Tra and Glenn Make Ten. » Holidays

2011 Christmas Letter

Glenn G — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:22:42 +0000

The 2011 Christmas letter is done. It is not short, it is not sweet, but it does contain over 100 pictures and I know a lot of you just look at the pictures (Tra). All you need to do is click the link at the top that says “2011 Christmas Letter” it is in the black border. It is a page so it will stay on here forever. That way for those of you that got a new ipad for Christmas, you can read it over and over during your “ahem” private time, or on your thinking throne.

May God bless you and prosper you and draw you closer to him in this upcoming new year. God Bless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Alaska Grown Costa Rican Ripened Godfreys.

Thanksgiving Costa Rica Style

Glenn G — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:31:34 +0000

You know they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here? It is just like any other Thursday, except hotter. Okay, we knew the holidays would be much different, that traditions would change, that our perception of what a holiday was would likely change, we were right. For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has been major tradition at our house, old friends and family we only see once a year, basketball games, fried turkey, same old side dishes, new dishes, dozens of pies, naps, games and then Black Friday, Tracy’s favorite holiday. That is what we did, every year. No questions asked as you can see from these past posts. (Tradition GAS Holiday Roads )Well now, at least this year, it was quite different. This year we attended a big feast and gathering at our church. There was a lot of turkey,side dishes, desserts, some games and a lot of fellow-shipping. It was certainly fun, but it wasn’t tradition. It was new, it was hot and it didn’t feel like “Thanksgiving”. It felt more like a very fun church potluck. Plus, there were no pies, other than the single serving apple pies Tra made.

some traditions can never go away! Speedy Buns Rule!!!

If you could only smell the finished product, your keyboard would be drenched in drool.

do you see any pies on this dessert table?

Furthermore, as I stated before, Costa Rica obviously does not celebrate Thanksgiving, so it was just a normal day. No festivities, lots of people at the beach, surfing, swimming, shopping etc. etc. Just like every other day. It appears that they did have their version of Black Friday in San Jose, but it was limited to a few stores. Besides it’s not really Black Friday if you aren’t freezing to death waiting to get inside the store. And 50% off of “way to expensive” is not really that great of a deal. However, I took the time to teach our friend and guard how to say Happy Thanksgiving in English, and told him to tell every Americano he sees. Within an hour he was stuffed. After two days he told me “too much Happy Thanksgiving” signaling that he could not eat another bite, as he held up yet another meal on a paper plate. It may take some time, but I will soon teach him the ways of the over indulging Americanos.

Now this looks traditional. It was very yummy as well!

Dave Olsen keeping the kids happy. There are no fiestas in Costa Rica without a Pinata.

one view of BCC with over 100 guests. Note BCC Feud playing on the screen.

another view.

Kassie patiently waiting for food.

Mom and Alli waiting to eat.

Kids table playing the feud.

So we had fun, but it wasn’t the traditional frenzied weekend that we have become accustomed to loving. It was quite relaxing, maybe a little too Pura Vida for our American souls. Perhaps over time we will change our view of Thanksgiving and become accustomed to wearing t-shirts and shorts, and spending the evening watching the sunset on the beach, as we did this year. Perhaps that will be our new tradition. One thing for sure, no matter what, next time there must be pie.

Here are some shots of our Thanksgiving late afternoon and evening at Flamingo Beach.

Jeremy waiting on one last wave

Jake and KassieKassieFlamingo

Dad and Dorian having a Thanksgiving boogie board battle.

Jeremy and Dad battling it out

Kassie

Alli searching for jewelry prospects.

Flamingo Breaker

Ben working hard on Thanksgiving for a wave with all that extra turkey weight.

Ben

Dad swimming hard

Never spent Thanksgiving in the Pacific Ocean before.

Any reason to party?

