{"id":1504,"date":"2013-01-01T19:35:17","date_gmt":"2013-01-02T01:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2013-01-02T17:52:52","modified_gmt":"2013-01-02T23:52:52","slug":"our-holiday-season-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=1504","title":{"rendered":"Our holiday season 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holidays are winding down.\u00a0 We had a great Christmas, twice.\u00a0 New Year\u2019s Eve has come and gone.\u00a0 Now it is 2013.\u00a0 Hopefully, it\u2019ll be another great year for us.\u00a0 So let\u2019s get caught up on the holidays.<\/p>\n

Christmas is a quiet, family affair at our house.\u00a0 It\u2019s just Rich, Rick, and I.\u00a0 Oh yeah, I\u2019d better not forget Sascha in there.\u00a0 We had a quiet weekend before Christmas.\u00a0 This year, the guys had completed their shopping way ahead of time.\u00a0 All the gifts were wrapped and waiting under the tree.\u00a0 Me?\u00a0 I\u2019m usually done by end of October and only buying odds and ends that come my way.\u00a0 My gifts were wrapped and ready a couple of days after the tree goes up.<\/p>\n

On Christmas Eve, we had a quiet night.\u00a0 We observed the eating holiday with Polish foods. \u00a0We had pierogi, sausage, and Rich\u2019s homemade rye bread.\u00a0 We did take a really cute picture of ourselves wearing Santa hats.\u00a0 Even Sascha wore a hat.\u00a0 That was definitely a memory keeper.<\/p>\n

Christmas dawned with cloudy skies.\u00a0 That\u2019s doesn\u2019t dampen the Christmas spirit though.\u00a0 Sascha and I got up early and started coffee.\u00a0 I almost had the paper read by the time Rich and Rick got up.<\/p>\n

The first gift we opened was for Sascha.\u00a0 She got a new set of tennis balls.\u00a0 She loves to toss them and roll them around the house.\u00a0 Trouble is, she loves to shred them.\u00a0 Her gift kept her busy while we opened all of our gifts.\u00a0 Rick acted as Santa and distributed presents out to everyone.<\/p>\n

Rich did pretty well.\u00a0 He got a New Mexico care package that contained green sauce, red salsa, spices, and other goodies.\u00a0 We had wanted to put up a mural of a mountain scene in the bathroom.\u00a0 I got Rich a wall decal of Swiftcurrent Lake in the Many Glacier region of Glacier National Park.\u00a0 It\u2019s very nice and represents some place we have actually seen.\u00a0 It fit on the wall above the tub very nicely.<\/p>\n

Rick picked up a Ganesh statue while we were in San Franscico.\u00a0 Rich has been wanting one for a while.\u00a0 Besides these things, he got his annual beer calendar for his work desk, Blues CDs, and a couple of beer related t-shirts. \u00a0He also got a new Kansas polo shirt to wear for NCAA tournament time this year. \u00a0Also, he received the usual undies from Santa for being a good boy.<\/p>\n

Rick did very well.\u00a0 At Ren Faire this summer, Rick saw a norland axe that he so wanted.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t think of one possible reason that he needed such a thing.\u00a0 Rich thought differently and wanted him to have it.\u00a0 I had to order it from their location in Minnesota.\u00a0 This turned out to be the prize gift this year.\u00a0 I still wonder what he needs with such a thing.<\/p>\n

Among the Christmas treasures were Aperture Labs items, Various t-shirts from video games and sci-fi shows, Code Complete reference book from Rich, assorted root beers, teas, and hot chocolates.\u00a0 I was being funny this year and got Rick a Red shirt from Star Trek.\u00a0 Just trying to let him know that he is expendable now.\u00a0 I also found him a retro handset for his phone.\u00a0 No idea why that was a popular thing.<\/p>\n

This year, I made out my Christmas list on Amazon.\u00a0 All Rick had to do was purchase everything on the list and get the money out of his Dad.\u00a0 I needed a couple of items for standing desk, so I ordered a new chair and an articulating keyboard tray.\u00a0 I got new slippers and my usual Beagle and Quilt calendars.\u00a0 The guys were thoughtful enough to get me Mint Meltaways.<\/p>\n

Christmas dinner is always a rib roast with Yorkshire pudding.\u00a0 This is one of Rick\u2019s favorite meals.\u00a0 I have to say, it is really good when Rich does the cooking.\u00a0 We ate and ate. Then it was a quiet evening around the house with all the new toys.\u00a0 Rick put together my keyboard tray.\u00a0 He had already assembled the chair in advance.<\/p>\n

