We are certainly enjoying our time here in MN for our "winter vacation". It is hard to believe we will be leaving in four days. The time has gone so fast. Some days it feels like I have just gotten out of bed and the sun is going down--that may be due to the fact that it sets at 4:30 and I've been sleeping until 10 every day.
For the past 15 years Vicks and I have celebrated our birthdays together. Her birthday is the 7th of January and mine is the 8th. We have cut it up many-o-times. This year was no different.
We started the evening with dinner at my favorite Minneapolis restaurant--Figlio's. Emab has joined the birthday festivities in the past 8 years as her birthday falls a couple of weeks after mine and Vicks', so Em and Stefan, Vicks and Chad, and Joe and I enjoyed dinner before heading to Nordeast to meet the rest of the gang for cocktails.
Some things never change. Vicks and I toasted the night with commemorative Rolling Rocks and continued to laugh and joke and more or less create mayhem until bar closing when Vicki found it necessary to inform the Karaoke singer developing his own redition of "We Built this City", "You Suck!" Poor guy had no idea what was coming. That was about the time that I kindly escorted Vicks toward the door to her husband and the waiting car ride home. 
The night was not void of Vicks letting Joe know how awesome he is. I have known this group of friends since my first year of undergrad, and it is not always an easy group to put up with...not because any of them are unwelcoming, but because the "newbie" could easily choose to resist the temptation of involving him/herself with such a cracked group of individuals. Gotta love 'em though!!
The time spent with mom and dad has been priceless. Mom is feeling really good, and it looks like she won't start chemo for about 2 weeks after we leave. This has been selfishly wonderful. She tires quickly and rests part of most days, but her resilience and spirits are unsurmountable. And the wildlife around their house is always a surprise. Last year it was the box turtles scuttling across the yard. This winter it is the flock of wild turkeys that come in almost daily to feed off what the birds knock down from the feeders. It is so quiet out here. Such a change from our big city living in Rio. It is welcomed respite.
Sierra and I also took advantage of a warm day (35 degrees fahrenheit) to build a snowman and have a snowball fight. It think we did a pretty good job given the fact that neither of us has built a snowman for at least 3 years. We named her Mustang Sally.
And when the sun goes down, the air turns chilly...build a fire and roast some hot dogs!
We may live thousands of miles away on the other side of the world, but coming "home" is always a joy. We have amazing friends here, and we have been lucky enough to have some time to visit many of them during this trip. Here are two former colleagues of mine, Julie and Sarah, enjoying happy hour last week. They are both amazing women, mothers, teachers, and friends. I am so grateful that we have maintained our friendships despite the time and distance.
Karen and Liv are veteran teachers, mentors of life, and dynamite women. And they enjoyed the pink lady shot that Julie ordered in honor of my birthday.
Sierra loves babies, and she is happy to take care of any baby in her presence. We visited new baby Dixon one day while Joe was up at Lake of the Woods ice fishing, and Sierra was more than willing to feed and change this little three month old fella--even when he was crying.
Genevieve Marin, soon turning three! It is hard to believe so much time has passed since her arrival to this world. She is currently the youngest of five, but will not be the youngest for very much longer as mom, Becca, is expecting baby number 6 in a couple of months! I could learn a few things from Becca in the patience department. I feel blessed to have her in my life and typically try to soak in her wisdom whenever I am around her.
The girls enjoyed an afternoon playdate that only concluded near midnight. A warm fire, a blessed home, remarkable spirit of friendship and a good game of buzz word kept the day rolling.
Although we are all anxious for our return home to Rio, it is somewhat bittersweet each time we leave. What a gift to be able to return to what will always be home so frequently. Life is beautiful.
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