Glenn G — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:38:53 +0000

Back in the states Halloween was a pretty big deal. In fact, if I recall correctly, the very first date Tra and I ever went on was near that very holiday, at a harvest fest type of event. I recall having to be prepared every Halloween for the slew of kids to come parading through the neighborhood. With every open door a shot of cold air would rush across our skin, and handfuls of candy would be dropped in the bags of ghouls, ghosts, goblins and ???. In Costa Rica there is no Halloween. Perhaps it is because they have a plethora of other holidays, or perhaps it is because it was created by the candy moguls in America, or perhaps it is because chocolate can be very hard to come by for the locals. Either way we didn’t expect much of anything, we were wrong.

a rock star from NOW, an American army guy, and a flapper

Ben from "Not of the World" Note the tat.

Jeremy and his first victim of the night.

Ben and Brockzilla, two rock stars from different sides of the track, not standing out at all in a packed La Paz gym.

There is a pretty large contingent of Ex-Pats in this area, and they hold on to their American / Canadian traditions very strongly, as we are quickly learning. If there is a slight reason to celebrate or party, they will gather in droves. Superbowl, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus Day, doesn’t matter, if it connects them to home, they embrace it. Halloween, other than being a floating holiday is no different.

our flapper girl

Kassie and Jake harvesting some subsistence candy.

In the area we live there are three primary english schools, La Paz, Country Day, and Gold Coast Academy. All three private schools, all full of Americans, Canadians and French ( don’t ask me). All three of them held festivities on Friday night.

Livy in her award-winning costume, the one in white.

all about the candy

Our evening began right at sunset; humidity still thick in the air, the hot night air enveloping those in monkey suits, ghost sheets and more. I saw more sweat stains than at a July jalapeno chili bake in Texas. We hit La Paz first, the school had a special area for candy gathering, and it seems every english speaking kid in the country was there, adding to the humidity. As we weaved our way through the blue mat maze of on-air conditioned classrooms, we were met by princess’s, gold people, Lego’s and many more homemade costumes. There is no Wal-Mart, so creativity had to be high. Although sheer torture for the camera wielding adults caught in the never-ending snake of children, it was fun for the kids as their bags weighed down under the girth of the mixed tico candy. The school also had a small haunted house, and a gym full of games for the kiddos with prizes and awards. To top it off they had a bake sale and hamburgers and hotdogs off the grill. It was an all out event that required traffic control and parking on an empty over grown lot next to the school.

still waiting in line for some more loot.

Like, who's this creeper pretending to be Shaggy? ( a good friend, the real creeper is over his right shoulder)

Next we made our way to Country Day School, where they had a similar event going on. However, their highlight was the haunted house, and that is what we set our sights on, at least those of us brave enough to endure the close tight humid quarters. As we made our way through the draping of dark plastic we were assaulted by every creature imaginable from every angle, our feet, our heads, straight on, they were everywhere, and it appears that they were heavily dehydrated. It was a fun adventure with blue lights, water , at least we hope it was water, and much more. And talking to some of the creatures afterward, it was labor intensive, hot and draining, but they did not complain, instead they did their best to elicit screams and cries, and I am sure I heard a few, even from within our own party. Again, there were games for the kids, bake sales and some BBQ pork sandwiches. Lots of decorations, and balloons that were getting heavily assaulted by anyone under 4 foot tall.

no parking on the dance floor baby!

We finished the evening as chaperones at the Freaky Tiki, and event semi-coordinated by Alli as the event planner for her school. The event was made for the older kids as a costume dance event. Now I don’t know what qualifies as a good dance, but if it is a bloody red pool and fountain, lots of sweaty kids dancing all together, loud never-ending music, pizza and very loud never-ending music, then this was a successful dance. Again, it seems every english speaking kid from every local school was there. Apparently things have changed form when I used to go to dances. In my day you asked a girl to dance, you went out to the floor together and danced next to your buds, making funny faces and did your best to be cool. What we witnessed was just a glob of people all dancing together. I never did see two people dancing. The smallest group was six. However, I could’ve been hallucinating because between the unbearable thumping, heat, strobe light, and extra curricular lightning storm, I am not totally sure what we witnessed. But I am pretty sure there were no nefarious on goings nor any grinding going on during our watch! The dance went from 7-11 and was thumping the whole time.

a pool of blood surrounded by tombstones.

