Welcoming 2008!

There was a beautiful fresh coating of snow on the ground so we took a slight detour to Keller Ferry on our way to Montana. It is such a pretty area!visiting Dad at work...

...he gave us a demonstration on log scaling. It was the first time I had really seen what my dad does everyday!

Dad and I in the log yard.

A few pictures of the yard

We ventured outside for a few hours of sledding daily...

Jason received a late wedding gift from Cody that he wanted to wear everyday.

My reaction...

Jason's reaction...and poor Cody ended up with all the blame:)

Tristan enjoys drinking out of a glass like a big boy and is quite possibly the cutest one-year-old around!

There was plenty of game playing!

A few of us who survived the midnight celebrations

We had quite the eventful New Year with snowboarding, sledding,hot spring sitting, games and food all before midnight..then, Sarah S. had the bright idea that we run to the mail box barefoot. However it was quickly shortened to the fence, then halfway to the fence once we revealed our barefeet in 3 degree weather!

The "runners" Julie, Leah, Sarah, Sue, Jason, Beth

Winter Beauty

Montana in December. We woke up to 6-8 new inches of snow! It made for perfect sledding!

Christmas in Waterville

Despite the drudge of winter travel (we missed our connecting flight, our baggage was delayed only to arrive a day late with handles completely shattered and Jason's parents drove 6 hours to pick us up 20 miles from home) we had wonderful holidays packed with family, friends, and snow! We got to spend Christmas and a few more days in Waterville. Grandma and Grandpa Demmon and Aunt Jan made the trip up as well. Waiting hours to board our delayed flight from O'Hare to SeaTac

We went to Mittelstaedt's for a night of games and desert where the ladies succeeded in beating the men in every category of the game Catch Phrase! I would also like to post a disclaimer for Jason's outfit...I was completely unaware until our arrival :)

Jason's dad recently bought a new tractor to help with the farming. We only had time for a quick visit before we left town, but Jason is anxious to take it for a test drive!

Vacation!

'Tis the season for giving and sharing...in most cases....however, here on the south side we have recently received multiple warnings of a rise in crime during the holidays. A boy misfired a gun in the school across the street from us last week, and a car was stolen at 3:30 in the afternoon while the owner helped a friend into the building yesterday.
That being said, we are very excited for our flight to Spokane tomorrow! We are looking forward to spending time with our families, getting out of the city and slowing our lives back down a little. We plan on spending Christmas and a few days in Waterville with Jason's family, and then on to Montana to celebrate the New Year with my family.
Due to our upcoming travels and Jason's horrible luck with airline luggage (his luggage was delayed on 4 consecutive trips) we decided to buy new carry-ons that will hold a few outfits just incase. So in the spirit of blogging I had to take a picture....Jason's even comes with a laptop pocket. Perfect for the techie!

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

New Equipment

Jason recently purchased a new piece of equipment, called a BIO, which will allow him to clearly see the back and sides of his patient's eyes. It looks like a pretty good hiking headlamp to me! Cassie came over so they could make adjustments and become familiar with the BIO before using it in lab. I thought they looked so comical that I couldn't help but snap a few pictures to share! ...making the necessary adjustments.

soon to be Dr. Barnes!

Company!

Jason's bother Joel and his girlfriend Jana came to visit and explore the city for a week. Joel visited Jason here in Chicago last year, but this was Jana's first time to the city. Since they are from Washington and the Bulls just happened to be playing the Sonics, we grabbed tickets and enjoyed watching the two teams scrap it out. Considering both teams are holding up the tail end of their respective conferences we hoped for a good game.

The bulls proved to be too much for the Sonics beating them by 27!

Dana and Tyler joined us for the game!

Of course Jace and I supported the winning home team!

Since the bulls scored over 100 points and won the game all ticket holders won free Big Macs. It was my first and only Big Mac so far, but boy did it hit the spot at 12:30 am!

....the result

Jace and I in our living room!

Before the girls completely pounded the boys at Battle of the Sexes.

Parties Galore

I realize it has been a while since I have given any sort of update on our life here in Chicago. Jason has been just as busy as ever with school, and although I'm still waiting on my nursing license, I have been watching an 8 week old boy for one of Jason's professors to keep busy.
We got some snow this past week as well as freezing rain, so the already hectic city has gotten that much crazier. This past weekend we headed North for a fondue party hosted by Steve and Susanna Swenson as well as Shanna Remmers. We had an awesome evening! Scott and Steve preparing to blow things up

desert!

Playing "Ping-pong." The objective is to say either ping or pong. Sounds simple enough. Except you aren't allowed to show your teeth at anytime during the game. It provided many good laughs!

Surviving the first few rounds.

The result after intense hours of fondue and ping-pong....exhaustion.