Leavenworth

Last weekend I joined my friends Leah, Chris and their five kids, Obie, Lily and their three and her sister Debbie for a weekend in Leavenworth, WA. We were actually staying at Chris and Leah's time share in Orondo, WA, about 45 minutes from Leavenworth, but we went into the town three days in a row.


I worked a half day on Friday and then we packed up and headed South. Aside from a car sickness episode which required new clothes and a major clean up job for one of the kids while we were going through Steven's Pass, the trip was fairly uneventful.


Saturday we just had a lazy day at the resort. The kids went sledding on the golf course. There was hardly any snow but they made it work. Debbie, Lily, Leah and I went to Albertsons mid afternoon. We met the Coke Bear there! Of course we all had to show off our Sonic cups too :) It was Leah's first time having Sonic. That evening we sat around and sang Christmas carols (Obie is an amazing guitar player) and played board games.
Sunday we went to Leavenworth. There was hardly any snow, just a few puddles for the kids to make a mess in. There were a few characters dressed up and posing for pictures. Father Christmas, Santa Claus and the Grinch were the most memorable. We went into lots of shops and I got a few things, mostly small gifts for my mom. A lot of what they carry there is her style. In the hat shop the kids were trying on hats and glasses. This picture of Kingston is my favourite.
At 4:30 they started the ceremony of the lighting of the town. A choir sang and some "alpen horns" were blown and then the lights started coming on. First in the trees, and then on all the buildings. It was beautiful. I've been to Leavenworth once before so I knew what to expect but it was still wonderful to see. I understand why Leavenworth was voted one of the best holiday towns in the USA.


After the town was lit we went for yummy Mexican. This is Leah and Chris' third year in a row visiting Leavenworth at Christmas and they've made going for Mexican a tradition. It was a nice change at this time of the year.

Monday we went for a sleigh ride at a local farm. I was underwhelmed (and cold) but it's another tradition and it was kind of fun to sing "Jingle Bells" while being pulled in a "two horse open sleigh".

At the resort we had two four bedroom suites. Both had full kitchens so Monday we went back and had chili for dinner. That evening we played Monopoly which is always fun.

Tuesday morning we packed up and headed out. We stopped in Leavenworth one last time so we could visit an adorable little gingerbread shop. The picture below is Sydney and Kingston picking their cookies. We took our time driving home and didn't arrive until around 10. It was a great weekend though. Lots of little kids running around so I admit, I was kind of happy to get home to my quiet apartment, but I'm so glad I was able to go!