The Manlius Formation

I don’t know about you, but I’m all set for 2009, aka the BEST YEAR EVER. But first, here’s a look^[1] at how we wrapped up 2008:

After opening our presents on Christmas morning…

… we set off on “Holiday Grand Tour 2008.”

The first stop (lunchtime, 25 Dec) was Johnstown, where we visited with Kath’s side of the fam.

We had a blast with a Christmas carol sing-along, followed by the traditional oplatki. Next up (morning of 26 Dec) was a visit with Nanny and Poppy where we feasted on great food and exchanged even more Christmas presents.

The next day (27 Dec) we stopped off to see Chris & Emily and Chris’ parents for a few hours on our way down to a party at the Deutscher Club in Clark, NJ. The party was for the 50th wedding anniversary of our brother-in-law’s parents. Large quantities of hearty German food and heavy German beer were consumed by yours truly, much to the olfactory regret of loved ones caught in the gastrointestinal aftermath.

The next morning (28 Dec) we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel, and set off for Nanny and Poppy’s again - but not before visiting for a few hours with the Merolas. Our boys got along great with their kids and we departed for Rockland County (again) shortly after lunch.

We arrived at Nanny and Poppy’s a few hours before supper, ate, and spent some quiet time together before bedtime.

The following morning (29 Dec) we visited with the Rossi’s. Rob (brewmaster extraordinaire) and Holly seem happier than ever, Rob’s mom is heavily involved with the Hudson Valley Piano Club (which she co-founded), and chatting with Fritz was as fun as always.

That afternoon we headed back to Manlius. We spent the 30th and 31st combining the guest bedroom and office, and turning the resulting empty office into a playroom for the boys. I have high hopes that this plan will be successful - since 2009 is set to be the B.Y.E.

We spent New Year’s Eve with the Cooks. All the kids were on their best behavior (the Wii may have had something to do with that) and the adults reveled in the trifecta of wine, Chinese food, and Trivial Pursuit.

So that’s how we spent the holidays. It was exhausting and exhilirating at the same time. There wasn’t enough time to visit everyone we wanted to see, but I think the kids are over the “ability to travel without undue pain and suffering hump,” so I’m looking forward to a 2009 filled with more frequent short visits to friends and family.

To those we saw, it was great to see you. To those we missed, we’ll see you in 2009 - the BEST YEAR EVER!

1. I have fewer photos than I’d like because we spent so much time enjoying ourselves that I often forgot stop to capture the moment! [back]

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm and is filed under Holidays, Photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.