A Little Bit Different Christmas

Our Christmas gift this year was a family vacation in Maui earlier in the month. But when we leanred that Steph had to work Christmas weekend, except for Christmas day, and that all her friends were away for the holiday, we decided to go to Missoula to be with her. Geoff flew up from Oakland and went with us. Josh spent the weekend with Amanda and her family.

We stayed at a Marriott Town Suite because they have a kitchen in the rooms. There was a note in the room informing us that most of the staff had been let off for the weekend and if we needed clean towels or anything to contact the front desk. I thought that was nice they let as many of their employees off as possible.

Geoff, Steph, and I went show shoeing at the Rattlesnake National Preservation Area. (Kathy is still very bruised and sore from falling twice the week before and fracturing her coccyx. She's not a fan so the Napolean Dynamite jokes were lost on her. Hopefully, she's feeling better soon.) The place was packed with Nordic skiers. Fortunately, we found a little used trail pretty quickly. We gradually climbed for an hour or so before heading back. It was nice and quiet with very few people along the way, which allowed us to enjoy it more than I expected.

Christmas dinner was simple and great. Steph really appreciated us coming over and we all had a fun time together, which was the most important thing of all.