Christmas Adventure

We had quite an adventure getting up to Hillsboro, OR, to visit Jim, Rebecca, and the grandkids Christmas week.  Our flight from Ontario Airport, CA to Portland Airport, OR was cancelled due to an excessive amount of snow in the Portland area.  Unable to bear the disappointment of not being able to spend Christmas with the grandkids much less even thinking about not getting all the love, hugs, and kisses . . . we decided to drive up there.

With Jim on the cell phone giving us constant weather updates, we made our way up, stopping in Sacramento to pick up Michelle (a friend of Jim and Rebecca’s who had become another stranded traveler who was longing to make it to Portland and back into her sweetheart’s arms).  We ran into snow, icy roads, and rain along the way but it didn’t get horrible until we approached Salem.

The freeway was a mess – crawling along at 10 to 15 mph with deep snow and packed ice.  Scary at times what with semi trucks in the lanes next to us slowly sliding our way on the ice.  After many tense hours driving on this mess, we were able to drop Michelle off at a pre-planned pickup point where she reunited with her sweetie and kids. 

Thom and I continued on very slowly – finally reaching Hillsboro and the warm welcoming Goings family home.  We were met with smiles of delight and lots of hugs and kisses from the grandchildren making the whole terrible drive up well worth the effort.

We spent Christmas week playing and visiting and having a most awesome time.  We were hoping that Sophie Grace would make her appearance while we were there.  I would have been so excited to have been able to be at her birth.  Alas, it was not to be.  Sophie arrived on January 3rd – just a couple days after our departure.  From the photos I’ve seen, she is a most alert and beautiful baby; and I can’t wait to meet her in person.