Home For the Holidays

Chris and I enjoyed a smooth and short flight back home last Wednesday. Deo picked us up in Detroit with a lit-up wreath illuminating his Ford. We all spent Wednesday evening watching movies and warming up by the fireplace. Thursday, we head to Ypsilanti to check out Josh and Kaylan's new house. It's beautiful! Their backyard is huge and the rooms are decorated and painted very nicely. The basement is amazing - Kaylan has her own craft room and Josh has a work room too. The kitties - Saturday and June - told me they totally dig their new home. They also have a furnished hang-out room in the basement complete with a poker table (which I and apparently Katie too mistook for a miniature pool table) and Big Buck Hunter video game. "Now that there's a grandaddy buck. Yeehaw!"

Josh generously treated us to dinner at Red Sea, an Ethiopian restaurant in Ypsi. The cuisine was interesting: split peas, collard greens, lentils, Awaze beef tibbs, veggie alecha and spiced chicken all served on a platter of injera along with a side of injera with which you eat the entrees. Injera is a spongy pancake-like bread used to eat Ethiopian cuisine. Instead of using traditional utensils (spoon, knife, fork) you tear off bits of this cool, moist bread to pick up bites of food off the shared platter. All in all, I'm happy to have finally tried Ethiopian food but I'll quote Kaylan's dad after the waitress cleared the table when he asked "Sooo, what's for dinner?"

On Friday, Dad, Chris and I drove to Grayling to spend the weekend with Chris' family. Bob said they'd be ready to party when we got there and, boy, he wasn't kidding! We had a rambunctious time chatting, eating Bob's homemade smoked duck and venison jerkey, Jan's homemade fudge and artichoke dip, and finishing off a fifth of Disaronno and a lot of Busch beer.

Saturday morning we watched a couple classic Christmas movies: Jingle All the Way with Arnold Schwarzenegger (okay, not really a classic) and Christmas Vacation with the Griswold's (definitely a classic). After lunch we went to the hill off Margrethe Blvd. for some excellent sledding! I'd say the highlight of the sled trip was watching Dad do a backflip off the saucer. It was amazing.

Me, Deo, Denise, Chris, Darin, Jan and Bob on the sledding hill.

Daredevil Denise on the fastest sled of all!

Chris in his orange hunting hat and green saucer.

The dad's sharing a Peach Schnapps and Captain Morgans mix to warm the tummy and the toes.

The Peters kids speeding down the hill on the toboggan.

Deo, seconds before the legendary backflip.

Look at that form!

After sledding, we decorated the Peters' family tree. Afterwards, half of us took a short nap before enjoying an hearty steak and potato dinner. Bob got a little carried away and made about 20 delicious cheesy bacon potato servings made out of only five giant potatoes. :) After dinner, Chris broke out his bad-ass electric guitar and entertained us with a few tunes. I was forced to play my harmonica and everyone was polite enough not to laugh.

Sunday morning, we exchanged gifts and I received a pillow embroidered with a bear that I had been admiring at a shop in downtown Grayling two summers ago at the Canoe Marathon. I can't believe Jan remembered! Denise got me Wild Honeysuckle lotion and Pear Glace (my favorite!) spray from Victoria's Secret. Darin made me an awesome tee-shirt with "What What" ironed on the front. Sooo cool! Inside joke, but Arik would get it.

It was a fun and festive weekend! Deo and I are putting up our tree now and watching our favorite Transiberian Orchestra DVD.

Happiest holidays to all!