Home for Christmas

December 11th  12th to 27th, 2010

The phrase "Watch what you wish for" comes to full fruition when my joking statement of "I'm not coming for Christmas unless there's tons of snow!" is met with the closure of the MSP airport due to blizzard conditions.  We've been flying for over 40 hours, from Christmas Island to Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam to circling above Minneapolis, and then backtracking and ultimately landing in Detroit.  Several other international flight were also diverted to DTW, and the international arrivals area is a sea of weary travellers waiting in unmoving lines to talk with understaffed Delta representatives to discover too few solutions.  After several line re-schuffings and several hours we hatch a plan with other Minneapolis-bound passengers to rent a car and drive the rest of the way.  The snow storm is heading towards Detroit, and we're afraid we'll be stuck here for several days (if we can even make it through the line) before it'll be clear to fly outta here.  We finally figure out that flying is probably in fact our best bet to make it home in one piece, and are happy to find out the airlines is putting us up for free at a Hilton, and covering our meals.  We successfully make it home the next day, and I finally get that long overdue hug(sssss) from mom and dad.  And we're (er, Arthur) is immediately welcomed into the wintery tradition of shovelling out the driveway.  

The house renovations are simply beautiful!  I'm loving the open kitchen and find the countertop bar to be the perfect addition.  

Arthur makes himself at home by whipping up some delicious homemade bread.

OMG! I never realized Christmas Island had its own game.  And that it was my favorite childhood game, Fireball Island.

Dinner at our favorite bistro, Pierre's.  So good.

Rocking the UNO game on the fabulous new bar.

Oh delicious peanut butter kiss cookies.  Let's dip you in sprinkles and make you holiday cookies!

Let the Christmas decorating begin!

Making Grandma Wittman's famous meatballs takes a lot of onion chopping.  Finally a way to prevent my eyes from crying...

Happy Holidays from the Wittman family!

Mother and daughter bond over new glasses purchases.  Related, yet different, smart and beautiful always.  The glasses, that is.  What else would be would I be talking about?  ;)