holidays

Spending Christmas in Germany meant catching up on holiday-ing on my return! Here are some photos - I kind of fell off as the weekend progressed!
Saturday: I headed up to Iron River to celebrate with Amy and her kids and mom. Gus, Chris and Sherman, Grant and his daughter Margo, Katie, and Grandma Beth were all there. It was so neat to be able to see everyone again and catch up.
Sunday: I headed down toward Bloomer where my college roommate Joce lives. On the way, I stopped in Shell Lake to visit with Uncle Dean & Aunt Dar for a bit. It was great to be with them; they're just fun to be around. Jocelyn, also, is great fun. Her kids Annabelle & Brooke have SO much personality (wonder where they get that!!), and Ed and Joce and I had some great conversations.
Monday: I headed to the Twin Cities to celebrate New Year's with Jen & Mustafa. It was great to catch up with them - Jen and I skied across Medicine Lake, and later the three of us went to a comfy little Thai restaurant. Then we chilled, talked and watched the ball drop.
Tuesday: I started heading back. I met up with Mom, Harley, Jody & Dan in Eau Claire for some present swapping and a lovely meal, then Joce and I met up for coffee, and I headed back across the state and home.
I'm happy to say that in spite of copious oil chugging, my car did quite splendidly throughout it all. *sigh*.