Hello all! Just dropping in quickly to report that vacations really are like little slices of heaven. We are having a fabulous time here in the Lone Star State -- even though for a while there it wasn't looking like we'd get to spend this fabulous time in tropical weather. No worries, though...we've warmed up. Blake's family is incredibly hospitable, and I for one am having a lovely time rubbing shoulders with the in-laws. Christmas was nice -- very nice -- and full of fun, good cheer, and lots (and lots and lots) of delicious food. (Seriously -- if you want good food, come hang out at this house over the holidays!)

Yesterday we day-tripped to a small German town about an hour away called Fredericksburg. The thing to do in Fredericksburg is park the car and walk Main Street, poking your head in any number of the cool little shops they have. I got giddy in a quilt shop, and we all were awed by this five-and-dime store that honestly sells everything you didn't know still existed, and we all went cuckoo in this cool little place called Bath Junkie. I don't know how many of you have heard of this chain seeing as I learned that they are pretty much just located in the south, but they are freaking awesome (as I'm sure my sister would say, had she the chance to go to one). It's like a Bath and Body Works, only you get to be the fragrance artist. First, you pick out a scent from this rather large stockpile of scented oils. If you're feeling flamboyant, you can mix scents to create something uniquely yours. Then you pick out what you want that scent to turn into -- lotion, shower gel, perfume, etc. And then an employee will mix it up for you and voila! You have your very own fragrance! I was a total sucker for their honeysuckle scent and now I'm the proud owner of a 1/3 ounce bottle of honeysuckle perfume.

Today is Family Photo Day, and this afternoon we're all going to dress in our best browns and creams, park ourselves by a river, and get photographed. Aside from wedding photos (which don't really count anyway), this will be my first time sitting for a formal family portrait with a family I didn't grow up with. Should be fun. Anyway, I'm off...must make myself presentable for the camera, you know. Toodle-oo!

All right, so...I'm going now. So, if in the next few days or so you begin to wonder if maybe I suddenly dropped off the face of the planet, please know that I didn't. I just went to another (and might I add, warmer) state to celebrate the holidays with family. I plan on having a swell time, and "having a swell time" may or may not include "posting on my blog." Don't worry, though...I'll be back soon enough (though I do give any and all of you permission to miss me).

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

First of all, I think the word should be spread that Amish Friendship Bread is really good. I made mine last Friday, and have been thoroughly enjoying it since. For those of you unfamiliar with the finer beauties of this particular Amish delicacy, I can tell you that it's bread not too unlike zucchini bread (or apple bread, or pumpkin bread, or banana bread, etc), only without the fruit/vegetable and with lots and lots of cinnamon and sugar. Mmm...pretty tasty.

On Saturday Blake and I braved the Indianapolis Christmas shopping crowds to do a little holiday shopping of our own. We ventured to two malls -- one which was fashionably upscale, not too insanely crowded, and which offered us a brilliantly close parking space right outside Crate & Barrel; and another which was your typical hum-drum mall boasting more than one Claire's Accessories store, and which was so packed with people it was like wading through a herd of elephants, and which furthermore forced us to weed our way through a construction zone only to have to park all the way at the back of the lot. You know what we learned? It's pretty much just better to shop online. We can't afford to buy things from the upscale mall (though it is fun to browse...ah, the joys of stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn!), and no one should have to subject themselves to herds of holiday-crazed elephants. And honestly -- you can find just about anything you want (and more, probably) for sale on the internet. So why ever leave the comfort of your own home?

Today I participated in my first office conference call. About 20 people from around the state phoned in to listen to my boss and I advertise one of our products (which isn't so much a product as it is a free online service). Seeing as it's fairly widely known that I don't really like talking on the phone, this wasn't exactly my favorite way to spend a Tuesday afternoon, but it went well, and now at least 2o Hoosiers think I'm all brilliant and knowledgeable. Or something.

Only one more day of work. One more day, and then it's off to Texas for Christmas! I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm pretty darn excited to get the heck out of here and be with family already. Plus it's a vacation. And Christmas. What could be better?

