at the end of the 4th quarter, is all that counts.

Ahhhh... Seahawks...
The 12th man can only do so much...the other 11 (that are actually on the field) need to get it done too!
Sincerely, The Dahls

Loves, Jami

Oh Christmas Tree...

Oh Christmas Tree... Oh Christmas Tree...

So... I am absolutely in love with my Christmas tree this year.  She is wonderful.  Really she is.  Is it weird that I woke up every morning this last week, watered her, and told her how beautiful she was?  Sadly, I did.  Why do I love her so much you ask?  Well...she is the perfect height, has the perfect natural noble layers (so all of my ornaments hang nicely rather than lay against the tree) and she fits nicely in the corner of our living room.  Did I mention that she is the skinniest tree I have ever gotten?  Do you think that is my subconscious trying to tell me something?  Like maybe "lay off the cookies lady"!  Tall, skinny, beautiful...everything I desire to be :)

So tonight I finally got around to decorating her!  First the lights.  I hate the lights!  But... on a good note, with her being so skinny she only took 2 strands as opposed to the 4-5 strands I usually use.  Oh the bonuses of being thin. ;)

I went with the Santa Hat topper this year.  My stars never seem to stay upright...and well... I saw it in Potterybarn and I just happened to have one on hand that actually matched my tree skirt perfectly.  I think I like it!

And what tree doesn't need a feather boa?  Hmmmm?

These feather boas are actually made for Christmas trees.  They have a special loop on one end to slip onto the branch and then drape down.  I <3 them!

I must share some of my favorite "ornaments" on my tree.

The traditional "Our First Christmas"

Our Monogram

Green, Red, and White Poinsettias

To remind us of our Hawaiian Wedding and Honeymoon

'Tis the reason for the season!

Clear Beaded Flower Clips

And an Ornament as old as ME!  One of my first ornaments from 1979.

I was so lucky when I got my first place back in 2001.  That December my mom went to Macy's and hooked me up with a bunch of beautiful ornaments for my first tree.  I love and cherish all of them to this day!  Aside from those, I could probably tell you where each of the rest of my ornaments were purchased.  They were always thoughtful and purposeful purchases.  I love each and everyone I put on my tree.

Here she is in all her glory.

Ahhhhh....

On to the rest of the living area tomorrow!

I will post more later :)

Loves,

Jami

Thanksgiving Weekend!

 Thanksgiving

Mmmm...mmmm...good!

Traditionally, in the past, my Thanksgivings have usually been spent at my grandparents house on Whidbey Island or my Dad's house in Puyallup.  I can never get enough of my Grandma Stowe's Thanksgiving dinner...especially her stuffing, which my Dad and I fight over, and smother with the most fattening of gravy.  Yikes!  If it weren't for the instant trip to the bathroom (a running joke in our family...no pun intended), I am sure we would gain 10 lbs. from this meal alone.  TMI... I know...but get over it :)

In recent years, my Mom's side of the family began to hold Thanksgiving at our cabin in Greenwater.  I love time spent up there, so it put me in quite a predicament, because I felt I needed my Grandma Stowe's stuffing and cabin time.  So I would gobble up Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad's side of the family, rush up to Greenwater, arriving just in time for my second helping of pecan pie (mmmm...my favorite).

Now with my  loving husband in  my life, we are on a three house rotation, with a different hosting house each year.  However, we don't sacrifice our cabin time :)

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Justin's parents.  It was a great time spent with my new  family.  One thing, about the Dahl family... there is never a lull in conversation, or an awkward silence.  In fact, you will be lucky to get your two cents in.  This is actually great for me, because I am a keen observer of personal interaction...rather than a talker.  I just like to sit there and take it all in:)  Let's just say...I think I know each one of their personalities better than they think. LOL  I wonder what they would do if I raised my hand like one of my second graders at the dinner table in order to talk.  Hmmm.... I might have to try this sometime. :)  All in all, the dinner was absolutely delicious.

After dinner we took off for the cabin.  This is about an hour's drive from where we live.  We, of course, got there just in time for my second helping of Pecan Pie :) Shhhh... don't tell my Uncle Danny.

Thanksgiving weekend at the Cabin means many things:

Other than my favorite...which is spending time with my loving family.

Top Ten Count Down

#10

"Happy Nappy"

#9

Gossip Magazines

And Yes... Ryan Reynolds is one of the Sexiest Men Alive!

#8

Game time with the Family & Cribbage Showdowns

And usually many other card games.

#7

Movie watching

Serendipity is ALWAYS watched during this weekend.  One time, my sister and I even made frozen hot chocolates before starting the movie.  We are dorks... but I love that we are dorks!

#6
A walk down to the river

Excuse my cheek... my cold skin had just gotten slapped in the face by a wet tree limb :(

#5

Tons of leftovers... YUM!

#4

Christmas Photo Shoot :)

Not it...but close... hee hee :)

*YOWZA*

Love my Sister and Phil time!

#3

Playing with the dogs

Yes... 5 dogs!

I just can't believe I only got a picture of my Harley.

How can you not LOVE him?!  Awwwww!

He would only walk in the huge tire track...with 8 inches of fresh snow piled on each side of him.  It was so funny, like his own personal tunnel.

#2
Christmas Tree Huntin'

Please keep in mind...
The sheer beauty your are about to witness, exists in real life.
This is not a Hollywood set, or backdrop :)

The following pictures are simply A-MAZING!!!!
*Enjoy*

The trail less traveled

Winter Wonder

The "vastness" of it all

Kinda deep!

Getting deeper!

Now this is ridiculous!  The snow is chest high on my 6'2" husband!

 While walking crawling through the snow, I came across a very tall, but small stump (probably a cut Christmas tree from years past) and climbed on top of it.  From there, I jumped into this very deep snow.  It was so fun...like jumping into the swimming pool off of the diving board!  My husby took a picture of it, but it is on my Dad's camara :(  So sad!

After giving her a VERY good shake...we finally found her!  You wouldn't believe how much more difficult it is to find a tree when it is covered in inches upon inches of snow!

Timber!!!!!!

At this time, Justin decided to sit on me, and bury me alive in the snow so that just my head was showing!  I was not appreciative of this act, as it was claustrophobic and VERY cold.  This picture... is also on another camera.

The annual group shot!

Our Beautiful drive back down to the cabin...again...Enjoy.

And back to my list...
The #1
(other than spending time with my loving family)

Waking up to fresh snow.
 8 inches of it on Sunday morning!

Ohhh... and can't forget running into these guys.  They are always hanging around in the "safe zone".

This is 2 of the 20 something we saw.

'Tis the season...

Loves...
Jami