The fountain of blood, created by Mr. S. the demented.

strobe light limbo.

It was pretty much packed like this the whole night.

The freaks come out at night.

I have never been so exhausted after a Halloween night. I am convinced that we met every Ex-Pat in the area on that Friday night, even the ones without kids. And the best part, Halloween is tonight. I have no idea what to expect, but we will be prepared with some melted chocolates for our little prettys, just in case. Can’t wait to see what Thanksgiving will be like. I plan to get a nap before that one.

A Christmas to remember

Glenn G — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 03:44:32 +0000

Over the last few years we have molded our own Christmas tradition, friends over the night before Christmas, Church on Christmas Eve, a light dinner, the kids open presents from each other and from their grandparents, sleep in until 9 or 10 ( yep, it’s true our kids are NOT early risers) have some cinnamon rolls or dad makes eggs, read the Bible, take turns opening presents, and then play with any electronics as dad mumbles in frustration to himself trying to open plastic wrapped toys and wire ties. The afternoon is spent cooking a Prime Rib dinner while dad attempts to program, set up and debug all electronics while mom collects the leftovers of her endless hours wrapping perfection. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it is ours. It is comforting, relaxing, stress free and fits us like a brand new Snuggie, with feet.

The Eve of Christmas Eve gathering.

Jo on the eve of Christmas eve gets a visit from Glanta

Jo concentrating for the 32 seconds it took for her to open pressies.

Jake loving the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

nephew Levi sporting a tie at church

This year Mom invited us back to Anchorage to celebrate Christmas at her house. Considering that this may be our last Christmas in AK for a while, we accepted. This changes things a little. You see my mom does not do small and relaxing. My mom does big and grand. So I knew there would be excessive food and excessive people. Further, we had to load up the van with all the gifts and all the gear required for a Christmas weekend.

Action!

Jace n Jake sporting their Jammies

ripping time

Kassie and Callie and their American Girls. Too many women for me!

Now this is more my speed!

Upon arrival I quickly learned that I was not wrong, nor was I disappointed, there were about a dozen pies, several turkeys, lots of sides, home-made egg nog ( another of my favorite cholesterol fat inducing traditions) french onion soup and yes my french dip. Christmas eve included a candle light service ( and no Shine Jesus Shine) with an exchanging of a few gifts. The house was full of food, fun and folks. It went very well with a relatively early bed time. Christmas Day was another story.

Nana's girls posing for her Christmas present

Callie, Tiara, Kassie, Olivia, Alli and Bella

It started well, we slept in until we could her our little nephews and nieces pitter pattering around the house. Tracy and I eventually made our way downstairs clothed in our traditional Christmas Jammies. I should haveknown it was going to be a little off day when I went to make a cup of coffee and the Kuerig was stingy with the water. Something was amiss. Desperate, I ran a solution of vinegar and water through the system, to no avail. Glenn without his traditional cup of Christmas morning sludge is unacceptable to most and unbearable to all. So after cleansing the system I tried again. It dribbled out about 8 ounces of joe, at least it was something. However one sip let me know that the system was still full of vinegar as I puckered in disgust looking for a place to spit my sip, the definition of a sourpuss. It never did give up any acceptable joe.

Kinect Action

uncle Brad showing us how its done. He beat daddy in track and field.

So we decided to start the gift opening, with no coffee. Unfortunately we did not calculate the time it would take with the extra four openers in the flock. You see we open one present at a time, but we had 11 kids in the mix. About 4 presents in we decided that everyone should open one present at a time, but in unison, adapt and survive. Perhaps I was impatient due to the lack O joe, but it seemed to be an effective and efficient method and by my calculations we would have been un-wrapping until New Year’s Eve.

Christmas in the dark

Christmas dinner in the dark.......