I’ve seen this little Christmas Questionnaire going around, and I thought I’d join in the fun.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Eggnog?! Who likes eggnog? Oh yeah, Blake likes eggnog. Blake LOVES eggnog. I don’t get it. I don’t get why he would like something that tastes so…gross. I prefer hot chocolate, thank you very much.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa rarely wrapped presents. He just created a pile for each of us on the couch cushions, and we knew which pile was ours based on where our stocking was placed.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored lights were only for the outside of the house. White lights were for the tree. And they couldn’t be those blinking white lights either. It was on or nothing.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. Except one year, when I was a freshman at Ricks, my roommates bought some from a door-to-door salesman. I think they had big plans and high hopes that revolved around the dorm boys. They were pretty much mostly disappointed with their purchase.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Growing up, it was done the weekend after Thanksgiving, although the tree wasn’t purchased until about 2 weeks before Christmas. We do not advocate fire hazards at our house. I don’t own too many decorations now that I’m married and out on my own – just a few hand-me-downs – and Blake and I are mostly pretty lazy in getting them out…something about finals needing to be done or whathaveyou before we can really get in the spirit of things. We haven’t pulled out anything this year, probably because we’re just waiting to “borrow” decorations from Blake’s family while we visit them.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Definitely my mom’s cheeseball. Definitely.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
I don’t know if this is a favorite, but it definitely stands out. One year, after we’d been out among our presents for about a half an hour, we kids, I regret to say, got pretty whiney. So my parents canceled Christmas and sent us to our rooms. We were sad…very, very sad. We cried for a while about the unfairness of it all, but in all truthfulness, we were acting pretty rotten. After they figured we’d had enough time to think about that rottenness, my parents decided to have pity on us and invited back out to the living room and un-canceled Christmas. We were all pretty solemn, and to help us get back in the mood, my parents decided we should open a family gift. The chosen present was from my Uncle Joel – a man who has a good sense of humor. Upon opening the gift, we discovered it was a rather bizarre sort of gift – especially for a family of potty-trained people. It was a book – perhaps you’ve heard of it – called Everyone Poops. The title alone was enough to make us giggle, but when my mom decided to read it out loud to us, we pretty much lost all control and in the midst of our laughter forgot we’d ever been in trouble. It was The Book That Saved Christmas.

8. How and when did you learn the truth about Santa?
The year we got the Nintendo. I think I was 7 or 8. Because it was a “for-all-the-kids” gift, Santa had wrapped it and put it under the tree. Only he had used my mom’s very distinct handwriting to label the package. I don’t think I was crushed…it was about time I grew out of it anyway, I suppose. I think I was mostly startled because I realized then that Santa and the Tooth Fairy were one in the same. (Yes, the Tooth Fairy left a card along with the 25-cent payment for each tooth – in my mom’s very distinct handwriting.)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Occasionally we have, but only if it was new pajamas or new pillows.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Blake and I didn’t get a Christmas tree this year. Last year we bought a tiny little tree which was rather Charlie Brown-ish for 5ドル at Lowe’s. We decorated it with the few decorations we owned, which pretty much all came from Blake, seeing as he was given a new ornament each year for Christmas. I am, though, all about red-and-white candy canes as decorations along with white lights. Oh, I am also all for real trees. I do not advocate plastic.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Usually, I love it. Only I start to hate it when it freezes and I have to drive on it. Especially in Muncie – the town that does not seem to understand the benefits of snowplows.

12. Can you ice skate?
I can. When I was a teenager, my siblings and I all took lessons down at Utah Lake. I’m not very good – I can only go forward and I don’t know how to stop unless there’s a wall nearby.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I know that every year I had a favorite or two because I documented it well in my journals. But off the top of my head, I can’t think of any. It all seems so ephemeral and unimportant now. But I do know what I want this year more than anything, and if I get it, it will be the favorite of all favorites for many years to come. Maybe, if I get it, I’ll let you know what it is.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
I think being with people – particularly family – is very important. Last year our Christmas consisted of just Blake and I because we were too far away and too poor to see family. And though we were able to talk to them on the phone, it really wasn’t the same. This year, though, we’ll get to see all of Blake’s family down in Texas and I am VERY excited.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
My mom’s toffee squares. They are heavenly! But I’m open to just about any holiday treat – particularly those that involve chocolate.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Please see previous post. I don’t want to write that novel all over again.

