So long 2004!
One more day and we are in the year two thousand and five! Oooh. Exciting...but maybe this year will be the last normal year we know, considering the Earth got knocked off it's normal rotation from the major 9.0 earthquake in the Indian Ocean last Sunday. I guess we will have to wait and see!
I had a great Christmas this year with lots of wonderful family around me and some really delicous food! :) I started my Christmas festivities by going to a Danish church service here in Seattle and singing along in the choir! It's nice to sing out-loud with people who will also sing out-loud. Then, after the service I drove back up north and joined my family (including all my cousin's from my mom's side) for the First Annual Digital Christmas Scavanger Hunt at Alderwood Mall (see the pictures). That was a blast...especially because my team won! :) On Christmas Eve I was at my aunt and uncles with my family, family from Denmark, and newlyweds Andy & Seana in Edmonds to celebrate with a Danish pork roast and rice pudding for dessert (my brother found the almond and got the prize). Christmas morning we opened our packages and had delicious homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Christmas night we had the family from the night before and the Gibsons from Bellevue (Uncle Ron, Aunt Maren, Kali & Bryn) at home for Christmas dinner. The 2nd Christmas Day (the 26th) we had everyone and "their mother's" at our house for Swedish pancakes, sausage souffle, cinnamon rolls, sausages, Mimosas, and more (breakfast). We were up to about 35 people! It was a lot of fun to have so many great people there to celebrate the holiday! Family is definately the best part about Christmas!
And finally...on the 27th, my mom, Aunt Maren and I drove down to the Oregon Coast where we stayed with my mom and aunt's cousin Elsa in Manzanita. OH MY GOSH!!! The Oregon Coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world! The waves of the Pacific Ocean are so blue and the sand so smooth, the beautiful hills of forests along the coasts, and the enormous rocks that jutt out of the coast line! Why had I never been down there before?! I loved it! It is a perfect place for a photographer and anyone who loves the outdoors. I can't wait to go back and spend more time walking the beaches and hiking in the hills. The views are incredible. I recommend the Oregon Coast if you are planning a trip to the Northwest.
We arrived in Manzanita when it was dark, but we made our way down the main street to the beach to enjoy the view by moonlight. The night was surprisingly warm for a December day, but we welcomed the heat of abandoned coals, which Elsa got going into flames. The fire warmed us as we enjoyed the sound of the surf and the view of the starry sky.
In the morning, Mom drove us around Manzanita and showed me all the places they had camped when they had been down in the past. Then, we met up with Elsa's friend Judy and we had breakfast at Wanda's cafe in Nehalem. That is also a very cute town just a mile south of Manzanita. Then we went out to Judy's place and saw her studio where she makes ceramics and her husband's who is a carpenter. After that, we drove to Elsa's property on a hill in Nehalem and saw her view. Then we drove down highway 101 and saw the view of some huge rocks out off of Rockaway Beach where we took some pictures. And then we drove down to Tillamook where I visited the Tillamook Cheese factory for the first time! They make the best chedder cheese in the whole world! And of course we had to try their ice cream! I got wild mountain blackberry ice cream! So fresh and delicious! Then we drove back to Elsa's and we watched a couple movies: Waking Dream (weird) and Ever After (I cried) and we had Uncle Milton's (Elsa's late dad) spaghetti for dinner! It sure is good!
On Wednesday, Elsa made us french toast and bacon for breakfast and then we went a block away to the shops in Manzanita and looked around. They have so many great little butiks to look at and so much fun stuff! I can't wait to come back when I have a job and I can buy those little things that you can't live without, but really can! ;) We then said goodbye to Elsa and we headed up the coast and stopped at Oswald and hiked down to the beach and tried to look for agates. I found a really, really tiny one, but my best prize was a great looking heart rock. The view from Oswald beach is awesome and there were also a lot of surfers out taking advantage of the winter surf. Although the water is quite cold, the air was pretty warm at the beach for that time of year. We then hiked back to our car and we drove into Cannon Beach and I saw Haystack Rock for the first time! What a landmark! It's so beautiful! We walked through some of the shops in Cannon Beach, and then caught the sun set over the Pacific before we headed back up to Washington. I can't wait to go back to the Oregon Coast and spend more time. It is a WONDERFUL place! Check it out at: http://www.visittheoregoncoast.com/.
