I think The Edge is in my Basement!!

For Christmas, Josiah got an effects pedal for his guitar from my folks. We haven't seen him for about two days unless we venture to the basement. He comes up for air and food.

So Far, So Good

After opening gifts Christmas morning, we were invited to our friends' the Nye's house for brunch. Upon arriving back home to the total disaster of wrapping paper, boxes and "stuff", we quickly grabbed our coats and pjs (leaving the disaster behind) and headed over to the Millers for dinner, a double feature, and a sleep over!!! Woo hoo. We had tacos for Christmas dinner. We planned on starting the movies late, but we party-pooping adults were tired and decided that 7pm was a better idea. We watched "Night at the Museum 1 & 2". Crazy and really fun movies. The next morning we got up and went to Target. Can you believe we did that??? Nuts. but not as nuts here in Kalispell as it is in many other cities!! There wasn't even a line in the return area - they were all back in the 50% off holiday aisles which was where we were going. After eating lunch back at our home away from home, and lying around like couch potatoes, we gathered up most of our many belongings (We always leave a few behind. It is kind of like a treasure hunt finding the Dunham leftovers. Someone left ONE SHOE this time - ONE. And I am not sure you can really call dirty socks treasures) and headed home. The next morning, when we showed up for church, the entire Miller family was not in attendance - including Chris and he is the pastor!! They came down with the stomach flu in the middle of the night!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! The kids and I just looked at each other and started laughing. Not laughing that the Millers are sick, but laughing at what's to come for us. Ha. When we got home, I started giving the kids Tummy Tune-up and garlic and all sorts of my concoctions. Isaiah was achy today and so, among other things, I gave him some activated charcoal and raw honey mixed in water. I guess it wasn't such a great idea, because he took one sip, looked at me like he was going to die, and then out it came. Elias is feeling a little "different", but other than that - so far so good. I guess we will see. The Millers are better now; it was a short but nasty bug.

Christmas

We had a nice Christmas - how could one not?? The plan that always existed was set in motion on Earth - Jesus came to redeem us. What's not to love about that? All the other is just icing on the cake. The one thing that made things tough for us here is that Brad was away working in Minot, North Dakota over Christmas. He has been gone two weeks and will be away another 1 1/2 weeks. That was a bummer. More of a bummer for him, though, I am sure. It has been totally freezing there and he's working LONNNNGG days. So, McGyver - this post is for you so you can see our Christmas photos!!

Everyone wearing their hats and gloves from Grandma and Grandpa.

My folks got the girls two really cute outfits form Lands End. Here is one.

Go Fish Revival

Three Christmases ago, my brother and sister-in-law sent this great CD by Go Fish. It is fun, catchy and intelligent (for the most part) kid music, by these three Christian dads. WE liked it, listened for a few days, but then it went into the pile of the zillion CDs we have and sat.....until lately. We are having a Go Fish Revival at our house. My kids must have listened to our Snazzy CD three thousand times in the past two weeks. I think it was sparked when the Super Hero song was used in a slide show at our friend's wedding in San Diego this November. Just this morning, I was getting dressed and had to succomb to the "Mom Song" ("If you work all day and you never get paid you're a mom") 8 times in a row- full blast - until I went out and told Isaiah to turn it down and play another song.... PLEASE! I really love the song, but....5 times in a row?? The kids want the Christmas CD "Snow" (great CD) and since they don't have it, they decided to listen to the next best thing - Snazzy. If you haven't heard these guys, you ought to. Some of their songs include The Jammy Song, It's Hard to Look Cool in a Mini Van, and the more serious Saved my Faith. Go here to sample and then buy one!

Let it Snow!

Raise your hand if you think that Montana should have freezing cold temperatures and lots of snow right now! Me too; but, THINKING we should have snow does not produce results!! We HAD snow a week ago, but for the past three days we have had nothing but........RAIN! Yep, RAIN at Christmas. Can't wait until the temperature drops and all that rain freezes - now, won't that be fun? Kind of like ice skating, except on the highway in your car. No, it won't be fun, but snow would be. So, for those of you who think Montana is sort of like Siberia - you are wrong. Maybe you were thinking of the East coast. ;)

The War Wagon

Shaun is driving back from California to Montana with us so that we can transport the “war wagon” to MT. It is an old step van that McGyver converted into a mobile media truck for Pacific Coast Communications business a few years ago. It has been sitting dormant for a few years. It used to have a projector and internet system inside and a screen on the outside for the display. It now houses a high performance gitty-up engine that we are going to change out to a different truck for Shaun to take back to San Diego. The heat in the war wagon isn’t the greatest…..Shaun and Brad are switching out every half hour so that no one freezes to death (it is -4 right now at 9:52 am)…..freezing to death would be bad. I’m being spared that duty – this is when being a female driver really pays off.

The best carne asada ever

On Sunday, I had the best carne asada burrito I have ever had – and it isn’t because we are totally deprived that I feel that way – I know a good carne asada when I see one! There is a little hole in the wall in Escondido called Jilbertos. The hot sauce was excellent too (that’s how we judge a good Mexican shop – carne asada and hot sauce. And the beans were great too). If someone in San diego wanted to move to Montana and open a taco shop here in Kalispell, they could make a killing. All of us displaced Californians here (not sure who lived here before we all came) lament over the great Mexican food we are missing out on (and the fact that there isn't a Trader Joe's anywhere even remotely close by, but that's another story). So, if in San Diego, go to Jilbertos. BUT don’t use the bathroom – it does NOT live up to the carne asada standard. ICK.

Welcome Home

We aren’t exactly home, but we are in Montana now, and what a welcome! It was -3 (yep, that’s negative three degrees) in Dillon where we stopped last night. HA! It won’t be near that cold in Kalispell, but it might be at the ranch. Brad met a manager at McDonald’s (my McGyver talks to everyone) and the guy RUNS to work and home every day/night – three miles – tonight in negative three degrees. Shaun says that people in Montana are crazy – we say they are just hard core!!