Welcome 2013!

On Jan. 3, Joanne flew to Portland to spend treasured time with family and friends.  The first stop was a visit with sweet little Elena (age 18 months) and of course her mom and dad!!!  :-)

A memorable Saturday evening was the gathering of family and special friends.  Included was a surprise birthday celebration for daughter Michelle!  Sunday Melissa and Michelle treated mom to a movie, Les Miserables (a must see!), at the beautiful new Cinetopia in Beaverton.  Enjoying a delicious lunch WHILE watching the movie in such luxurious chairs was a first!

The timing for this trip worked out super...I could spend some time with grandsons Justin and Adam prior to their return to school and in Trevor's case  before  he ventured back to his job corp training program on the coast.  

From Portland I took the train to Seattle for a visit with Mary and family.  The family...including niece Teresa and her fiancee' John...had a fabulous evening at Bellevue's Seastar Restaurant.  

Visits with friends are of course highlights of any trip and chatting with dear friend Mary is ALWAYS a pure joy!

Then came the long awaited day...we traveled to central WA where my little grand daughter helped pick out a sweet little puppy!

This miniature golden poodle (1/2 poodle and 1/2 golden retriever) was without any question coming to a home where she will be LOVED!

The drive back across Snoqualamie Pass was exquisite.  Indeed the mountains and seasons in the northwest have a beauty beyond words.

On Jan. 12 was a flight back to AZ.  It is chilly back down  here at night time but  a dramatic contrast to winter up north!  The great news of 2013...our friend's wife is coming to the USA soon.  And of course we appreciate his expertise as he completes our back yard pergola!