Rest

Life has been so relaxing and comfortable the last week. It has been a blessing to be on vacation and away from our usual troubles. It feels as if we have been gone for years instead of just days.

We enjoyed a few days in IL with my parents and even got to see a cousin and her family from CA and then visited my grandparents too. SO fun! Then the weather changed up our plans a bit--unfortunately! We had planned to spend a few days in our old stomping grounds in WI, but instead had to settle for a few hours so we could beat the bad snow storm coming in. I am so thankful we were able to enjoy even a few hours with old friends as it was SO wonderful to see them! We were able to see many people that we have dearly missed and found it incredibly hard to believe it had been a year and a half since we had last seen them. It truly felt as if we had never moved away and had just seen them the day before. It was so comfortable to be there again. The friendships we have there are true blessings from God!

We left WI around supper time and caravaned with Mike's sis and family on our way to MN. The weather was not too bad until we hit the Twin Cities. It had been snowing for awhile before we got there and the plows had not gone through so it was slow driving the last few hours of our trek, but God got us safely there! We were happy to have made it to Litchfield and now could spend the next few days with Mike's family. The snow continued to fall so church on Christmas Eve and Day was canceled. We had our own service and enjoyed making many memories. The cameras were always out to capture a moment with Mike's dad or between the cousins. Knowing it could possibly be the last Christmas we had with Mike's dad we wanted to remember everything we could. The kids loved playing in the snow and we even ventured out for some bowling! It was four days of being together as a family and was a very special time!

Now we are in MN spending time with my sis and her family. We had a chance to see my brother as well and he always is lots of fun. Today we had back to IL to see my parents for a little bit more before getting on the train back to AZ.

I think this may possibly be the best Christmas break we have ever had. It has been relaxing, refreshing, fun, restful, full of laughter, and meaningful. K got to play with all of cousins and spend time with all of his aunts, uncles and grandparents. I have had a major break from meal planning and preparation. Mike has escaped the stress of work (though he has been doing some school work on vacation) and been able to watch movies and play on the computer for fun. It has been a very good trip at a much needed time in our lives. We are so thankful we came up this way for Christmas!