After such a dismal post about our long trip to Chicago I feel like I owe an account of our otherwise amazing Christmas break!
Our time in Chicago went so fast. In spite of getting into Fort Wayne at 1am, we went to church on Sunday. In the afternoon we got Sherlock from the kennel and he squealed and jumped all over us. Michael arrived in the evening, having been delayed as well, and we all ate homemade pizza (with delicious pork products like Italian sausage and pepperoni). So began the holiday!
Most days started off with a delicious breakfast involving some kind of breakfast meat (sausage patties, smoked sausage, or bacon) and a game between Mom, Dad, Dylan, and me (Mike slept in a little). All our meals were planned out ahead of time with foods we can't get here - Dad even grilled for us out in the snow (hamburgers, hotdogs, steak and chicken)!
Our friends the Millisors drove up from Cincinnati to spend a day with us. It was really great to see them! Mike amused the 9 of us with some Marine MREs (meals ready to eat). The consensus was - most things were edible, sloppy joes were the best, and the mashed potatoes were the worst. None of us wanted to live off them at any rate!
We spent a lot of time with family - quite different to have everyone within a half an hour radius of us! We even hosted the Zurcher family gathering, which meant over 20 people at our house and lots of leftovers later (since we had spent the previous day preparing appetizers, main course, 3 different kinds of cookies and 2 pies). =)
Overall we got to spend lots of time together, play 2 or 3 games a day, watch a few movies, relax, and eat to our hearts' content. I should mention that our suitcases did arrive a few days in, which was a big relief! We needed them to bring back our stash of presents and grocery stuff for Egypt! Departure day came all too quickly.
Our flight back to Cairo was uneventful (except for an inordinate amount of turbulence over the Atlantic) and we were greeted by the rest of the Costers when we arrived here. We celebrated our second Christmas with them and welcomed the new year with a climb up Mt Sinai (an account with pictures to come).
Today marked my first day back at work and the beginning of the end of the holidays. School starts next week, so Ann, Abby, and Dylan will be back to work, and Dan leaves for Afghanistan on the 10th. Johnny will be hanging out here for a while yet as he doesn't start school till the end of January (lucky duck!).
I have to admit to being a little more homesick now than before we went back for Christmas. Nothing for it but to suck it up and wait for our summer trip. And to enjoy Egypt while we're here. =)
Happy 2011!
Our time in Chicago went so fast. In spite of getting into Fort Wayne at 1am, we went to church on Sunday. In the afternoon we got Sherlock from the kennel and he squealed and jumped all over us. Michael arrived in the evening, having been delayed as well, and we all ate homemade pizza (with delicious pork products like Italian sausage and pepperoni). So began the holiday!
Most days started off with a delicious breakfast involving some kind of breakfast meat (sausage patties, smoked sausage, or bacon) and a game between Mom, Dad, Dylan, and me (Mike slept in a little). All our meals were planned out ahead of time with foods we can't get here - Dad even grilled for us out in the snow (hamburgers, hotdogs, steak and chicken)!
Our friends the Millisors drove up from Cincinnati to spend a day with us. It was really great to see them! Mike amused the 9 of us with some Marine MREs (meals ready to eat). The consensus was - most things were edible, sloppy joes were the best, and the mashed potatoes were the worst. None of us wanted to live off them at any rate!
We spent a lot of time with family - quite different to have everyone within a half an hour radius of us! We even hosted the Zurcher family gathering, which meant over 20 people at our house and lots of leftovers later (since we had spent the previous day preparing appetizers, main course, 3 different kinds of cookies and 2 pies). =)
Overall we got to spend lots of time together, play 2 or 3 games a day, watch a few movies, relax, and eat to our hearts' content. I should mention that our suitcases did arrive a few days in, which was a big relief! We needed them to bring back our stash of presents and grocery stuff for Egypt! Departure day came all too quickly.
Our flight back to Cairo was uneventful (except for an inordinate amount of turbulence over the Atlantic) and we were greeted by the rest of the Costers when we arrived here. We celebrated our second Christmas with them and welcomed the new year with a climb up Mt Sinai (an account with pictures to come).
Today marked my first day back at work and the beginning of the end of the holidays. School starts next week, so Ann, Abby, and Dylan will be back to work, and Dan leaves for Afghanistan on the 10th. Johnny will be hanging out here for a while yet as he doesn't start school till the end of January (lucky duck!).
I have to admit to being a little more homesick now than before we went back for Christmas. Nothing for it but to suck it up and wait for our summer trip. And to enjoy Egypt while we're here. =)
Happy 2011!