17. What tops your tree?
I don’t own a tree topper yet (and this year we don’t even have a tree – again…planning to borrow the one in San Antonio). Maybe next year. Growing up, though, we had an angel for the top.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Now that I’m older, I much prefer giving. But I’m pretty much mostly lazy – or just too tired of crowds – to go out shopping. I mean, why would a girl who doesn’t really like shopping during those other 11 months suddenly like it at crazy Christmastime? Plus, I’m usually not very good at concocting the perfect gift. I’m working on that though.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Ever since I was little, I have loved the hymn (because I think it can be called a hymn even to those who are not LDS) “Away in a Manger.”

20. What is your favorite Christmas story?
If we’re talking “Christmas Picture Book,” I have a list of favorites. I’ll spare you here, though, and just narrow it down. I love the books The Clown of God, by Tomie de Paola and The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden. If we’re talking “The Story of the First Christmas,” I adore the LDS film, Luke II. It’s only 5 minutes, but it makes my cry every time.

Following in the footsteps of AmyJane, I bring you our wacky family holiday traditions!

Christmas Eve
Every year on Christmas Eve night, we, the Provo branch of the family would trek to our cousin’s house (the Orem branch) for an evening o’ fun. Every year ran pretty much exactly the same. Here’s the run-down:

We’d arrive and de-coat ourselves. Those of us (which was pretty much all of us) who were holding various food items would drop them off in the kitchen, after which we’d come thisclose to ruining our appetite for dinner by chowing down on cheeseball and crackers and delicious spinach dip. When dinner was ready, we’d feast again, only this time on homemade clam chowder, jell-o salad, rolls, cold ham, and more crackers and cheeseball. It all tasted absolutely fabulous, though I have to admit it took me many years to warm up to the taste of clam chowder.

After dinner, the cousins excused themselves (loudly) to head upstairs for rehearsal. You see, every year, in a meager attempt to bring out the true meaning of Christmas in our festivities, we kids would put on the nativity. Only for us, it was called the “nay-tivity.” My oldest cousin, Devi, until she got married, usually played the part of director. It was a tough job, and I didn’t envy her for it, though I did at times wish that it involved less yelling. We squabbled over who got what random items from the dress-up clothes bin, and then there was always the major decision of who got to play Mary. After a few years, we sort of just fell into the same roles: my cousin, Julie, and I became angels, and my youngest sister, Chelsea, played Mary. The role of Joseph switched back and forth between my brothers Scott and Riley, and my cousin, Garrett. Sister Katie and Cousin Lacey played shepherdesses. And Tyler – oh, man, Tyler – he played all three wisemen. It was a crack-up because in costume he usually looked more like a fat traveling salesman. Uncle Barry was given the Bible as was the official narrator; the rest of adults played Audience Members. Backstage (at the top of the stairs over the living room), Devi ushered us (rather loudly) out to the “stage” when it was our cue, and the nay-tivity began. Our performance invariably turned into a very irreverent spectacle, but it was fun to do.

After the nay-tivity, we’d all stay in the living room where we’d then begin the Annual Family Talent Show. There’d be a few Christmas piano recital pieces played by the Provo branch as well as Devi and Garrett. Julie would play her flute, and Lacey would grace us with her violin (or was it viola?). And then Tyler – oh, man, Tyler – would pull out all the stops and juggle while reciting the first 100 digits of pi from memory. One year he attempted to recite them backwords, and once in Spanish. Hilarious, I tell you!

If there was a Christmas dessert to be eaten (and there usually was), it was eaten after the Talent Show. Then my parents would begin shooing us towards the car – after all, we had to be in bed in order for Santa to make a visit. But before we could leave, we had to dance. It began with just a rousing rendition of the “Merry Christmas Polka,” but later the Orem branch choreographed a ridiculously hilarious “Nutcracker” dance, which they taught us, and which our parents won’t let us get away with not doing anymore – mostly because they like to laugh at how silly we look. (And yes, we look very silly.)

