The Other Williams Clan

Tammy and I have been friends for a long time. We met working at camp for the Salvation Army back in 1996. It took a while for us to actually become friends but once we did there was a period of time where we were inseparable. I remember one night staying up till the wee hours of the morning creating profiles with her on a dating site called Christian Cafe.com. That seems like a lifetime ago and the funny thing is both Tammy and I ended up meeting our husbands on that very site. We both ended up married to Americans and living in the United States. Tammy lives just outside of Portland, Oregon with her husband Jeremy and their two beautiful kids, Maya and Declan. Last year when Chris and I were in Seattle we made the point of going down to see them but it was a short visit (only a few hours) before Chris and I needed to be heading back to Seattle. Tammy was VERY pregnant with Maya then and ended up having her I think a week after we were at their house. This time around we made a point of spending a little more time with them.

We arrived at their house Saturday evening and spent the night before heading back to Seattle Sunday afternoon. We had a great time. We enjoyed an evening of wine and games and lots of laughs. Sunday Jeremy cooked us all breakfast and then we watched the Seahawks game before we hit the road. We wish we could see you guys more often. I can't wait till we live closer and there doesn't have to be so long in between visits.

Tammy will kill me for posting this pic. ha! It was VERY late and we were enjoying our wine:)

Bowling is F-U-N!!

We spent an afternoon at the bowling with Bryan and Andrea and the boys. Things did NOT start out well for me and I am pretty sure that at one point both Gavin and Trevor were beating me. I ended strong though and finished the last game with 4 strikes in a row. WOOHOOO!
Chris and I also had the opportunity to spend some time with our friends Jen and Ryan who just had a baby girl in September. It was great to meet the little monster for the first time even if her daddy does dress her in Canucks outfits.

Me and baby LiliaMe and Otis

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

To me of course!! I finally left my 20's behind and am ready to take on the 30's. I have never been one to fear age or getting older. What is the point really? You can't change it or slow it down. Instead of fearing it, I welcome it and I hope and pray that my 30's will be filled with health and happiness.

Tonight Chris and I went out for dinner with his mom and dad, Bryan (his bro), Andrea and the boys and Chris's Aunt and Uncle. We went to the Keg which is one our favorite steakhouses and they don't have one in Boston. It was SO yummy. I had a Filet Mignon. It was nice to spend a nice dinner with family before we head back to Boston.

Chris and I

Andrea and Bryan

Chris and I

Bryan and Trevor

Dad, Mom, Gavin, Chris, Me, Andrea, Bryan, Trevor, Aileen and Bill
Me and my mocha ice cream pie
Aunt Aileen and Uncle Bill
Andrea and Trevor

Christmas With the Williams Clan

I started with such promise. Here I was in Seattle and I blogged like three days in row. It was so exciting to think that I would blog everyday and give you lots of exciting stories and tales to get you through your holiday. But then reality set in and I became the great blogging slacker that you have all come to grow and love. ;)

Chris and I have been having a wonderful time here and are sad to see it end in just a few days. At first I thought that 18 days was WAY too long. But I am now thankful that we were able to have this time to spend with our friends and family and not feel rushed or that I am having to leave anyone out. It has been nice.

When I last left you we were headed out to Chris's aunts house for his mom's side of the family Christmas. A good time is always had by all. All the great wine may have something to do with it;) There was approx 25 people there. We had a great day spending time with family we don't get to see very often, exchanging gifts, eating great food and enjoying copious amounts of wine. Below are some pictures of our day.

Chris and I

Alicia and Paul Aunt Kathy and McMom (Linda)
Paul and Chris
McMom and Alicia
Siblings - Lief, Aileen, Kathy and Linda
Me and Andrea
Me, Andrea and Alicia
Paul, Alicia and Chris
Dad (John) and his new best friend
Chris and Bryan Aunt Kathy and MeSiblings - Alicia, Chris and Bryan
What a great night with the whole family. Stay tuned for more in the lives of the McCleeses.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Chris and I are here in Seattle spending the holiday with his family. I hope you all having a wonderful day with your families and keep close to your heart the true meaning of Christmas.

(Me, Chris, Andrea, Bryan, Paul, Alicia, Mom, Dad, Trevor, Gavin)

Shopping DONE!

Chris and I decided to wait until we got to Seattle to do our shopping for each other. So yesterday we headed out with his mom to Costco and the mall and finished our shopping and came home and wrapped it all. YAY! No need to brave the malls these next few days.

