We are back in the States visiting family in Ohio for the holidays. It is good to be back, but it doesn't feel at all strange or different to be in Ohio for the holidays visiting with Thom's mom and his family. After living in Wisconsin for almost 25 years, we have made the holiday trip back to Ohio every year. It feels really pretty normal.
We got in on Christmas Eve (all three flights from Kosovo went smoothly) and had a small group for dinner; including both of our kids, our daughter's partner, and her partner's parents. This was a new twist, but James and Kim did not want to miss Christmas with family here and they did not want leave his parent alone in Wisconsin on Christmas Eve. James's parents were willing to make the drive from Wisconsin to spend chaotic family time with us. Kudos to Dean and Brenda. Our son, Matthew, cooked our traditional dinner of potato latkes and minestrone soup. It was ready when we arrived when we arrived on Christmas Eve.
After a quiet Christmas morning of opening gifts with our family, we had a late afternoon dinner with the family members who could make it. Four of the ten cousins did not make it to the celebration, but it was still a big group of around 25. We had traditional ham, potato casserole, roasted vegetables, kale salad, and sister-in-law Kathy's traditional-styled cheesecake. There is always a little gift-giving among families and a lot of catching up as we clean up the kitchen and enjoy desserts and cookies; and of course, a good supply of brother-in-law Greg's home-brewed beer and homemade wine.
Unfortunately, the day always goes by in a flash and the cousins are soon headed home to states from Maryland to California. I never feel like I have a chance to catch up with everyone, but that comes later as we have smaller meet-ups with Thom's siblings.
The day after Christmas, we see James's parents off with breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast spots. Later, we help clean up and I take a long walk.
Friday, we drive two hours to Columbus to visit with my niece and her two girls (our pseudo-grandkids) at the Columbus Zoo. We met at our favorite restaurant chain, Skyline Chili, for Cincinnati-styled chili and then headed to the zoo. Although it rained from time to time, the temperature was unseasonably warm and we enjoyed traipsing through the zoo with little ones in tow. We ended the afternoon with Graeter's Ice Cream and the attached indoor playground. Definitely a top-notch day.
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