Holiday Happenings

Saturday was our day for the annual family holiday get-together, and this year's was an absolute success. Our tradition is that we do not bring presents, but rather just try to focus on getting together and having some fun. This year, Mom hosted the gang at her house at Hilltop Lakes.

Leo and I picked up Michelle (daughter 2 of 4) in LaPorte about 8:15am, then headed out 45-N toward our destination. We were the first to arrive and Mom, Michelle and I started a game of "Upwords". Our arrival brought the headcount to 6. Ginger's [my sister's] crew was the next on the scene, with Rob [my younger brother] and his gang right behind. This brought the headcount to 13. Rachael (daughter 4 of 4) showed up with only one missing family member as her stepdaughter Kya was headed out of town for the weekend, bringing the count to 17. Dean [my oldest brother], now called "Charlie" by friends and family, arrived with his family next and we were up to 21. Rebecca (daughter 3 of 4) and her husband were last on the scene since they had to work until early afternoon. Their arrival brought the final tally to 23.

I didn't set up any formalized game play this year, but we had a whole lot of fun playing with the babies, looking through old photographs, teasing, laughing, telling stories, and eating, gaming, and carrying on in the way that friends who haven't seen each other for a long time do. This year's holiday gathering was a really wonderful event, "and a good time was had by all". Hope you enjoy this photo of me (left) and my siblings Charlie, Ginger, and Rob.