November (and October for that matter) was filled with Peru and Christmas preparations and not much else. There were so many details and tasks to make that amazing trip happen. We discovered a month before departure that Adele and Ceci's passports expired less than 6 months after our return, which threw us into a frenzy of trying to figure out how to get new ones lickety split. Since there are no expedited services anywhere that can guarantee anything faster than 3 months these days, we realized we might be making a quick trip to Denver, the nearest passport agency, within three days of the trip to get a passport for Ceci, and Adele would be making her scramble in New York. But both of their passports, submitted at different times, showed up within THREE WEEKS! Adele decided to miss school and join us only about 5 weeks before departure, so we were working on flights from Salt Lake and New York with all the little legs in between, working through all the paperwork requirements of the outfits that planned the amazon and the Machu Picchu portions, acquiring everything on a very detailed packing list knowing we would be carrying everything on our backs. It took a LOT of time and energy. And it was all worth it.
Knowing we were coming home from such a trip and two weeks later taking off to McCall for Christmas, I did most shopping and planning for the holidays before Peru.
And we are doing a bit of remodeling in our apartment, so we were choosing furniture and fabrics, all of which just seemed to take a lot of attention.
Wah, wah. So many first world problems. Mind you, I'm not complaining, just recapturing.
December was recovering from Peru (lots of sleeping) and preparations for McCall (food and packing for Christmas is always a massive undertaking) with a little Christmas cheer squeezed in.
Ceci pretty much missed the Christmas cheer all together as she worked day and night to get college applications done so she wouldn't have them hanging over her head in McCall.
We saw Tennie a couple times. She came home to get the tree and decorate. And then picked up a small one for herself.
We got minimal decorations out for our short time at home, and we were without anywhere to sit to enjoy those twinkling lights, so it was a bit compromised, but we listened to loads of Christmas music, to offset where we lacked, and loved those two weeks of Christmas season at home.
McCall takes me about four days of packing. I plan menus and measure out spices and STILL feel like I take half of our kitchen and pantry! (I determined that food will be different and easier and not up to me in the future, so we'll see how things go next year!) Then there are skis, boots and snow gear, bulky winter clothing, gifts and games and traditions to pack. We decided to take one car instead of two which meant our rooftop carrier, trunk and foot space were stuffed to the gils. Ceci always takes one for the team and has skies at her head, so she pretty much rode the 7 hours in a fetal position! But despite threats of bad weather, we made it.
We rented a place two doors down from Ingrid and Trent's condo and planned to share it with Britt and Hunter and babies who would arrive two days later. Ingrid had arrived and she and Geoff got out skiing the first day, then Geoff asked if everyone coming would take a Covid test, since this current Omnicron variants is spreading like wildfire. Turns out Tennie and Ceci tested positive! Adele had come home from NY with a cold (worn down from finals) but had tested negative before her flight, so when Tennie and Ceci weren't feeling well we figured they caught Adele's cold. Alas, we were going to have a quarantined Christmas. Word spread quickly through the Davis family who were all mid-route. Ingrid and Lucy had been with us the night before we tested, so they had to quarantine too. That threw Britt and Hunter and Geoff's dad and wife into a quick search for new accommodations, and those medical professionals in the family set down family guidelines for when those exposed could engage with the larger family. Like any sampling throughout the world right now, there are varying degrees of caution and/or wanting to take caution in the Davis family, so while some wanted to be extremely careful and cautious, others felt fine if the "exposed" joined in with a mask. In the end, it was determined that Tennie and Ceci were unfortunately out for the vacation. As an immediate family we couldn't make them spend 10 days in one small room (even though we were grateful they had each other), so to keep the rest of us well, particularly Geoff who isn't vaccinated and is concerned about getting it, they wore N95 masks when around the house. Geoff and Adele also wore N95 masks everywhere around the house, and I chose to take my risks and not wear a mask. Because Geoff and Adele wore masks, they, Ingrid, and Lucy could take a test 5 days after exposure and, if negative, they could join in the holiday festivities, which was the case. So Tennie, Ceci and I holed up the whole time watching movies, reading, doing puzzles, making goodies, going on snowy walks and taking naps. Adele introduced us to her new favorite avocado toast with radishes too!
Adele took a private ski lesson and improved by leaps and bounds. She and Geoff went skiing most days, even during their family quarantine days, because they were outside and the resort wasn't too crowded.
Extended family tried to make us feel loved and included with flowers, goodies, posters, cards and pre-Christmas caroling and visits.
