Our annual Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas Party for the B.C. girls and me was graciously hosted by Bev and her husband. We traveled up north and across the border to Abbotsford on Monday afternoon. Greg and I stopped at Anneliese’s home to drop off our luggage and for our ride to Chilliwack for our celebration.
Bev set a beautiful table with place cards to guide us to our seats for the meal.
Photos were few and far between but I pieced some together to give us some visual memories.
We sang ‘Praise God From Whom all Blessings Flow’ at the beginning of our meal.
Soup was made by Judy, Salad by Kathy (oops no photo), assorted buns by Lovella, Potatoes by Marg, roasted vegetables by Anneliese, Meat cooked to perfection by Harv and Bev, dessert by Julie (no photo) but the memories of it make my mouth water.
The girls escaped to the living room after the main meal and before dessert for our gift exchange. After some good exchanges of gifts and conversation we regrouped at the table for dessert. We made it back to our hosts home for the night several hours after our usual bed time full and happy.
Sunrise in Abbotsford on Tuesday morning was beautiful. Anneliese made a lovely breakfast for us before we headed back across the line to the states. We chose to travel highway 9 for a distance before we connected up again on the interstate.
We made some stops in Washington and enjoyed lunch at our old Mexican favorite in Kirkland. Had a relaxing afternoon and evening at our kids’ home. Early on Wednesday morning we left for our final leg home.
Snoqualmie pass was in good shape for traveling. We didn’t have rain and our visibility was excellent until we reached the Ryegrass Safety Rest area.
Thankfully the dense fog only lasted for a few miles and we had clear skies the rest of our way home. We are always thankful to God for safe travels.
While we were in Western Washington this little guy broke his first board at Tae kwon do!
Breathing a sigh of relief to be done with our December travels and now getting caught up with what needs to be accomplished before Christmas day. First on the list is our Christmas cards. I was so surprised to walk right up to the counter at the post office to buy some stamps. Hopefully I’ll complete the cards today while listening to Christmas CD’s.
God rest ye merry gentlemenLet nothing you dismayRemember Christ our SaviorWas born on Christmas DayTo save us all from Satan’s pow’rWhen we were gone astrayOh tidings of comfort and joyComfort and joyOh tidings of comfort and joy
Wishing you comfort and joy as you prepare.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
It looks like a lovely time up north- that food! The company sounds amazing as well and those views! I am living my best enjoyer of picture of mountains here in (relatively) flat Ohio looking at those pictures :). I hope you are enjoying the season!
Good morning Maria, I understand the joy of mountains after being in a flat area of the states. Our daughter attended school in Illinois for a few semesters and always enjoyed being back amongst mountains and tall trees again. Take care and be merry and bright! 🙂
…what a wonderful gathering. I wish you safe travels.
Thank you, Tom.
Hello,
Looks like a lovely gathering with your friends across the border.
Beautiful views of the mountains.
Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend.
Thank you, Eileen.
Oh, how wonderful to see all those lovely faces!!! I was thinking about you all that evening. What a yummy looking meal (I found myself zooming in on the food). So glad you had safe travels with all those mountain views – beautiful. And then the sweet boy so proud of his accomplishment! Have a most wonderful time as you prepare for Christmas Ellen. Huge hugs to all …
Rosella, I was so sad to find out about the postal strike in Canada. That’s a tough one this time of year. Thank you for stopping by. Hugs to you!
What a lovely occasion to be all together, and with a delightful meal too!
Thank you, Barbara, it was delightful. Wishing you a very merry and bright Christmas.
Just wonderful and precious! Blessings.
Thank you, Maristella!
It was wonderful to see you!! The wait times are far too long!
Anneliese, we need a little summertime gathering, too. 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful time with friends and good food.
We used to sing that hymn every Sunday for the closing hymn at my church when I was a little girl.
Glad the fog didn’t last all that long, not fun driving in it.
Glad you made it back home safely.
Karen, we’ve been singing that hymn for our closing at church lately. Thanks for stopping by.
It’s always nice to see the Mennonite Girls again. Glad you were able to travel up for the dinner, and safely home again.
Lorrie, we don’t take those traveling mercies for granted, thank you.
How lovely to have such a special get together. The distance you travel must be immense compared to my little island. Glad the travels went well through all that beautiful scenery. B x
Barbara, our cars stack up the miles for sure! Thanks for stopping by!
Y’all always have such a fun time with your favorite girls!
Mary, those girls are a gift from God in my life. Thanks for visiting all the way from Texas. 🙂
Wow, does somebody host each year? That is a large table of people. How nice the husbands are with you and that you sang. Dinner looks delicious. A gift exchange too, how nice. The scenery is so beautiful. Way to go on him breaking his first board. I got my cards out and got the out of town gifts mailed too. My tree is up but doubtful I will get ornaments on it. This year is sad for me with my injuries. Enjoy your weekend.
Yes, Debby, most years someone will host. Some years we just have appetizers instead of a sit down meal. Good for you for getting your out of town stuff completed. I’m sorry your health is limiting your decorations. I think a tree is good all on it’s own, too. Thank you for stopping by.
Thank you Ellen.
The little guy is adorable and congratulations to him on his accomplishment. What a great get together! I had a lot of fun seeing you all enjoy yourselves. Everything looked wonderful and the scenery home, stunning. Happy Sunday to you Ellen.
Denise, he’s my favorite little boy. I might be biased since he is our only grandson. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your kind comment.
It’s always lovely to see your times with your friends to the north Ellen. What wonderful celebrations you all enjoy. The mountain photos you shared are so beautiful. And congratulations to your grandson. You’ve had quite the busy week. Happy Sunday!
Thank you, Martha Ellen. Yes, our week was busy and we are sighing in relief that this next week is relatively quiet.