This is not our “Christmas letter”; that will come in some days to follow. However, I thought I would recap (mostly for my poor memory’s sake) our travels over the holiday season.
We flew into Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve. A relatively uneventful flight, no weather delays, hijacking attempts or other foolishness. However, we did have a great flight attendant that catered to us. We never heard for sure how long she was in the Army, but she was in long enough to retire from it. I’d guess that 20+ years would be the range of her service. She also serenaded us a couple of times during the flight, reminding us that the entertainment was without additional fees. Thanks, Southwest, for having a sense of humour.
When we got to the house, we were lucky enough to have a huge Italian seafood dinner being prepared with smelt, calamari, whiting, cuttlefish, and some other stuff that I can’t remember. Leaving Aimee’s parents’ house hungry is something that will never happen.
Christmas day we exchanged presents. While I bought m’girl a dishwasher, washer and dryer for Christmas, I was smart enough to buy a few other things for her. Although I felt like I didn’t buy enough. She bought me a Peyton Manning jersey and sideline cap (yes, I’m a Colts fan), a car stereo (we need a new one in the car and the truck), and shirts, cologne, and other stuff. All I got her was the first two seasons of The Big Bang Theory, a Cowboys jersey, and a very nice hand-painted mug. Well, she says she still loves me, anyhoo.
We also went over to her grandma’s house, and met other relatives there. Grandma lives in a charming farmhouse in Ohio that has fields extending to the Pennsylvania border. The snow that continued to fall made the ride more scenic.
On Sunday we headed up to my friends in Canadaigua, spending time over vino chatting about the good old days…and being constantly harassed by their three kids. A nice evening and morning spent.
We then went to my stepbrother’s house, met their family and my brother’s family for Christmas gift-giving. They have a great house outside of Syracuse, and their two kids (my niece and nephew) are growing up to be great kids.
My stepmom and dad were supposed to drive down, but had a problem with their truck, and couldn’t make it. Aimee and I made the decision to make the three hour drive to their house to see them, even if it was less than 24 hours…and the drive started at 9:00 at night. Started out as a bit of a slick drive, as it snowed almost the entire time…but made it there in good time and safe.
Then it was time to drive back to Ohio…where we spent the rest of the time with Aimee’s family, with the exception of watching UFC108 at Buffalo Wild Wings.
There were bumps along the way…but overall has been an enjoyable Christmas season. The gifts were nice, but what makes the holidays great is being to spend time with family and friends.
We fly back to Phoenix tomorrow…ready to get back in the grind of daily life again.
Comments