And then it was over. Time to put shoes and coats back on and load up into the car. Oh, what a wild ride our Christmas Eve’s at the cousin's house always were! Every year a small thing or two would crop up and sneak it’s way into the tradition (though, thankfully, the little accident when Garrett kicked Lacey in the chin during a dance number did not become an annual thing). But it was always fun. I missed it last year, seeing as Blake and I were living it up in Indiana instead, and we’ll miss it this year because we’ll be hanging out in sunny San Antonio (well, I’ll miss it – Blake hasn’t actually yet witnessed a Christmas Eve with us…I know…he’s so deprived!). Kind of sad – but the memories built up will hold me over, I’m sure. J

New Year’s Eve
To continue the novel I’m apparently writing today, let me tell you about the New Year’s Eve traditions. This time the Orem cousins would come to our house. By the time New Year’s rolled around, the giddy excitement of Christmas had kind of worn off, only to be replaced by the dread of going back to school, so our celebrations, though very fun, were not as wild. Once the cousins arrived, we visited for a while (and by “visited,” I totally mean “showed off our Christmas presents”). Soon, though, the fixings for all-you-can-eat banana splits would be pulled out and we’d all eat our fill – several times over. Armed with ice cream, the female cousins (who were all hopeless romantics, I might add) would head to the basement to watch that silly musical version of The Little Matchgirl I mentioned yesterday. For the first few years, our romantic selves got totally sucked in, but eventually the novelty wore off, and it became more fun to watch the film and make fun of it the whole way through.

After the film, my cousins sadly had to leave. The last few years, they’d leave to go home and do fireworks and bang pots. Sometimes we’d go with them, and that was always a treat – we didn’t think fireworks were possible without the bounds of the 4^th of July! At the stroke of midnight we’d bang our pots and scream really loud, and then we Provo cousins would get taken home where we’d crash after a long holiday of festivities.

All right, so those are the holiday traditions I grew up with. Well, the main ones anyway. I guess I could tell you how on Christmas morning we weren’t allowed into the living room until everyone was up and how, once we were, we had to file in youngest to oldest (although, once my brothers started getting much taller than me, this was switched to from shortest to tallest). I could tell you about our annual Christmas breakfast of those single-serving sugar cereals and tangerines that Santa left in our stockings. But this post is long enough. And there are ten more days of Christmas left (not that I’ll have time to post something every day of Christmas, so don’t get your hopes up…but I will give you what I can.)

Merry Christmas!

It's that time again -- time to pull out your holiday movie favorites! As I sit at work surrounded by piles of paperwork, or as I sit at home surrounded by a growing before-we-leave-for-Christmas-vacation to-do list, I find myself ardently wishing that I was instead just lounging on my couch wearing my pajamas and slippers, cozying up to a favorite holiday flick. I've even garnered up a list of the movies and Christmas specials I wouldn't mind parking myself in front of. Here, then, is that list, in no particular order. Maybe you can enjoy them while I carve time out to enjoy them myself.

1. A Christmas Story
Ah, you know the drill: Ralphie wants a "Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time," but because Ralphie would shoot his eye out if he owned one, he instead watches his friend stick his tongue to a flagpole, watches his mother "accidentally" break the beloved "major award" leg lamp, and flops around in an awful pink bunny suit. A sure holiday winner ("It's indescribably beautiful! It reminds me of the 4th of July!"), this movie has somehow become more charming since we moved to Indiana and have seen the living room set from the movie.

2. It's a Wonderful Life
Yep, it's a classic, this one. It took me many, many years to actually get myself to sit through the entire movie in one sitting, but since I did, I, too, have fallen in love with it. Plus, Jimmy Stewart is a keeper.

3. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Poor Charlie Brown! Everything he touches gets ruined! Including that tiny little Christmas tree. It's a good thing Linus is able to teach everyone the true meaning of Christmas and thus get all the rest of the Peanuts to borrow decorations from Snoopy to fix up that little tree! (What would we do without you, Linus?) Also, as I'm sure many of you are aware, this short film includes a positively brilliant dance scene, which is fun (and easy!) to dance along with.

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I'm talking about the cartoon, not that cheap Jim Carey imitation. (I wouldn't touch that one even with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole!) The cartoon, though, is a classic!

