Fourth Christmas in Valparaiso

Liz and I joked that this would be our fourth Christmas, since we had already celebrated in Detroit, then in Indianapolis, and then again with just the two of us.
Liz and I joked that this would be our fourth Christmas, since we had already celebrated in Detroit, then in Indianapolis, and then again with just the two of us.
I love the symmetry of this gift. A long while ago, the husband created this slide for his wife. And many years later, my wife created a print of that slide for me. I’d like to think that we are furthering a tradition here, and will continue to fill that little house with love.
Candle service, close to midnight. The lights go dim, and everyone sings “Silent Night.” There’s a part of me that wishes I could record this moment each year, as it’s quite lovely. The whole room darkens, and the candles flicker their light against the walls… and everyone sings softly, as we near the midnight hour.
Going out for a big meal like this is not something we normally do. But then again, an 80th birthday isn’t something that happens all that often, either.
Late in the evening, several of us took turns in the basement to wrap up Christmas gifts. With three families to celebrate with, we’re doing Christmas slightly early here tomorrow, so tonight’s the big night.
Around the tree in the sitting room, Kirt had set up an old model train track. The train cars themselves were all pretty substantive, and suggested to me this was an old set.
We rolled into Detroit a bit later than we planned, but the nice thing (and the thing I’ve een struggling to remember) is that we are officially on our holiday break. There are no strict schedules, and no timelines beyond the ones we wish to keep. If we’re running a little late, then so be it – we’ve got the time (which is still a novel concept).
Today was mostly a travel day. I helped Bob drop off a rental truck early in the AM, and we then packed up our car for a drive back to Chicago.
A pretty slow day in Valpo. A lot of putzing around, not much of anything beyond relaxing. I snapped this photo of Liz, sharing a new favorite beer with Julie.
Somehow, between the presents and breakfast, Jahnu lost a tooth!
Attending this service is something all the relatives in town would do, accompanying my Grandma Phoebe. Since she passed, it wasn’t clear if we would be going again.
My dad decided he wanted to attend, and so the two of us decided to go by ourselves.
There were some ok exhibits, and some less than stellar exhibits. To be honest, I enjoyed things most when we were all making fun of the lights.
Liz and I spent a slow day getting ready for a weekend away. After packing, we hit the road in the late afternoon – but not before stopping at Vanille, to pick up a few treats.
Kirt, showing off his new socks – comfortable, warm, and full of utility.
I didn’t take a ton of photos today. But it was a slow, relaxing, lazy kind of day – so that may have contributed to it.