Christmas this year was a lot different than other years. We usually go to midnight mass, and then spend all of Christmas Day in our jammies, just hanging out and watching family movies. This year, because I was so delayed, we didn't make it to midnight mass (which is strangely now at 10:00pm...), so we went to mass at 11 on Christmas morning... this would have been fine, but broke about a 15 year streak of not getting dressed on Christmas. It was really weird... our church was nearly empty. The message was good, but a little odd for Christmas... it was all about marriage, not the birth of Christ. Still a nice message, especially for my little sis, who is getting married in four months! After church, we stopped by so I could see my Aunt Joanie and Uncle John, who have just built a beautiful house next door to my parents. It was nice to see them and catch up. They love Europe as much as I do, so it was fun to swap a few stories.
My family with John and Joanie
My family is pretty special in that a lot of us live on the same street. Every year, my dad's younger brothers and sisters and my family get together for a progressive dinner. We start at one house for appetizers and drinks, then move to another for salad, another for the main course, and then end up at my Aunt Barb's, who has the most amazing bar set-up you have ever seen! It was fun to get to see everyone. We had a few additional guest this year... my sister's fiance, Matt, joined as our newest addition to the family, and his older brother, Chris, also spent a few days with us. Hopefully our crazy family didn't scare them away. ;)
The whole gang at my parents' house
After a few days in the house, Em, Matt, Chris and I were all getting a little stir crazy, so we drove about an hour and a half north to Bellefontaine, home of Mad River Mountain (which I'd argue to say is more of a hill, but I digress...). This was only my second time ever skiing, and, despite some major falls the first few times down, I ended up having a really fun time. Matt and Chris are pretty good skiiers, so I was very thankful that they were there to help me get up when I was lying helpless on the ground. :) And, of course, it's always really nice to have time with my sister... we really enjoyed having a chance to catch up during all of our ski lift trips.
The beautiful sunset on Mad River Mountain
Pretty much every Christmas, I drive up to Toledo to see my friends from college. This year, I drove up on New Year's Eve so I could attend Paul and Mandy's annual New Year's party. On the way up, I met an old friend, Gus, that was a Blue Key brother of mine back in the day. It's hard to believe that that was nearly 9 years ago. It had been about a year and a half since we had seen each other, so it was really nice to catch up.
Gus and I at Max & Erma's
After lunch, I made my way to Mandy's house, where I was greeted not by her baby but by a little MAN! I can't believe how fast William is growing. He's 2 now, and I think the cutest things he does are as follows: 1. When you say "O-H" to him, he replies back with "I-O" (okay, this is probably only cute to Buckeye fans), 2. He knows how to bring daddy a beer, and 3. He loves to dance, complete with his "raise the roof" moves!. He was a delight to hang out with, and, as usual, it was good to catch up with Mandy and Ellen, along with their spouses. William was my date for the evening, complete with a kiss on the cheek at midnight and an apple juice toast! ;)
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