..... and charades in the dark, best you don't see what's happening here.

Once the presents were opened, Uncle Brad and I were off in search of coffee, of which we found a couple of smart stands open for business. Needless to say a big tip was in order. The afternoon did not fair any better as minutes into the frying of the turkey and prior to the cooking of the sides, the power went out. The same power that we lost on Thanksgiving ( and we later learned was lost on New Year’s Day). Do you think somebody may be bucking for some Holiday OT over at the Chugach Electric Company? Once again we improvised and brought the remainder of the food over to Val’s to cook, and made do with what was already done. The power stayed off until 3 am the next morning, so in the interim we slept ( okay I may have dozed off on the couch) ate, played charades, played cards, talked and sat by the fire in an attempt to stay warm. The poor kids had to wait forever to play their new electronic games, including the new Kinect which eventually dad and uncle Brad broke in for them. However, all in all it certainly was a Christmas to remember.

THE 2010 CHRISTMAS LETTER IS DONE!

Glenn G — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 06:35:51 +0000

I finally finished the 2010 Christmas letter. I apologize for being so far behind, but the last month has been exceedingly busy. That being said, my New Year’s resolution is to do at least a blog a week. However, I don’t work well under a deadline, so the pressure may be far too much to bear, and if that is the case I may modify it to one a month or even one a year.

Merry Christmas, and if you click the link at the top named “Christmas 2010″ you can read our Christmas letter for this year. We failed to send out cards because, ummmmm, we are trying to save trees? If you are extremely lazy, you can click this LINK and go right to it. And if you are super duper lazy, just call Tracy and have her read it to you.

Mickey D’s and Mother’s Day

Glenn G — Thu, 13 May 2010 06:01:29 +0000

I had a great mother’s day. I know, I know, who cares how my Mother’s Day was, how was Tracy’s? Well that is the point, for me to have a good Mother’s Day, Tra has to have a great Mother’s Day. I think she did.

The day started with great service in church, and Tra leading the morning worship, which I thought was pretty great. Then again I may have some biases, but I think even Simon Cowell would agree with me. After church we ran home, well we actually drove home as it is about 15 miles away, and changed for lunch. Changed for lunch? You ask. Yes Change. I know we have our Sunday best on, but that is far too dressy for this fishing town. Further, our lunch was coming via a drive thru, and I don’t want anyone spilling ketchup or special sauce on their Sunday best.

Present Time!

Dude how do we end up here every year?

I don't know, but this is what Mother's Day is all about

So after changing we headed out the door to McDonald’s, and I must admit I was shocked to see it wasn’t packed. I mean it was Mother’s Day, people should be taking their mom’s out to chow, and let em pig out a little. I can’t think of anywhere better to pig out the McDonald’s. I guess we are just an exceptional family.

Jo and Amber with her 5th cup of coffee

Peyton chilling at mom's feet

I hope this is not one of my boys

Yes we did go to McDonald’s, but the reason is that we have developed a tradition over the last few years for Mother’s Day, and McDonald’s is a key part of that tradition. Once we get through the drive thru, which is no small feat when you are ordering for 10, then we head south to Homer.

For the last three Mother’s Day we have driven to Homer to spend the day after church. We shop, play on the windiest beach in America, go to the park, and eat, after Mickey D’s wears off.

I smell trouble

Throughout the day you rarely see mom without her camera. I don’t know how we survived before digital cameras. I would have to budget 1/3 of our income just to buy and process film. I truly think her favorite part of the trip is to take pictures all day long. So we let her snap away, posing as she wishes, and gritting our teeth to keep them from chattering.

Mom and Jo

Mom and Jake

Ben with his slave

monkey boy

Finally, when we get to my favorite part, the food, we actually eat at a sit down restaurant, with tablecloths, silverware and waiters. This year we went with a whole bunch of friends, so we were a party of 22, and man our waitress at Fat Olives was very excited to see us. I mean she yelled the whole time we were there. Stuff like ” that’s impossible”, “We absolutely cannot do that”, ” We don’t do separate checks” for a minute I thought she was going to take Angie out, but Amber had her back. She was great, and made for fun conversation! I’m guessing she was a mom and her family didn’t take her to McDonald’s.

