What We've Been Up To Around the New Year

The main event of our time back in the Midwest has been Christmas, of course. This year we had Christmas Day with Brandon's family. In the five days we spent in the Quad Cities we had six family gatherings to attend. Admittedly this was exhausting, but it did give us a chance to catch up with a lot of family, many of whom we hadn't seen for awhile. Besides the obvious highlight of spending time with family there were several other things that stood out: 

• We caught up with friends Andrew and Kady and their twins over Habanero's Mexican food
• Brandon helped a nephew and niece follow in his footsteps and make a duck tape wallet
• The massaman curry we learned to make in Thailand won third place in a family cooking competition where the key ingredient was cinnamon
• We shared our homebrew Ghiradelli Stout, Saugatuck Neopolitan Stout, Bells Expedition Stout, and Founders KBS with Brandon's uncle
• We enjoyed a Whitey's hot fudge banana shake
• We stayed at the Fancy Fountains with Brandon's grandma 
• We participated in a sock exchange and came home with some pretty sweet patterned socks

Many of the cousins on one side of Brandon's family

Quad Cities favorites

After returning from the Quad Cities we celebrated Christmas with my family. My brother lives a full day's drive away in the UP, so it was a treat to see him and have everyone together. We enjoyed our traditional meal of twice baked potatoes and chicken cordon bleu and watched the dog try to open his Christmas present as usual. 

We rang the New Year in by rock climbing for several hours with much of our climbing group and then going out to Old Chicago. We did this last year too, and we think it's become a fun tradition. New Years Day we celebrated with a brunch at the Horos' new house. It was fun to see many friends there and help the homeowners envision how they could incorporate an indoor trampoline and rock climbing wall into their new home. Seriously, the space was perfect for those additions. 

Obviously, we've had a stint where we didn't blog much. I'm not sure why. We've been busy in the evenings, but we've also had plenty of down time during the day since the holidays are over. I hesitate to say this, but I even think I've experienced some boredom during the days. Brandon has been varying degrees of sick for the past three weeks so I'm often without my partner in crime at my side or we just do low key activities like watching multiple episodes of Doctor Who. And, of course, everyone else has been occupied by the holidays and working. In desperation I've taken up crocheting and started with the ambitious project of an afghan. Thanks to my sister's extreme patience in teaching me, I've made excellent progress. And, I've rather enjoyed the process. 

About halfway thru crocheting the afghan

When Brandon has been feeling well we've done plenty. We've been climbing at least once a week. We took a hike in Saugatuck Dunes with my sister and brother. I had dinner with my friends Rachel and Christie and saw Rachel's new house and puppy. We made a Thai meal of hot basil chicken stir fry, khao soi, and sticky rice and mango for my parents. Both Brandon and I have visited our workplaces and co-workers. We had lunch with some Holland friends, Craig and Vicky. We've visited the Blanski's just down the street from my sister's house. And, we've found new snow gear to replace Brandon's worn things. 

On the beach at Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Lake Michigan was quite windblown that day

This past weekend we've kept busy as well. We had a fun game night with friends. We went to Hillsdale to see our niece and nephew play basketball, which is amusing since the kids are still learning the game. We also went to a skating party with the family and managed not to injure ourselves. And, we've spent some time in Lansing battling viruses both physically (darned colds) and in the game Pandemic Legacy with Nate. In Lansing we were also able to attend Riverview Church, which feels like home to us, and have lunch with friends John and Sarah and their baby. Monday night we were able to have dinner and catch up with another Lansing friend, Jenell. 

Me and Charissa managing to stay upright on our skates for a picture

Pandemic Legacy: We're trying to save the world

The weekends and evenings have kept us busy, but midday of a weekday can go by slowly after a week or so. In the slowness of the daytime I think I've realized the importance of working. Working not just to fill time, but also to bring more purpose and meaning to life. Working may not have to be a normal job; it could also be volunteering or something. But, I've seen more clearly how I (and probably most of us) am not just meant to be completely idle, but need and want to be involved in something meaningful to me and others. There's definitely a balance there...I'm still working on discovering it.