Rich decided to treat Sascha to a scooter run at the local preserve.\u00a0 The state park was closed for the holiday so this was new territory for Sascha.\u00a0 We rode over in Rich’s truck.\u00a0 This was Sascha first trip in the new truck.\u00a0 She didn’t seem to mind the new arrangement.\u00a0 Now the truck has been initiated with Husky hair.<\/p>\n

See our Christmas photos at the house at:\u00a0 Christmas Holiday Hills Photos<\/a><\/p>\n

On the 26th<\/sup>, we packed up and dropped Sascha off to the kennel on our way out of town.\u00a0 We headed to Michigan to have a second Christmas with the Michigan Zureks.\u00a0 We got to almost Kalamazoo before we ran into the Winter Storm Euclid that was sweeping through that part of the country.\u00a0 It was slow driving for a while.\u00a0 It only put us an hour or so behind.\u00a0 The wind was horrible to drive in and the blowing snow blocked the roads at times.<\/p>\n

We got to Okemos and checked into the hotel.\u00a0 Then we had to trek over to Alex and Kelli\u2019s house.\u00a0 The roads were pretty bad.\u00a0 Rick was staying at their house, so we had to make our way over.\u00a0 We still went back out for dinner.\u00a0 I think I was getting used to winter driving again.\u00a0 All said and done with, there was about 6 inches by the next morning.<\/p>\n

We slept in a little and then headed over to Vanessa\u2019s house to check out the new renovations in the basement.\u00a0 Very nice.\u00a0 It was a nice space for them.\u00a0 Then we headed out for lunch.\u00a0 The first place was closed, but that sent us over to Zukey Lake Tavern.\u00a0 This was a nice restaurant and bar right on the chain of lakes.\u00a0 I loved their t-shirts:\u00a0 Zukey Lake Tavern on the road to Hell Michigan.\u00a0 Just had to have one.<\/p>\n

That evening, we all ended up at Alex and Kelli\u2019s for dinner and just to hang out.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m supposedly getting old, but the volume in the house was turned way up.\u00a0 I was having trouble with, but the Zureks seemed to be fine.\u00a0 That\u2019s OK.\u00a0 They all seemed to be having a great time.\u00a0 At one point, each person was telling an embarrassing story about themselves.\u00a0 Rich\u2019s was about me and not him.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t fair.\u00a0 Oh the things that I could have said and didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

On Friday, we slept in again.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have kids and I was tired.\u00a0 Vanessa and Chris brought the kids over to swim and we headed to the house for the day.\u00a0 Jon, Patty, and Patrice had arrived.\u00a0 We hung out and ate some more.\u00a0 After dinner, we had our second Christmas with the Michigan Zureks.\u00a0 I think everyone was pretty happy with the outcome.\u00a0 After Vanessa, Chris, and the kids left, the night wound down slowly.\u00a0 Most of the Zureks were watching an old Garbo movie. We had been worried about Rich\u2019s reaction to the cat at the house.\u00a0 He reacted a little, but not much.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I reacted quite a bit.\u00a0 I never know when this will happen.\u00a0 It seems to be sporadic, but enough that I could hardly sleep that night.<\/p>\n

Oh yeah, Pete D, the contractor, called us during breakfast on Friday morning.\u00a0 He wanted us to know that the column caps for the garage didn’t turn out at all.\u00a0 He was having the aluminum guys come out on Saturday to wrap the columns.\u00a0 The catch was that he would be coming by on Sunday to pick up the check.\u00a0 Oh no!\u00a0 Rich was dreading the big check and here it was time to write it out.<\/p>\n

The next morning we had to get up and at them.\u00a0 We checked out of the hotel and swung by to have breakfast at Alex and Kelli\u2019s.\u00a0 After that, we headed down the road to South Haven and lunch with Busia.\u00a0 For 90, Busia still does pretty well.\u00a0 We took her to Clementine\u2019s in downtime.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve been able to go there.\u00a0 It was still very nice.\u00a0 The food was pretty good.<\/p>\n