Ben's present, and he paid for it all himself

Jo beaching it

Sisters

Kassie the kollector

I can't say who the old guy on the swing is

But even with our cheery, loud, New York accented, negative waitress, we still managed to have a great time. But what made the day best for Mother Tracy was that Jo got to go with us. And not just for Mother’s Day, but the whole weekend! You can’t get a gift better than that, unless you count the “clunky” jewelry the kids picked out for her. So my advice to you husbands and sons out there, if you want to have a great Mother’s Day, start it with some McDonald’s to go, there is never a wait on Mother’s Day.

Angie and her brood

8/10 of Tra and Glenn Make 10

All I want for Christmas are…… socks!

Glenn G — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:28:57 +0000

Quick, what did you get for Christmas this year? What did you get for Christmas last year?

I don’t know if I can name a favorite gift from every Christmas, but I know I can name one from my last two Christmases. I got the same thing, this year and last year but I don’t want it next year that’s for sure. Yet, if I do get it, it will be the best present once again. Have I piqued your interest yet?

That present was a day with Jo. The week before Christmas we got to meet Jo at a sledding party for her school. That was the first time we had seen her in weeks. She came running down that hill at full speed, running right in front of a slew of sledders, dodging them like an accidental frogger. She ran straight to the kids and into their arms. She then made her way into Tra’s arms and then eventually me. We spent about an hour with her that day, sledding, swinging, playing, talking and just gobbling up every moment in that 5 degree weather.

Happy to see her bros and sis's

Ben gets one of the first hugs on the way to momma

Finally made it into momma's arms

Three days later she got to come over to our house for the afternoon. When I stopped in to pick her up, she was laying on the couch watching Dora under a blankie. As soon as I walked in, she popped up and started putting her clothes on, ready to roll with her mini doggie. She was quieter than normal, seemingly unsure of what was going on, but ready to go. As I brought her out to the van full of her family, she started perking up and smiling. She had a moment of sickness near lunch time, laying her head on the counter, not eating, not smiling, not talking, just sitting, and we were concerned that perhaps she didn’t want to be home. But a quick trip to the bathroom, and it was the same old Jo, just as if she had never left. Running around, dressing up, chasing, being chased, hiding, scaring, playing with dolls, dogs, rabbits, dad and all the things she always did. Unfortunately the afternoon was far too short, and as hard as we tried we knew of no way to extend the evening visit. Near the end we settled down and let her open her Christmas presents from us watching the overwhelming joy in her eyes, and her painfully slow present opening process.

daddy, Jo, Jake, Kassie busting a move down the hill of death

hurry up, let's do it again!

A couple days later, on Christmas day, Mr. And Mrs. Claus and their kids stopped by her house on their way to church, and dropped her stocking off. Again, she was sitting on the couch watching a show, and again she seemed a little surprised to see us there. We were out of context. But the longer we stayed the better she got. So three visits in a week, now that is a Christmas present!

paused for a minute to get a pic of the whole gang again

I didn't need a workout after the 47th "I wanna do it again".

Livy and Jo with a little winter swinging, that usually drops the wind chill by about 15 degrees.

They say “out of sight, out of mind”, but I don’t believe it for a minute. Jo has been out of sight for weeks and weeks, yet we think about her every day. Now I can’t say whether seeing her helps or hurts the longing, but I do know that every chance we get to see her, we will see her. And as much as my heart leaps when I see her smile, it sinks even further when we leave, almost to the point of sickness. It is a helpless feeling.

Jake and Jo in their current favorite outfits

a little art time making ornaments

Present time! I love my new hat!

Excuse me sir, can I please take your order?

