1. I went to Germany... sort of....
The weekend following my journey back to the east coast, I packed my bags again to travel west and explore Leavenworth with the Barnes. We met up with some of Ron and Lisa's family and friends, as well as my AmeriCorps friend, Renee (she's also working on the Healthiest State campaign as a rural health promoter in Omak). One of the main reasons for visiting this rather unique, Bulgarian themed (seriously...) town you ask? Christmas lighting, of course! All the shops downtown flip the switch at the same time and it becomes a magical winter wonderland.... at least thats what we hear. Because needless to say, we kind of missed it, or should I rephrase... we didn't exactly realize it happened when we stepped out of a store. Promptly after the clock struck 4:30 p.m., through the crowd of (no exaggeration) a few thousand people, people dressed up with stars walked down the Main Street, the signal for switch flipping. We pondered, "Wonder why they're dressed up like stars?" Either way, we still enjoyed the lights and company. 
The next day, we went snowshoeing in the Cascades, the mountain range which serves as a beautiful backdrop for downtown. As you can tell, the valley certainly had plenty of snow and the beauty of the landscape had me in awe. I just can't get enough of the mountains here. With Lisa out of commission due to her broken foot, I trekked with Ron, Selena, Renee, and Lisa's friends Jackie and Glenn. The delightful company and magnificent scenery made the conclusion of our trip that much more enjoyable. I only wish I could have stayed longer.... 
And of course, no sojourn would be complete without a pun sighting. This one certainly won me over. 2. When it snows... it snows!
So, after putting in some long hours at work to make up for the time I'm taking off Christmas, I simply wanted to reward myself by driving to Moscow and going to the food co-op. I mean, what's better than fresh, organic food to provide me with some iron chef quality innovation! When Saturday came at last, I woke in the morning feeling refreshed. The start of my day exhibited no threat of snow or other trouble, and I felt great. Then, after indulging in the food co-op and tackling Christmas shopping, it began. Initially, the snow didn't appear threatening and with a background in New England winters, I felt confident. Well in case you didn't know, because I didn't, the snow out west definitely doesn't compare to the east coast. Not even remotely. Sure we get our blizzards and nor'easters, but I'm used to getting stuck behind plows and cursing them as a miscellaneous pebble collides with my windshield. Well, it seems plows go on vacation in winter leaving me with a messy road in white-out conditions. With a few grades to face before I could return to Pomeroy, I couldn't have biked faster than my speedometer showed I was traveling. As I reached the Lewiston Hill, a near 7% grade, my heart thumped nearly out of my chest and anxiety began rising as quickly as the snow on the ground. At long last I reached the bottom in one piece -- thank you, Volvo. Requiring a break, I continued some more Christmas shopping and waited until the snow quit. Feeling ready to conquer the Alpowa, I nearly reached the crest and the fog was so dense I could hardly see in front of me. Luckily, Bambi stayed in the fields and didn't appear in my headlights.
3. You ask, "What's Christmas like in Pomeroy?" I reply, "Adult sized onesies and Nerf gun tag"
Thanksgiving also had a similar theme...
... but Mom was sure glad I made it home alive without a scratch
* Disclaimer: Clearly I posted this blog entry after Christmas... so, more like Christmas in the "this week in review" news piece
