journaling: enabled

Well, I’ve had a very busy holiday season. It started with a long trip to Ohio the weekend before Christmas to see my oldest friend get married. It was a long drive, but well worth it. I would have gone to Florida or California for it, because this friendship means a lot to me. I hadn’t seen him for at least 2 yrs prior to the wedding, but I hope to see more of him.
After I got back. liz4jc4ever and I went to see Trans-siberian Orchestra at the Target Center. We really enjoyed it. Tuesday I had a quiet day at work.
For Christmas eve, Liz and I went up to my parents. Traditionally, my family has always opened presents on Christmas morning, though often we opened one on the Eve. On Christmas morning we would wait until my parents were out of the barn, and open presents while eating a breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. This year, due to schedule conflicts with various members of the family (including myself) we opened presents late Christmas eve. Christmas morning we slept a little late and then left for DeForest. Halfway between Menomonie and Eau Claire, the exhaust system on Liz’s car (specifically, the pipe between the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter) broke, making the remaining 2-3 hrs of the trip rather loud. When we got there, we snacked and opened presents. The day after Christmas, Liz’s dad and I attempted to patch the exhaust system, but the patch didn’t take well, possibly because of engine movement that may have occurred when the vehicle was moved. As a result, the trip back home was loud and cold (ventilation was necessary to prevent exhaust fume build-up).
I worked the Mon and Tues after x-mas. New Year’s Eve day, we went up to my parents and I cut wood for them at a neighbors. That was fun, but I ended up with some rather sore muscles. We returned home on New Year’s day after eating the New Year’s meal. The day after, we took off for “west-central” Iowa for Christmas with Liz’s maternal grandparents. That was great fun … got to meet more of her family. We came back on Sunday and made it back in time to be able to watch the last half of the Packers-Broncos game. Go Pack! Today it was back to the old grindstone at work. It wasn’t a particularly good day, but I don’t feel like going into it tonight.