Catching Up: Christmas in Dunkirk

For Christmas, Meredith and I traveled up north to visit my family. We had 2 free airline tickets to use up, so we flew from Charlottesville to Buffalo, with a short stop in NYC in between. It was a great time filled with numerous surprises. Surprise #1: my Uncle Paul, Aunt Jan, and cousins (including my Goddaughter Gail) drove in for a short overnight visit. It was good to see them and I especially enjoyed Uncle Paul treating the adults to dinner at the Kettle and Keg, a local pub/restaurant that serves great food. Surprise #2: I recieved a call from my good friend Vallon. I have not heard Val's voice in years, and to have him call was completely unexpected. We spent a good amount of time catching up and I resolved yet again to maintain better contact with him and all friends in fact. Surprise #3: My Uncle Al and Aunt Linda stopped by, and I was notified that my cousin Tracy had her second child the week before, Peyton. All is well and Tracy is sending Meredith some maternity clothes.

Other than that, the week in Dunkirk was an enjoyable one. I stopped in at NCCS and visited with my former colleagues, all the while enjoying the utter look of surprise many of my former students gave me upon my return. My sisters went on a Christmas cookie baking binge (over 200 cookies easy) and I had my fill of cut-outs, peanut butter cup, and Italian chocolate cookies.

As an added bonus, my brother Andy, his girfriend Traci, and her young son Cade drove to Florida to se Traci's parents. Meredith and I drove home with them, and they spent the night with us before continuing onward. They'll be stopping by again on their way back up.

An excellent Christmas, with only one tiny disappointment - no snow, aside from some wet snow briefly on the drive back to VA. So far this year I have been denied any significant snowfall. There's still plenty of time at least, and I hope to enjoy a little bit of the white stuff soon.