December

 

Hyrum and I started off the Christmas month with a wonderful concert at the Oregon Symphony

We have been spending a lot of time in Corvallis this month trying to get our home ready to be rented.  There wasn't a ton to do but we did need to replace some furniture and old door handles.  We got very lucky and rented this place out to a couple of OSU students who will move out in June, just in time for our twins to move in!

I was walking around North Plains while Julian was taking his piano lesson and I saw these lawn decorations...why are they so angry??

Went snowshoeing with a group of friends around Trillium Lake near Mt. Hood

It was a beautiful sunny day but that snow was DEEP, even with snow shoes on I sometimes sunk down to my knees!

Mt. Hood peeking out through the tree tops

We finally cut down our Christmas tree.. on December 18th.  Cutting it a bit close this year, we were very happy the tree farm was still open:)

Time to carry it back to the van

The boys had fun decorating their little gingerbread houses

Time to decorate the tree and watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Hyrum and I  (and his brother Jason) enjoyed a fantastic Christmas concert with Harry Conick Jr.  What a great show and a great performer.

We went to the Nutcracker Ballet on Christmas Eve.  The boys said it was "ok" 😆

All set up for our Christmas Eve "grab bag" tradition

Townsend picked a fun bag with a creepy elf and a tube full of gum balls:)

Hyrum got a fun little blanket

Uncle Jason bought all the nieces and nephews winter hats

Hyrum and I got all the wrapping done and presents under the tree at exactly 12:01 AM...not bad

Christmas morning breakfast with rolls and cocoa

Peter got a new little home

The twins got didgeridoos and Julian got an African "thumb piano"

We went to Camp 18 for lunch the day after Christmas.  Then we spent the rest of the day relaxing and being very lazy!

Our home lost power for about 8 hours on December 27th.  It wasn't too cold so we didn't freeze out of our house but we couldn't cook dinner so Hyrum brought us some teriyaki chicken on his way home from work.  Then we played card games by candlelight until the lights came back on.

December 31...last day of 2022.  We had a great time hanging with the Doxey family, eating good food, playing games and chatting.  

When we came home from he Doxey's the boys wanted to stay up until midnight so we all played the WiiU until midnight, it was fun playing all together.

At midnight we ran outside and set off some fireworks and made some noise to welcome in the New Year.

Goodbye 2022...welcome 2023.  We never know what this new year will bring but I hope it brings happiness and love and lots of fun travels.

Buffalo, New York

 The Buffalo Bills (football team) has been doing really well this year so Steve Doxey had the idea to go to a Bills game.  We just had a quick weekend to to explore and have fun but we had such a great time!  I love my hometown and I love sharing it with others.

Got off the airplane and headed straight for South Buffalo for some awesome pizza and wings!

Imperial pizza with Buffalo wings and blue cheese dressing...mmmm

At the football game.  Steve and I got so many compliments on our awesome hats.  Hyrum and Katrina are no fun!

Walking around the tailgate area before the game...so much Bills love!

We were pretty wet and cold before the game even got started, thank goodness they sold hot cocoa at the game!

The Bills verses the Jets...we WON!!!!

It started snowing during the 4th quarter...which was better than rain.  But man I was freezing!!

Niagara Falls from the American side

We toured Niagara Parks Power Station in Canada that closed down a few years ago.  It was a pretty cool museum but the best part was the tunnel you can walk along that spits you out right at the base of Horseshoe Falls, it was a great view from there.

Getting ready to head through the tunnel

Horseshoe Falls as seen from the end of the tunnel

I would definitely recommend this place, it was so cool and you learned a lot about how they create electricity using the Falls

Niagara Falls from the Canadian side

We drove to visit the exact spot President McKinley was shot in 1901.  Steve acted the scene out for us 😆

We walked around the beautiful Forest Lawn Cemetery, so many beautiful headstones here.

Beautiful sculpture in the cemetery

Inside the Ellicott Square building in downtown Buffalo

Had to get my beef on week sandwich!

Love me some good Tim Horton donuts!

With the lions outside of City Hall

View from the very top of City Hall

Beautiful city council chambers inside City Hall

City Hall is such a unique and wonderful building

A group is recreating a traditional barge that would have been used on the Erie Canal.  They hope to have it ready to launch in 2023.

Josh Allen (the Bills quarterback) jumping over the Christmas tree...this city sure loves it's football team!

Hyrum flirting with "shark girl" at Canalside

We stopped at Ted's hotdogs on our way to the airport.  It was so much fun visiting Buffalo and sharing so many fun places with my family...I'll be back!