Then it was time to hit the road again and head home.\u00a0 On the way, we ran into lake effect snow twice.\u00a0 One time was bad enough for all of the traffic to slow down to a crawl.\u00a0 We finally got through Michigan, across Northern Indiana, and into Illinois.\u00a0 Thankful to be home, we emptied the car and collapsed around the house.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, I was still reacting from the cat and had to have Rick take me over to pick up Sascha.\u00a0 We walked in and had to wait as another customer was ahead of us.\u00a0 The conversation at the desk turned to beagles and I had to join in.\u00a0 Sascha must have heard my voice because she began to bark and howl.\u00a0 At least I knew she was still there.\u00a0 We gathered up stuff and headed home.\u00a0 We did stop by the car wash on the way back to clean off the slush and grime.\u00a0 Sascha wasn\u2019t too sure the car wash was safe for huskies.<\/p>\n

True to his word, Pete D stopped by in the afternoon to sign off and pick up the check.\u00a0 I guess this means that the garage is done.\u00a0 In the spring, the concrete guy will be coming back out to treat the floor for stains and wear for free.\u00a0 We have to wait for the temperature to be above 50.\u00a0 That might be April.\u00a0\u00a0 So the garage is completed!<\/p>\n

Rick took my photos of the garage and created a cute montage, which I posted at: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zFd9AGukxjU<\/a><\/p>\n

New Year’s Eve day, Rich took Sascha for a 3 mile run over at the state park.\u00a0 They were going to be closed the following day and the temperature was supposed to be very cold.\u00a0 I rode over to hang out and help with the departure and arrival.\u00a0 Sascha was so tired, but quite happy.\u00a0 They say a happy Husky is a tired Husky.<\/p>\n

On Monday evening, we prepared our snacks and headed over to Diane and Pat\u2019s for a New Year\u2019s Eve gathering.\u00a0 It was small, but lots of laughs.\u00a0 There are posters up throughout the house to collect sayings, thoughts, and resolutions.\u00a0 We end up writing down bits and pieces of the conversations.\u00a0 It makes for interesting ready next year.\u00a0 It took a while to decipher the phrase, \u201cNo bunnies in 2012.\u201d\u00a0 We filled 3 posters with saying this year.\u00a0 Thanks, Diane and Pat for a great New Year\u2019s Eve!<\/p>\n

So here it is New Year\u2019s Day.\u00a0 We hung out and were very low key.\u00a0 Rich cooked a duck dinner for us.\u00a0 He can sure cook a duck!\u00a0 By the way, Rose, Rich says you have to master duck before you can call yourself a domestic goddess.\u00a0 I think there is more to master, but doing duck would be a sure sign.\u00a0 So now the dinner dishes are done and we are trying to decide what movie to watch on the TV downstairs.\u00a0 With streaming Netflix, we have a lot of choices.<\/p>\n

Wishing everyone out there a Happy New Year!\u00a0 Back to work tomorrow. Oh yeah.<\/p>\n

\"Rick<\/a>
Rick with his beloved norland axe. Every good Celtic warrior should have one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich got his annual beer calendar for his desk at work. Happy man.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rick<\/a>
Rick got a Star Trek red shirt for Christmas. Just a reminder that he is expendable in this household.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sascha<\/a>
Sascha playing with her new tennis ball. Just a matter of time before the fur starts getting pulled off of it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sascha<\/a>
Sascha was waiting for Christmas to start.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Our<\/a>
Our Christmas dinner this year. Rib roast and yorkshire pudding.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Rich<\/a>
Rich took Sascha for a run on Christmas day. I went along for the ride. This was in the cab of the truck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Guys<\/a><\/p>\n

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Alex and Jon were cooking tacos while Chris was helping.\u00a0 Vanessa snuck in to do guacamole.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The older kids got stuck with dishes. It might be a new tradition for the holidays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Final picture of the garage.\u00a0 It’s done.\u00a0 Sascha approved.<\/p>\n

\"Diane<\/a>
Diane and Rebecca enjoying the social time.<\/dd>\n
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\"Diane<\/a>
Diane and Pat had glow in the dark bracelets, necklaces, and globes. Rick took full advantage of these and dressed in modern glow in the dark.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Diane,<\/a>
Diane, Rebecca, and Rick were doing it Gagnam style for New Year’s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holidays are winding down.\u00a0 We had a great Christmas, twice.\u00a0 New Year\u2019s Eve has come and gone.\u00a0 Now it is 2013.\u00a0 Hopefully, it\u2019ll be another great year for us.\u00a0 So let\u2019s get caught up on the holidays. Christmas is a quiet, family affair at our house.\u00a0 It\u2019s just Rich, Rick, and I.\u00a0 Oh yeah, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,13,14,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1504"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1521,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504\/revisions\/1521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}