So why you ask, do I not want the same Christmas present next year? Well next year I want Jo home with us for Christmas and I am believing that is in the Lord’s plan, and I will continue to believe. Is it hope, faith, wishful thinking, ignorance? I don’t know, but I will have it, whatever it is I have it. So when she is home next Christmas, then she cannot be my favorite Christmas present. So this year pray with us that my 2010 blog on my favorite Christmas present will be socks!

Peppernuts

Glenn G — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:13:47 +0000

Now, as an outsider, when you read the title of this post I can only imagine what you must be thinking. However, it is again about tradition and food, two of my favorite things. You see since as long as I can remember peppernuts have been a part of my life. They bring back memories of some of the most simple and pleasurable seasons of my childhood. For you to understand, first you must have an idea what they are; a cookie. Yes, a cookie. But not just any cookie. They are a very small, very hard, very gingery type of cookie. That may not sound so special, but to me it is very special.

the log of dough, not so appetizing in this form

Peppernuts have a very distinct smell, a spicy, ginger snap odor that when heated, fills the house and instantly screams Christmas. The only time we have peppernuts is Christmas time, and we have a lot of them. Mom, or now Tra will make a 10 pound log of peppernut dough, wrap it in Saran wrap, and store it in the fridge. Then, when the urge strikes there will be a rolling party. The rolling is the forming of the peppernut cookie, and it almost always involves a group of kids, gathered around the kitchen taking quarter size pieces of the dough into their thoroughly washed hands, and then rolling them in their palms until they form a perfect circle. Then the ball is placed on a cookie sheet, evenly ( not so much) spaced and ready for cooking. Once placed in the oven, magic happens. The cookies come out dark brown and shaped like a teeny dome, rock hard and perfect.

Shyla wants in on this peppernut rolling party

I wonder if Alli knew there was a camera near?

“A rock hard cookie?” I hear you screaming. But that is the beauty of the peppernut. It is not meant just to plop in your mouth, although that is quite enjoyable that way, but it is meant to be dunked. It is an activity food, like the fondue of cookies.

This is where the memories come in. I remember, as a child, the kitchen full of baking goodies, a fresh batch of peppernuts, and the four of us kids sitting around the table dunking our peppernuts in warm milk.I remember many times, me with my warm milk, grandpa or my dad with his coffee and cream ( enough cream sometimes that it looked like milk) sitting together at the table dunking peppernuts. There is something so perfect about the mixed aroma of peppernuts and coffee. I remember, year after year being taught the proper way to dunk and then eat a peppernut, even though by age 10 I considered myself an expert. Yet I never interjected, I just sat and watched the same presentation I had seen the year or week before, enjoying every minute of it.

brown buttons

a mound of heaven and spices

Now you can’t just throw them in the milk, there is a definite skill involved. You see the dome shape is made for dunking. the flat part of the cookie should be on the top of your dunking medium of choice, and you should let it sit there until it just about looses its buoyancy, and slowly began to sink. At that exact moment, you save it from the grasp of the certain death, and gently slide your spoon under the treat. IF you wait just a second too long, the dome will sink, and recovery of an intact cookie is as rare as the Godfrey home with no kids in it. Unless, of course you have years of training and skills, much like myself. More often than not, the sunk cookie will disintegrate, leaving chunks of mush in your beverage, which is pleasant for no one. But if you do it right, then from the cup, to your mouth, memories in cookie form.

getting ready for a dunk in some hot coffee, with hardly any milk in it.

the drop

Perfect time for the retrieval! I can smell the mixture of ginger, cinnamon, coffee and pure yumminess.

So there is very little that makes me happier than coming home from work and seeing my family gathered around the kitchen counter rolling peppernuts as fast as their little hands can move. I become instantly excited that soon I will be sitting at the table, dunking peppernuts and explaining for the dozenth time the essence of the perfect dunk to anyone who will listen, and even to those that won’t. Although I am sure they think they are experts.

oops, guess I'll have to eat the ones I spilled. Good thing they are carb, fat, and sugar-free!

