You Want Any Fives With That?

Editor's Note:  This was originally written on Sunday, December 28th.

This is the first day in two weeks that I have absolutely nothing to do before dinnertime.  Since the last post on the sixteenth, I feel like I have been going nonstop.  I worked a ton, hung out with Taylor during my free time on his first few days home, went to Dewey's with the family a few times, put the lights on the tree,

wrapped gifts, helped get ready for hosting Grandma's birthday dinner at our house,

went to see Dad and Andrew play a show at Schlafly, and decorated the tree, all before Christmas Eve.

And then I was off work for two days!  We welcomed Andrew's girlfriend into town on Christmas Eve morning at Kaldis, then took part in some classic winter activities to round out the afternoon: ice skating and baking cookies in the new oven!

That night we celebrated Christmas with the Hunt side of the family and went to the midnight service at church.  The next morning, we had our traditional exchanging of gifts, complete with Christmas music and the Yule Log channel on in the background.  Then it was time to get ready for hosting Christmas dinner with more extended family.

Uncle Gary even tweaked his infamous eggnog recipe to cater to those of us championing the dairy-free lifestyle! 

The next day it was back to work for me and back to Nashville for Andrew and Juliana.  Yesterday after Kaldis, Taylor, Aunt Debby and I went to the AT&T store to set up our new Christmas iPhone 5S's!  After that and a short afternoon shift at work, Mom, Taylor and I drove out to this old farm where Dad plays music on occasion.  The rain and mud and the farm atmosphere provided the perfect opportunity for me to try out my new duck boots!

All of the food is grown right there, and a lot of the veggies and meats are unrecognizable, so you have to go completely on visual, texture, and taste cues.  The wine and beer was flowing and the music sounded great.

After the party was over, we drove home and watched the highly quotable comedy classic, Rush Hour. A delightful week and a half it has been, but I am quite ready for some down time and the start of a new year.

(photos by e.hunt)