Christmas in Cali

This Christmas I realized the biggest sacrifice thus far of living 2000 miles from home. That is, I wasn't able to go home for Christmas. However, it was as good of a Christmas I could have away from my family. I spent Wednesday night through Sunday with my friend Nick and his wife, Cari, and their families in Sacramento and Mt. Shasta (way northern California). They all made me feel like part of the family. On Christmas Eve we went to a nice Lutheran church service and sang all the Christmas hymns. Christmas day we spent with Cari's family. The day after Christmas we drove 3 hrs north of Sacramento to Mt. Shasta to meet up with Nick's family. We stayed in a lodge in the mountains where it had just snowed a foot and a half. It was no Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada's (which have had 10 feet of snow in 14 days!), but very quaint, quiet, and beautiful pine trees. Luckily I had packed my skis, so I could go skiing for the first time this year! My Bandits dominated the three lift resort! Another fun thing about this Christmas was the alcohol :) Bloody Marys on Christmas morning, Zinfindel and Mistletoe Martinis Christmas night, homemade Egg Nog and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in Shasta - I loved it and was giggly every nite! (I did gain 5 pounds though!). Overall, I missed my family (especially reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to my nieces) but was so blessed to have Nick and Cari and their families to welcome me in to theirs!

My-sized tree...the perfect tree!

Nick and I with our Mistletoe Martinis (Belvedere, cream de menthe, bailey's)

Skiing at Mt. Shasta

Me, Nick, and Tyler (his brother) with our Sierra Nevada Celebration Ales...Let's Celebrate!
BTW, if you can get your hands on some, I highly recommend it!

Use your imagination to figure out what the picture is of this that I didn't post :)

Our Celebration Castle!

Me, Cari, and Nick