Our version of the fruitcake

Glenn G — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:18:42 +0000

Holiday’s are filled with tradition, they themselves are tradition. Not all traditions are great however. Take for instance the 24 hour salad. The 24 hour salad is our families version of a fruitcake. It shows up every Thanksgiving and sits right in the middle of the table beckoning out for someone to scoop its unmatched combination of fruit, jello, marshmallows, vegetables and more onto their plate. I am not that man. To be fair, I think my mom, Uncle Mort and one other person actually eats the stuff every year. But their taste buds are old and worn out. In fact in the last 20 years I don’t think I have ever seen the bottom of the dish that stuff is melded in.

The 24 hour salad before dinner was served.

My main issue with it is celery. Why in the world is there celery in a gelatin dish? Then combine that with nuts. I don’t know about you, but it takes a lot for me to eat Jello with fruit in it, that is about the extent of the texture I enjoy in my gelatin. When you put nuts and celery in it, it is akin to drinking milk with chunks, your throat will not accept it. Believe me, I have tried. Yet year after year there it sits, usually right in front of me ( very funny mother). It always makes its way to the main table, because if it was on the buffet line no one would take it.

The 24 hour salad after dinner

However, I must admit I am comforted by it. If it was gone, I would miss it, and would ask about it and I would insist it be made, or we could just pull out the original batch from 19?? buried deep inside the deep freeze. Either way, I wouldn’t eat it, but I need it to ground me and to be the tradition that will unite Thanksgiving from 19?? to eternity, for that’s how long it last. Oh, I know you are wondering why it is called 24 hour salad, well I have several theories: 1. That’s how long it takes to make it. 2. That’s how long it takes to gain the courage to eat it. 3. That’s how long it takes to chew it. We accept all other answers or thoughts in the comments section.

I am not trying it, you try it! Where's Mikey?

four turkeys ( five if you count Sean) and no 24 hour salad. It has to be on the main table.

Holiday Roads

Glenn G — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:03:51 +0000

Traveling is always a chore with a large family. Shoot, it takes us 25 minutes to figure out how we are getting to church every Sunday, and we go every Sunday! Are we taking the van or two cars? Do you need to be there early? Do we have any extra kids? Who is riding with dad? Are you getting a coffee? No, you can’t all ride with mom! No you can’t all go in later! Where are we going to eat? Where did all these extra kids come from?

Now imagine trying to take a vacation. Just finding 10 seats is daunting, but then try and use your handy-dandy super simple companion fare in combination with you Alaska Airlines miles and find the cheapest fare. This always leads to a conversation with a ticket agent ( yes they still exist, near extinction, but those still alive have managed to maintain the skills their ancestors have passed down to them)explaining my fate and frustration of attempting to bring it all together. The result is always at least two separate flights. Two long separate flights arriving several hours apart, and arriving late, always.

Traveling is definitely a chore for a family our size, but it is almost always worth it. Our last family trip was to Orlando, and the end result was great, even though it did involve two travel teams changing planes twice each way and going through different cities and arriving at different times. I think it must be somewhat like childbirth. You forget the crying, the vomiting ( in the aisle of the plane), the nasty smells ( usually sitting by the bathroom) and the kicking and screaming in desire of breaking free from captivity, and then you have worry about the kids too. But alas, all that goes away as soon as you lay your head on the lounge chair by the pool.

I write this as we get ready to head to Anchorage for Thanksgiving, our yearly tradition. The kids love staying with Nana, going to the shootout, shopping, hitting up old Charles E. Fromage, and maybe even making an appearance at H2Oasis, a great place for a hairy old overweight man like myself to hang out. Alas, I have to keep this short because we are getting ready to leave and I need to open an Excel spreadsheet to figure out who is going to ride with who and who gets to bring what laptop, and who gets to sit in what seat, and where we will stop and potty, and where Tracy will want to stop and take some pictures…… oops we were suppose to leave an hour ago.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend, and don’t forget to whom you are thankful.