gogogogogogogogogoSTOP!

STOP! comes on like, Sunday or something, so I've still got a few days of go, but man has it been a great Christmas.

We spent the weekend traveling to and from Grand Rapids to spend some time with my brother, his girlfriend, baby lauren, and my dad. Sissy and the rugrat were both running a fever and thankfully elected to stay home.

Sunday night and Monday morning we spent watching Christmas specials and opening presents. It was great to spend a little bit of time as just a couple. Then we headed to Kansas City for a visit with Dice's family. I was expecting the whole "meeting the extended family" thing to be stressful, but they are about the friendliest, funnest group of extended relatives you can have, so the evening sailed by in a blur. I extended my stay for a day and flew back tonight (two hours delayed and all), only to swap out my dirtiest clothes for clean ones so that I can just take the same bags with me when I leave at o'dark thirty tomorrow morning to beat the snowstorm as I go to visit with the crazychicas.

A quick visit with my sister (hopefully), a visit with a few other Ann Arbor based friends, and a quick jaunt to Ikea later and I should be on the road back to Chicago on Saturday evening to basically sit on my butt for a day before GSD. There will be football watching in there as well, i'm sure.

so yeah. busy busy busy. but man. If y'all ever get the chance to meet dice's family, i'd jump at the chance if I were you. They are seriously awesome. They have managed to make me feel more at home in the 6 months since i've met them than most of the family friends i've known my entire life can. I think 2008 may just be the year that I adopt them as my own. just don't tell dice's little brother. I think he might be a little irritated that i've taken his spot at the dinner table. :)

here's hoping all of your holidays have been and are good ones, and that the weather for the next few days plays nicely.