5. The Little Matchgirl
Okay, I wouldn't be surprised if NONE of you (excepting, of course, those lucky few I'm related to) have ever heard of this one. It's, shall we say...obscure. And...a little strange. But, even so, there's a small, special place carved out of my heart for this one. First thing you should know about it, is that it's a musical -- a cockney musical at that. And the second thing you should know is that it stars Twiggy. My family recorded it off PBS one year a long time ago, and since then it has become a New Year's Eve staple. Once the cousins come over and the banana splits have been served, it's time for all the hopeless romantic young females to gather around the VCR to croon in our best imitation cockney accents. If by some strange miracle you happen upon a copy of this one at your library or something, you should check it out -- mostly because it's also a fun one to make fun of.

6. The Snowman
Oh my! This has got to be the most beautiful short holiday film I have EVER seen. It's fantastic! The score, done by Howard Blake, is AMAZING, and the colored-pencil animation is simple and stunning. A real winner...I could watch this one over and over (and over and over and over...)

7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Come on, folks -- you gotta love Burl Ives! And the Island of Misfit Toys. Oh yeah, and that crazy elf who wants to be a dentist. (What was that all about?)

8. Frosty the Snowman
If it's not Burl Ives, it's Jimmy Durrante! I'm sure you all remember this old cartoon. My brother, Riley, got no end of entertainment from the part where Frosty and Karen are trying to get their hands on a railway ticket for Frosty to high-tail him to the North Pole before he melts. The ticket master and his crazy, disorganized mess just tickled Riley. And when, after finding out that Frosty has no money to pay for his ticket, he shouts the line, "No money, no ticket!" Riley just thought that was pure genius script writing. He'd repeat over and over that line, "No money, no ticket!" in his cute little boy voice, which made us all smile.

9. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
This movie was strange, I'll admit it. And I don't think I ever truly understood the storyline as a kid. (Heck! I don't think I fully get it now!) But I sure got a kick out of it when I was little!


10. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
I don't remember a whole lot about this one except that it was a cartoon and there were mice involved. Oh, and there were people, too. And a clock -- I remember something about a clock. It's been years, though, since I've seen it.

So, there you have it: my holiday movie viewing guide. Now may I suggest we all just go home (if we're not there already), put on our pj's and slippers and cozy up with a cup of hot chocolate and one or two of these goodies. (Wow, that sounds so nice right now, I just might have to take myself up on this offer!)

A few days ago, I got an email from my dad telling me that he had arrived home safely from his visit to Muncie, and that it was very cold -- skin-burning cold -- in Provo. Being curious as to how cold that was, I looked up the temperature in Provo. It was something like 19 degrees. Yeah, I thought... Yeah, that's pretty chilly.

Yesterday the temperatures here in Muncie dipped dramatically. When Blake and I left campus to go home for lunch, we pretty much feared we might freeze to death before we even reached the car. It was frigidly cold, and the wind burned something fierce.

Curious as to what the temperature actually was, I looked it up when I got back to the office: It was a remarkably brisk 17 degrees with the wind chill making it feel more like -4. Pretty chilly.

Still curious, I wondered how cold it was then in Provo. So I looked that up as well. Those lucky Provonians were yesterday basking in tropical 36 degree weather with no wind.

Ha! I thought to myself. We win! Muncie's colder! Muncie is oh, so much bitterly colder.

So...it turns out I'm prideful about the weather. Is that wrong?

Last night I was given a starter for Amish Friendship Bread, along with the instructions for preparing it, by my friend, Kimberlie. It takes 10 days to make Amish Friendship Bread once the starter has been made. Basically, those 10 days are spent stirring the starter (or, in my case, since I was given a starter in a ziploc bag, mushing the bag) and occasionally adding more flour, milk, and sugar. Then, on the 10th day, you divide your starter into a few new one-cup starters -- one you keep for yourself to bake, and the rest you give to friends so that they, too, can spend the next 10 days of their lives stirring (or mushing) their starter to also be able to make Amish Friendship Bread.

I'm very excited to make mine. I've wanted to try Amish Friendship Bread for a long time, but 'til now, I'd never been given a starter (and my amateur abilities in the kitchen prevented me from trying to make my own). So the time has finally come! According to my calendar, I'll be able to bake mine on December 15th. I'll have to tell you how it turns out.