So, now I am home with less than a week before I return to Denmark. I feel like I have so much to do before I leave, but don't know where to start! I wish everyone a great new year and much joy!
I had a great Christmas this year with lots of wonderful family around me and some really delicous food! :) I started my Christmas festivities by going to a Danish church service here in Seattle and singing along in the choir! It's nice to sing out-loud with people who will also sing out-loud. Then, after the service I drove back up north and joined my family (including all my cousin's from my mom's side) for the First Annual Digital Christmas Scavanger Hunt at Alderwood Mall (see the pictures). That was a blast...especially because my team won! :) On Christmas Eve I was at my aunt and uncles with my family, family from Denmark, and newlyweds Andy & Seana in Edmonds to celebrate with a Danish pork roast and rice pudding for dessert (my brother found the almond and got the prize). Christmas morning we opened our packages and had delicious homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Christmas night we had the family from the night before and the Gibsons from Bellevue (Uncle Ron, Aunt Maren, Kali & Bryn) at home for Christmas dinner. The 2nd Christmas Day (the 26th) we had everyone and "their mother's" at our house for Swedish pancakes, sausage souffle, cinnamon rolls, sausages, Mimosas, and more (breakfast). We were up to about 35 people! It was a lot of fun to have so many great people there to celebrate the holiday! Family is definately the best part about Christmas!
And finally...on the 27th, my mom, Aunt Maren and I drove down to the Oregon Coast where we stayed with my mom and aunt's cousin Elsa in Manzanita. OH MY GOSH!!! The Oregon Coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world! The waves of the Pacific Ocean are so blue and the sand so smooth, the beautiful hills of forests along the coasts, and the enormous rocks that jutt out of the coast line! Why had I never been down there before?! I loved it! It is a perfect place for a photographer and anyone who loves the outdoors. I can't wait to go back and spend more time walking the beaches and hiking in the hills. The views are incredible. I recommend the Oregon Coast if you are planning a trip to the Northwest.
We arrived in Manzanita when it was dark, but we made our way down the main street to the beach to enjoy the view by moonlight. The night was surprisingly warm for a December day, but we welcomed the heat of abandoned coals, which Elsa got going into flames. The fire warmed us as we enjoyed the sound of the surf and the view of the starry sky.
In the morning, Mom drove us around Manzanita and showed me all the places they had camped when they had been down in the past. Then, we met up with Elsa's friend Judy and we had breakfast at Wanda's cafe in Nehalem. That is also a very cute town just a mile south of Manzanita. Then we went out to Judy's place and saw her studio where she makes ceramics and her husband's who is a carpenter. After that, we drove to Elsa's property on a hill in Nehalem and saw her view. Then we drove down highway 101 and saw the view of some huge rocks out off of Rockaway Beach where we took some pictures. And then we drove down to Tillamook where I visited the Tillamook Cheese factory for the first time! They make the best chedder cheese in the whole world! And of course we had to try their ice cream! I got wild mountain blackberry ice cream! So fresh and delicious! Then we drove back to Elsa's and we watched a couple movies: Waking Dream (weird) and Ever After (I cried) and we had Uncle Milton's (Elsa's late dad) spaghetti for dinner! It sure is good!
On Wednesday, Elsa made us french toast and bacon for breakfast and then we went a block away to the shops in Manzanita and looked around. They have so many great little butiks to look at and so much fun stuff! I can't wait to come back when I have a job and I can buy those little things that you can't live without, but really can! ;) We then said goodbye to Elsa and we headed up the coast and stopped at Oswald and hiked down to the beach and tried to look for agates. I found a really, really tiny one, but my best prize was a great looking heart rock. The view from Oswald beach is awesome and there were also a lot of surfers out taking advantage of the winter surf. Although the water is quite cold, the air was pretty warm at the beach for that time of year. We then hiked back to our car and we drove into Cannon Beach and I saw Haystack Rock for the first time! What a landmark! It's so beautiful! We walked through some of the shops in Cannon Beach, and then caught the sun set over the Pacific before we headed back up to Washington. I can't wait to go back to the Oregon Coast and spend more time. It is a WONDERFUL place! Check it out at: http://www.visittheoregoncoast.com/.
So, now I am home with less than a week before I return to Denmark. I feel like I have so much to do before I leave, but don't know where to start! I wish everyone a great new year and much joy!
posted by Annelise at 12/30/2004 01:28:00 PM
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