Christmas Season Has Begun!

This weekend marked the beginning of the Christmas season for us in more ways than one. We purchased our big family present, went to a Christmas parade and tree lighting and cut our Christmas tree.
Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful and mellow with Kyme's dad on Thursday evening. There was cooking all day and the house was warm and full of the smells of Thanksgiving, the sounds of football and the luxury of relaxation.

Dinner

From 11282008

Teenager starting without us~

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Applie Pie!

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Martha Stewart, eat your heart out :P

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On Friday we woke up a little earlier than usual for us on a weekend to actually head out shopping on Black Friday, and headed to RC Willey to purchase our new TV at a great price. It's a 46" Samsung and it's purty.

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After that we went to cut our little Christmas tree at Victory Tree farm which is actually a small residential lot very near our home, owned by a sweet older woman named Irene. We picked out our cute little tree and they cut it for us right then. We decorated it as soon as we arrived home, making our house very festive and ready for the holidays.

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From Xmas Parade, etc

Saturday we went to the Christmas parade downtown with some friends. The parade was so-so (too many cars, not enough marching bands and definitely not enough candy canes handed out!), but it was nice to be out with friends. Kyme went out geocaching afterwards with the whole group and then to the tree lighting and caroling in the grove downtown. That evening we watched a movie in our new living room cinema! :D
Our Friends at the Holiday parade:

From Xmas Parade, etc

SANTA!!!

From Xmas Parade, etc

We took Sunday to finish up a few chores around the house and relax before starting the work week :( We look forward to having our holidays at home! No snow yet, but it will most likely start in the next week or so. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, we miss you all!

There is a Fine Line

There is a fine line between Autumn and Winter. It is when the Earth tilts just far enough to change the smell in the air from fall leaves to the crisp cold scent of snow. We went from our first anniversary to getting ready for our first Christmas in our home. Below is a picture of a plaque commemorating our first anniversary.

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Last weekend it was fall and we entertained a bit. I had been needing to connect with my girlfriends who are just amazing and felt a wine party was just the ticket. So Cobi had to deal with a house full of laughing women and even played taxi when needed! I showcased my cast which I finally finished.

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From Donnelly 112208

This past weekend Jordan flew to Seattle to visit with her Dad there. We put her on a plane late Friday night so that she could spend some time visiting.
Here are some pics from her trip:

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Seattle skyline

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Ok, this is an entire building covered with GUM! Ew! :)

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Cobi and I took the opportunity to drive up to Donnelly north of Boise in the mountains to visit with our friends Ray and Christie.
We did some geocaching and drove the mountain roads in the snow! It was cold but we had a great time.

From Donnelly 112208

From Donnelly 112208

Afterward we warmed up in Gold Fork Hot Springs. This place is beautiful with large yummy pools full of relaxing hot water. Ahhhh.

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Mostly we hung out at the house and just spent time with each other. It was a very nice and relaxing weekend. Much needed before we prepare for Thanksgiving this week!

Halloween and a Scary First

Fall has arrived with all its beautiful color and dreariness. It's been raining here, well, drizzling at least, for almost a week off and on. But we've been having fun with the activities that bring in the holiday season!

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

We hope everyone had a great Halloween. We had fun decorating the front of the house this year as we do every year and now are just waiting for this rainy drizzle to subside so that we can put away our decorations and finish getting the yard ready for the fall. Jordan was a great help with all the artistic organization of the decorations.
Front of house

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

We carved pumpkins as well, Jordan's friend Sarah came over and they did a huge pumpkin with a face on each side. The thing took up half the porch! Here is the result of my pumpkiny carving fun;

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

Jordan came to my office after school one day and helped me decorate. Our efforts paid off as my office won the 'best decorations' contest.

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

I dressed as a pirate for our work celebration.

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

Jordan changed her mind very late in the evening and decided to dress up as a zombie. She looked very scary but we didn't get pictures it was later in the evening. She had a good time handing out candy to the handful of trick or treaters we did have. Bummer we don't get more, seems like that tradition is going by the wayside quickly.
On Saturday I put a plan into motion for our first anniversary. The first is paper so I made little origami cranes that had clues written on the inside of them. I told Cobs I was going to the grocery and had Jordan give him the first clue 15 minutes after I left. It sent him upstairs to change into clothes I had laid out for him and get another clue from Jordan. His second clue sent him to our friend Eric's house where I had planted a bottle of Italian champagne and another clue. This clue sent him to our friend Ashley's house to pick up flowers and another clue. The final clue sent him to a historic B&B in the north end JJ Shaw house where I was waiting for him on the staircase landing in my wedding dress. For those of you who don't know, Cobi has never seen me in my dress, we ended up getting married by a friend who is a judge at the courthouse instead of having a big wedding. So he walked in and started crying, there was soft music playing and it was so sweet to feel like we had just gotten married all over again.

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

We sat in the parlor and chatted for a bit then went to our room and changed. We stayed in Shaw's retreat, which is a suite that takes up the entire attic space of this old house.

From Halloween and Anniversary 2008

The house is gorgeous having been built in 1907 and kept in pristine shape. That evening we walked through a fall drizzle and crunchy leaves to the Hyde Park area of Boise and had dinner at a nice restaraunt called the Bungalow. It was very charming, the atmosphere was perfect and laid back and the food was wonderful as well. Unfortunately, after we arrived back at our B&B I was very sick most of the night, but Cobi played nursemaid very well. The next morning we had pancakes for breaky and due to being very tired, went home early where we took it easy the rest of the day. It was a bummer getting sick but we did enjoy the time together which we spent reminiscing and chatting and just enjoying each other's company.
Thank you to all our good friends who helped make our Anniversary very special. Hope everyone had a great Halloween and wonderful weekend as we did. We miss and love you all so much!! K,C&J