Since I can't very well pass along a starter to you, my blogging friends, I'll post these instead: Here is what looks like a good recipe for the starter, and this looks pretty close to the bread recipe I'll be attempting. Enjoy!

Oh, and also now up for your enjoyment are the pictures I promised of the adventures we had last weekend with my dad.

So, I wish that we could host visitors to our home more often! The weekend with my dad was perfectly lovely. We got to show off some of the more tourist-worthy aspects of Muncie (the model airplane museum, the jar museum, and the Ball brother mansions, to name a few), as well as just lounge around and visit. I taught my dad the fine art of grocery shopping in this town, and Blake got to introduce him to a bizarre psychology assignment he had to do, and Dad introduced us to that cute flick Over the Hedge. Also, Mr. Robinson, owner, curator and avid collector of glass fruit jars of the Jar Museum fame taught us all a few more interesting tidbits about canning jars, as well as told us some of his more memorable moments as a WWII soldier storming the beaches of Normandy (for a previous post on the Jar Museum, see here); and Mr. LaGrange, librarian extraordinaire of the model airplane museum, pointed out to us, among many other things, the first model airplane to ever successfully fly over the Atlantic with only one gallon of gasoline. It was, like I said, a great weekend, and we took lots of pictures which I will post later when I'm sitting at the same computer the pictures are housed on. So, stay tuned for those.

But in other news, I would like to focus my attentions today on my lovestruck little brother and his fabulous, brand-new fiancee:









Riley and Chelsea are giving us a great reason to come back to Provo this coming May. We're so happy for them! Now, for those of you thinking, "Uh, wait a minute...is this the brother who JUST got back from his mission?" I should tell you that yes, he is that brother. But before you jump to hasty wow-that-was-quick conclusions, I should also tell you that they've known each other for 4ish years. They were high school sweethearts (now, isn't that sweet?), and from what people back home tell me, they pretty much picked things up right where they left off. Anyway, Chelsea is a sweet girl and I'm excited to have her for a sister-in-law. So, congratulations, you two!*

*Also, Riley, if you are reading this, this is a not-so-subtle reminder that we're still waiting for you to actually call us and tell us the news. So, we'll be hearing from you soon, right? Right? :)

Thanks, guys, for your concern over my last post. I appreciate it. I have recently found reason to need to let myself grieve a little, and because I’d rather not dwell on things too long, I will just leave it at this: Thank you for your concern, and I really will be fine. Blake has been helping me and we're getting through it. We’ve just come to a small hill that we’re learning how to climb over. We’ll get to that other side soon enough.

But to speak of happier things: My dad is coming to visit us! He arrives in Muncie today and we’ll get to visit with him for a good portion of the weekend. We’re very excited. Because we live so far away from both of our families, it’s always a rare treat to get visitors out this way.

Unfortunately, whenever we do, the weather likes to act up. Last year my mom and brother stopped over for a day on their way home from my cousin’s wedding. They happened to land in Muncie on two of the coldest days of the year, so while we showed them around town, we also got to introduce them ice and temperatures of 15 below zero.

The weather this year’s been really quite lovely: warm and mostly sunny for the past week or two. Until yesterday’s storm blew in and left us soaking wet and under water. Word on the street is that by tomorrow we might be under snow.

But at least it won’t be 15 below.

We’ve been trying to think up fun things to take my dad around to. The newspaper told me that tonight and tomorrow is the annual Christmas Enchanted Luminaria Walk at the old Ball Brother homes at Minnetrista. And I guess over Thanksgiving the Walkway of Lights opened up in Marion along the Mississinewa River. We went to this last year and were pretty impressed. Also, there’s the possibility of visiting the Academy of Model Aeronautics museum on the south side of town. AMA is based here in Muncie, and people gather from all over the country to fly their model airplanes on their fields. My dad has liked airplanes since he was little growing up as the son of an Air Force father, and even once, when I was little, he built himself a pretty neat model airplane. So it would seem that a museum full of classic model airplanes would be interesting to him. Or, if we’re up to it, we can drive down to Indianapolis where there is always plenty to see and do.

Anyway, a good, though possibly snowy and cold, weekend is in the forecast. I for one am greatly looking forward to it.