The Blizzard Left More Than Santa

Today let's survey what drifted- everywhere. (refer to the earlier Willy & Ethel post about two huge sheets of plastic catching precipitation) The slick system is still not working, in my humble post-Excedrin opinion.

We've shoveled for three days with my sister's family, snowed in thankfully! while all sharing our Haller Christmas- a true feast of 39 people gathered in joy, boisterously at Mom's! Now it occurs to me why skating parties on our rink don't seem unusual...both the Haller and Wuebben families have creative traditions (or weird excuses) to gather in fun:

25 Gravy Bowls- fathers vs. sons touch football, Thanksgiving morning
14 Christmas Haller Sibling Hot Tub parties- ( just gotta see it)

21 'Bracketville' March Madness Days- the kids kept out of school for first round, at a sports bar with nachos & iced tea, 10 am-10 pm

The Cousin Party- with gingerbread contests & one-handed hockey, followed by Manhattans in Papa Joe's honor, and Steve as DD)

2 SkateAThon first-lap surprises-Ted singing to me in Italian, ala Andre Bocelli (still sweeps me off my feet...and not just while ice skating!)

And our newest holiday tradition: Movie Night Marathon at Molly's.

So many ways to get caught up in the spirit of the season... Which reminds me of an insight from my friend Monnie: "Learn everything you can about the illness, then Live as if you don't have it!"

Time to don the boots & parka...and be thankful again that we can do do this wondrous thing together- shovel.