As most of you know, we started off by driving to Nebraska.
Our time in NE was great. The weather was great for us, because a blizzard came through before we arrived and another came through after we left. We were able to satisfy our snow fix, but it was a bit chilly with windchill often below zero.
I was able to visit the new high school and saw a high-school basketball game. That was a lot of fun, and all the little kids we once knew are now so big! I haven't been gone that long, but some of them are already taller than me. Tracy and I helped out with our church's youth group in Stromsburg when we were there, so it was a pleasure to see those kids again.
It was also great to see family.
Ana and her husband, Jack, drove in from California, a whopping 20-hour drive. And, she had alternator problems a long the way and a rather large dog in the backseat. We're either dedicated children or poor.
Seeing my nieces and nephews (as well as sisters and brothers-in-law) was great. Tracy planned a treasure hunt for them, which they enjoyed, even though they tired of clue-finding half-way through. We also enjoyed the "talent show" mom always has before we open presents. Elizabeth (niece) sang and Austin (nephew) danced. I couldn't believe his moves. We must have similar genes, but not even I could break that out at his age. Check him out below.
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| From Christmas 2009 Nebraska |
We also saw my Heidtbrink cousins, my grandparents and my new first-cousin once removed (learn more about cousin types here), Liam. Of course, my cousins greeted us by pelting us with snow balls as soon as we got out of the car.
It wasn't very long until we had to leave.
We were sad to go, but really happy we were able to see so many loved ones in the time we had. So, back to Atlanta: we left Stromsburg at 6:15 am and arrived in Atlanta at 12:30 am, grabbed a good night sleep and then packed up for our 2:30 pm flight. We even had some time to go out for lunch with our good friends, Rachel and Brandon.
We spent a little more time in San Juan, seeing Tracy's family. Her sister and brother-in-law was also able to make it. Tracy's parents held a big party on Christmas eve, and we met a bunch of her family. We joke that when we visit Zek's family, greetings aren't a big deal, because they act like you were never gone. On Tracy's side, though, greetings are a big deal. A third of your time is spent greeting, a third mingling, and a third saying good-bye. Zek had to learn that early on in our marriage.
Some time at the beach and some at the hospital
The next day we visited the beach house at Palmas Del Mar and the next a friend of Pepe's took us on his boat to Isla Culebrita (located here). It was awesome. We traveled as fast as 45 knots on the boat, we snorkeled and hiked up to a lighthouse. The weather was great and we didn't burn.
Later Zek had a chance to go with Tracy's brother to work at Banco Popular. On the way back, he let Zek drive his Nissan 350Z. Letting Zek drive it in Puerto Rico was very generous, because the roads are horrible. Along the way he explained to Zek what a "chicken handle" was. It's actually called something else, but I'll keep it PG. It's the handle you hold onto for dear life when you don't trust the driver's driving. Later, Manuel had to be rushed to the emergency room after developing a severe stress-related ulcer... No really. I say I was the straw that broke the camel's back. Of course, he had had the ulcer for a while, but he didn't realize how serious it was until that day. Over the course of time he had lost half of his blood through internal bleeding caused by the ulcer. He is lucky and happy to be alive, but he is doing really well now.
A few more pictures
Nebraska
Puerto Rico
We began training for the ING half-marathon while in Puerto Rico. 10 more weeks to go.
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