Christmas 2014

This post is dedicated to Aunt Ree, who, along with her family, saved Christmas 2014 for our family.

Our home owning adventure had some unexpected problems, all connected to other humans, past (*cough*shoddy contractors!) or present (*cough*neighbors!). The good news as of March 2015 is that at least some of the problems might be seasonal. Nevertheless, the long and short of December 2014 was that our childless neighbors were only okay with our presence as long as they were unaware of it. The day to day struggle of living with that kind of negative environment was bad enough, but the thought of trying to have any kind of Christmas celebration in it was just too much. Mom and Dad brainstormed about what we could do and decided to call Mom's Aunt Ree (Grandmother's sister), who graciously offered us sanctuary. The Muffins were in school right up until the last minute, but they had Christmas Eve Day off, and that's when we headed for Aunt Ree's house.

It was a long day of driving. We crossed a few state lines, including the one shown below.

One of the highlights of the road trip was stopping for dinner. Mom wanted Arby's, if possible, and the car's gas light came on right when we pulled into a station that included one.

Clarissa and the other Muffins generally did pretty well on the trip, especially considering how much of the day we spent in the car.

 Another fun thing was the cheeseburger flavored chips Dad picked up to help us through the last little bit of the trip. The secret to the "burger" element? Pickle flavor on the cheese.

 At long last, though, we made it to Aunt Ree's house, and still in time for Christmas Eve. There were all kinds of yummy goodies, including a fabulous hot chocolate bar.

 There was also a giant Christmas tree . . .

 . . . and other lovely Christmasy things.

 Here we are in front of the tree on Christmas Eve.

 Christmas morning included lots of surprises for everyone.

 And, no, it wasn't a white Christmas, but that suited us just fine, considering all our driving.

Aunt Ree's house was full of family home from college. One of Aunt Ree's daughters, Launa, lives near Aunt Ree, and she and her husband graciously lent us their house while we were visiting, since they themselves were going elsewhere soon after Christmas. Here are the Muffins playing with their Christmas goodies there.

 Jared was especially excited to get a science kit.

 He used this . . .

 . . . to make a bouncy ball!

 Here's another Christmas tree (and Amanda enjoying a show).

 More science stuff Jared did . . .

 One of Mom's favorite Christmas presents: Utah Truffles.

 We went back to Aunt Ree's house for Christmas dinner.

 And then back again to Launa's house (and Christmas lights!) for a good rest after a good day.