Good for my Soul

{read part 1 here}
Sunday we woke up with one thing in mind... DONUTS! We headed to the Original House of Donuts, selected a dozen, cut them all up in thirds, and went to town! We took the dog for a walk, got ready for the day, and then went straight from our donut tasting to wine tasting. 
The girls we delighted to hear that Chateau St. Michelle was within driving distance. It's about an hour away from my house and I had never been myself so how could we not go? There was a crazy storm going on all afternoon but we didn't let that stop us! When we arrived we literally ran inside to avoid falling branches and then hopped onto the next tour. They do a free tour of the Chateau with a history of the region, the wine makers, and the various vineyards throughout Washington where the grapes come from. All of the grapes are grown in eastern Washington, on the other side of the Cascades and practically no rain compared to where we live. Some of the wines are bottled out there but for most of their white wines, the grapes are sent across the mountains and are bottled right there at the Chateau.
The winery was actually running on generators at this point since the weather was so bad but luckily all the important parts were lit up so after our free tasting we ordered another flight (or two) and some snacks and settled in for a relaxing afternoon. We stayed until it closed, catching up on the past year of our lives and letting the hours pass by slowly.  I definitely want to go back in the summer time when you can tour the gardens and they do concerts in their outdoor amphitheater. 
Monday we had set aside for a snow day! The girls had brought ski gear and we had originally planned to go to Crystal Mountain for the day. But... all the crazy rain and storms we were having at lower elevation translated to blizzard like conditions higher up. I was pretty nervous about driving two hours into the mountains into the unknown so we called the Crystal Mountain and they informed us that the fresh powder was great for skiing but the roads were still being plowed and the snow was still falling heavily and snow chains would be needed... yeah, no, thanks. Instead we opted to go snowshoeing and crossed our fingers that the roads in Snoqualmie wouldn't be as bad. It was pouring rain when we started out and as we drove higher into the mountains we watched the top of the trees start to turn white and then the rain turn to big snowflakes.  We went to the same place T.J. and I had previously been but this time there was a TON more snow. The roads were okay until we pulled off the exit to the trail head. With just a mile and half to go we decided it would be safest to break out the snow chains. Lets just say it's a lot trickier to put them on in the snow than in my driveway and leave it at that.
We parked carefully, strapped on our snowshoes and leashed up a very excited puppy and headed into "Narnia." We crunched through the snow and stopped to make snow angels and throw snowballs at Hunley and take lots of pictures of a quiet world that looked like the inside of the snow globe!
After a long hike around the frozen lake we made our way out of the winter wonderland with a final stop at Snoqualmie Falls before heading home.
Once home we took hot showers and then made homemade pizza for old times sake before sitting down to three hours of The Bachelor. My neighbor and good friend came over to join us. I love seeing worlds collide, and watching new friends meet old friends, and just being surrounded by girls I can lean on and have so much fun with! The next day I sadly had to return my friends to the airport and we had to promise it wouldn't be so long before the next girls weekend.
Girlfriends are just like water to my soul. Moving out of the town-home we shared in Maryland, not yet two years ago, was more than just the start of my new wonderful life with T.J. It was the end of a sweet season of roommates, and living right down the hall from your best friends, and sharing a fridge, and coming home from work and excitedly seeing that both your roommates cars were in the parking lot which meant dinner together on the couch, and taylor swift dance parties, and chardonnay. There is just something special, something sacred about girlfriends, and true, intimate friendship, where you knew each other, loved each other, needed each other, before you became a we. T.J. is my partner now, my husband, the love of my life, but I still and always will need these girls.
And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say "Never" 
Cause the welcome will not end 
Though it's hard to let you go 
In the Father's hands we know 
That a lifetime's not too long 
To live as friends

Comments

  1. Oh my gosh, how fun!! Thank you for sharing this and letting us live vicariously through you for a moment. ;) Those donuts. PLEASE.

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    1. Thanks!! Girls weekends are the most fun, though T.J. is glad to have his back ;)

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  2. Makes me a little teary eyed. Sniff, sniff. Also, I'm making a list of fun things to eat while I'm there. I mean fun things to do : ) You have sweet sweet friends.

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  3. So happy your Buds came for a visit. Very impressed you can put chains on the Jeep. XOXOXOX. Dad

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  4. Donuts. Yes!! LOL Loved your post, Shannon. Part two was just as sweet as part one. Thanks for sharing your friends with us and all the fun you had!

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    1. Thanks so much! and yes! Those donuts are the best!

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