Today we are heading over to Chris's aunt Aileen's for Christmas with that side of the family. We always have such a great time with them and are looking forward to seeing everyone. Don't worry I will be back later with stories and pictures.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy 63rd birthday Dad! We love you and hope you have a GREAT day!

Cookies Cookies Cookies

Yesterday Chris's mom and I made cookies. YUMMY! I made peppermint chocolate chip ones while she made 3 different kinds. I love baking cookies and I had a lot of fun. Chris of course was on hand for testing anything we needed him too. The lovely apron Chris made for his mom in 7th grade. Fancy eh!?7 Layer cookies that Chris's mom made

Last night Chris and I went over to Bryan and Andrea's. We had yummy pizza (thank you Papa Murphy's) for supper. Before supper Chris, Bryan and the boys played hockey and basketball while Andrea and I escaped to the couch. After supper we watched Mr Beans Holiday. You really can't go wrong with Mr. Bean lol! After the boys were in bed we attempted a game of Battle of the Sexes but decided it was dumb and stopped playing. Their cat however had entertainment in store as she launched from their closet in the computer room while we were all standing in the there and scared the daylights out of Chris. THAT was funny!

Greetings from Seattle

Well, we are alive and well. Our flights were smooth sailing for the most part. After dropping Belle off at 5am at our friends house we were off to the airport thinking we were so smart for getting such an early flight out of town. It would have been a brilliant idea if only everyone else didn't have the same great idea. It actually wasn't that bad. We did self check-in, got our boarding passes and through security all within 20 mins. We flew Delta and loved it. All the seats have their own TV sets built into the back of them. They had over 20 channels that were free, over 100 Cd's available for listening just like an MP3 player plus a free trivia game that you play against any of the other passengers that are playing, They also had movies, HBO and games available for purchase. It was pretty cool.

The plane we flew on was a 757 so the seats were actually pretty roomy. The TV/music was the perfect distraction for me. For the first time ever I flew without any major nervousness, tears or a question to Chris every 5 seconds that go something like "what was that noise for?" I was very proud of myself. We flew from Boston to Salt Lake City (which is a hub for Delta airlines), while the flight itself was okay as far as being pretty smooth with not much turbulence etc it was LONG! Over 5 1/2 hours. Flying over the Rockies was AMAZING!! We took a bunch of photos. It was like a big rocky winter wonderland. As scared as I am to fly I always feel so blessed when I get to see something that breathtaking.

We had a short layover in Salt Lake (not even an hour) so Chris and I got off the plane and had just enough time to jump right back on (we didn't have to actually change planes) to head to Seattle. That flight was much shorter, only about an 1 1/2. Chris's mom picked us up right around 1pm and we were off. We spent the rest of that day hanging around the house. Bryan (Chris's bro)and Andrea came over with the boys for a few hours. It is to be here and just relaxing with family.
This evening Chris and I went out for dinner with our friends Shawn and Celeste and their twin girls Ana and Alyssa. It is always a good time with Shawn and Celeste and we are happy to be able to see them and hang out over the next few weeks.

Chris and I with Alyssa (beside Chris) and Ana

That is all for now folks, stay tuned for more Adventures from Seattle:)

Leaving on a jet plane.......

We are off to Seattle. Our flight leaves at 6:30 AM which is in just 3 hours from now. YIKES! I have been up all night packing. No sleep tonight means I will hopefully sleep on the plane, which is good for me considering I am terrified of flying. Have a great day!

Wow! Has it really been that long since I last blogged? I know I go through phases where I don't write for a little bit, but this is ridiculous.

You may (or may not) have noticed my blog (and our picture blog) has a lovely new look. Thank you so much to my dear friend Jodi over at Organized Chaos for being so nice as to help us out with the new look. You did a wonderful job and Chris and I are both very appreciative. I knew it was time for something different but I didn't really know what. So I went to Jodi and left it in her capable hands and was not disappointed:)

Chris and I are trying to get everything organized around here before we head off to Seattle next week. We will be gone for 18 days which will be nice. Boston gives me a big fat headache so it will be nice to get away. I will miss Belle though as she will be splitting her time between friends and the Petsmart Hotel. We were going to take her to Seattle with us, but at the end of the day I was FAR too stressed about putting her on a plane. I know I wouldn't want to be shoved under a plane and left having no clue where I was or what was going on. So I decided to spare her (and me) the trauma of it all.

That is all you get for now, but I promise I will be back later with more to ramble on about.