A Low-Key Christmas CHOCK-FULL OF FUN!

Oh dear.

I really need to blog about Christmas.

I'm not sure I have it in me. It's been a long week, and I'm not sure I have much of anything in me, to be honest, and so this may be more picture- than word-based. Which, really, I'm sure you'll all appreciate. But, to be really honest, I'm also pretty sure that once I get going, things will get progressively more wordy. Reminds me of the time Burke wrote me a letter on my mission that went something like this:

"Oooh, look at me, I'm Kenzie, I'm going to say this letter will be really short and then keep writing and writing and writing and writing BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH." But the "blahs" went down for like, two-thirds of a page.  You have to know Burke, though - he wasn't trying to be mean. The actual letter he wrote after the "blahs" ended was quite tender, really.

But I digress (anyone surprised? anyone? ok, really, if you want a condensed version of my Christmas break, go here).

I just looked through my pictures and realized that I have two pictures from Christmas, and about 75 from when Amy came to visit. So here's Christmas:

Mom ruled this Christmas, giving me these rad fingerless gloves/mittens, an adorable "Mackenzie" keychain, and the prettiest bowls ever to be sold at Pier 1 Imports.

I also received a sort-of-white-elephant gift from the Jones Family Christmas Party that wasn't actually supposed to be a white elephant but that nobody wanted because it was a BUOY and who on earth has need for a decorative buoy EXCEPT my dad Larry and Rusty who I knew IMMEDIATELY would love it and hang up at the Lopez house and so I took one for the Jones Family Team and worked it so that I stole the buoy and no one could steal it back from me and I went home immediately and gave it to Dad and Rusty because I KNEW they would love it. And they did. Rusty shrieked with delight when she saw it, which I knew she would (I believe she actually said it's something that she would buy out of a catalogue. Did I call that or what?).  Cam really owes me big because he's the one I stole it from, and what use could he possibly have for a wooden painted personalizable buoy?

Christmas was great. I just didn't take a lot of pictures. I don't know why.

But then Amy came to visit!  After some initial (and I admit, unjustified) hesitation on my part, we decided it was imperative that she see the Ballard Locks IMMEDIATELY. It being December 28 and about 20 degrees outside, we thought, "What a perfect day for a cruise!" So we drove straight from the airport to take the Locks Cruise.  If you're unfamiliar with locks, this cruise comes highly recommended. Here's a little teaser:

After coming down Lake Union, through the locks, and into the Puget Sound, you get a lovely shot of the skyline before they drop you off at the pier.

Other things we saw in Seattle that day: the waterfront, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Ivar's fish and chips, and a weird sign on the boat that said to be sure and hang-dry and properly re-stow your life preserver after each use (which, frankly, would be my last concern if I had just hurled myself off the side of a sinking ship, but whatever).

The next morning, we got breakfast at the Black Diamond Bakery, drove past Sir Mix-A-Lot's house,

took a tour of Underground Seattle,

 went to Pike Place Market and ate the MOST amazing macaroni and cheese ever,

 and took a ghost tour through historic Pioneer Square.

The next day we went snowshoeing with Mom and Mike up at the base of Mt. Rainier National Park. It was bee-autiful.

 

I kind of maybe kept trying to back up in my snowshoes, and everyone knows that's a bad idea, so I might have fallen down a couple...ummm, maybe three times while trying to take pictures.

(And in comparison, please note how graceful my mother is, even in snowshoes. I do not know where I came from.)

 There were javelin-icicles of death,

and we pretended to stab ourselves with said icicles in this picture, but Amy looks weirdly happy about it.

I gave Amy the World's Biggest Disclaimer of 2010 and told her well before this trip took place that there was a very real possibility that she could come and get totally rained out or snowed in or something awful could happen weather-wise, because it's Seattle in December, and to try and really reiterate that point, I warned her that even though we've got a straight shot of Mt. Rainier out our kitchen window, we go for days without seeing it. But then, lo and behold, we woke up on the morning of her last day in Seattle and saw THIS:

 And then Amy went home. :(

And I celebrated New Years with a nap (which was not as good as last year's New Year's nap), and got dinner at the Flying Fish with Mom and Mike. Just like last year.

And then we went to Uncle Steve's on New Year's Day, where people were kind of half asleep. Just like last year.

But I got to go skiing TWICE (and the first day we went was probably in the Top 3 Best Ski Days Ever), which was NOT like last year, because this year FOOT IS ALL BETTER!!!

Hurray!!