Calm After the Rush

The day after Thanksgiving Steve called and gave us some awesome good news.  He and his girlfriend, Shannan, and my sister Debbie and her husband, Brian were all coming home for Christmas!  They would be arriving the Saturday before Christmas and staying until the 27th.  I could hardly wait!  Deb hadn't been home for a holiday in years and Steve hadn't been home for one since he moved to South Dakota in 2012.  I just knew this was going to be one of the best holidays ever!


The first item on the agenda was to call our friends Al and Lisa to change our annual holiday meal to another day.  It was my turn to cook the meal and the 19th was the scheduled day.  Of course they understood my reason for wanting to change when I told them what was going on.  We re-scheduled to a date after Christmas, January 9th.  I have my menu together and it should be a great time.  It seems my Christmas season has been extended. 


The South Dakota gang arrived early afternoon on the 19th.  Much hugging, laughter, and talking ensued. Steve brought his two dogs, Jimmy and Blanton.   Dinner was at the restaurant.  It was the first of many delicious meals.  Each night was a culinary delight.  One night we all pitched in and made homemade ravioli. 


The week flew by and Christmas arrived.  Kristi hosted a fabulous Christmas Eve with a spread of food beyond imagination.  Mark and Yolanda arrived.  It was the sort of Christmas Eve from years past, much food and drink and laughter.  The "familyness" was bursting at the seams.  The night ended with exclamations of seeing one another the next day at my house.  Everyone arrived early and dinner was once again a wonderful time around the old dining room table.  My table was Grandma and Grandpa's table and I'm sure if tables could talk it could tell so many tales of hundreds of meals with our family sitting around it.  More memories were made again on Christmas day.  A few hours after the meal was finished and the dishes were done - Abbi called.  She would soon be here with Danni.  We told her to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house - we would all meet there.  The party moved on and we enjoyed watching Danni open her presents.  Such a sweet little girl.  Christmas seen through the eyes of a child is so full of wonder and excitement!


The day after Christmas we met early and headed to the West Side Market, Great Lakes Brewing, and Penzey's Spices.  A fun day to end the fun times.  Jon and I said our goodbyes and headed home to pack.  We had reservations on Chincoteague Island for the next week and needed to get everything together.  The South Dakota gang headed west and we headed east. 


The next week was spent eating at our favorite seafood restaurants, walking the trails on the refuge, catching up with our friends who live on the island, hunting, and relaxing.  We had great weather and spent a lot of time on the beach.  I found a whole sand dollar one day; something we have only seen on the beach one other time years ago when Steve looked down and picked one up. 


Monday we went back to work and our normal daily grind.  We are still enjoying fresh oysters brought home with us.  The last dozen will be eaten tomorrow.  But the memories of this wonderful time will last forever.  Tonight we have a roaring fire and are sipping on glasses of red wine.  Every once in a while one of us will make a comment on something that happened over the past couple weeks.  I have a feeling these past few weeks will be hard to top!