Trip on I-94

Nothing says the holidays are here like traffic on I-94. Thankfully, we can't say that we had too many complaints this Thanksgiving. I remember past years being much worse -- when we either had to fly in or drive all the way through Chicago to get home.

Our American concept of distance is far different than that of others (namely our European counterparts). We don't consider a 4-5 hour car trip to be that out of the ordinary for a weekend trip. In fact, many of us choose to live that far away from family allowing us to be close, but not too close. And while, driving that amount of distance in a weekend may not be optimum, people do it all the time.

I don't remember that being so much of the case during the time I spent in Sevilla. A weekend trip to Madrid would have been planned for months. You also, rather than driving, would have either taken the train, plane or bus. Families all seem to live within a much closer distance to each other. In many senses, I really enjoy this. It's nice to know that from wherever you are, family is just 15-20 minutes away.

Pm and I have been moving closer and closer to my family. We went from Florida, to Michigan to Illinois. While I don't see us getting much closer than we are now, the ease of getting in the car for a quick visit spontaneously on a Saturday or Sunday is something that I could get used to.

What are your thoughts about distance and family? Hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

back to the swing of things.

Why is that long weekends always go by the fastest? We were just starting to get comfortable and along comes Tuesday. Someone needs to invent a remote control for life already. Well, not really. It would sure be nice sometimes though.

This was the weekend of family & friends, projects and crossing things off the to-do list.

Projects.
Pm kept busy for most of Saturday refinishing a bench of ours. He dusted it off, sanded it down and varnished it. It looks pretty awesome, and photos will be posted once the entire project is complete. This may first require us learning how to upholster furniture. More to come on that.

Projects & Family.
Sunday we shot some engagement photos. We have yet to do some post-processing and waiting for the film to be developed, but I am hoping we'll get some goodies. We'll be back for a repeat visit with these two. It helps when it's family and they are up to putting in a few more rounds of good smiles.

Friends.

Meanwhile, while the above trunk project was happening, I caught up with some dear old pals. Nothing like being reunited with friends from yesteryears and being able to laugh about then, now and what's to come. My one pal has a way cute house. Makes me want one of my own. Patience, am, patience...

To Do List.

Restock the shelves... with beer. It has been a long, hot summer of not brewing. If you've been following the blog you know that it's because our apartment hasn't been the coolest place to hang out this summer. Heat and beer brewing don't really go hand in hand, so we decided to wait. Until... this weekend. We are brewing a Peach American Wheat. Should be ready to enjoy in a month or so. We just have to add the fresh (and now frozen) peaches. I'm thinking an IPA is next. Maybe in a couple of weeks?

And there we have it. A fun-filled weekend. It was just long enough to get refueled and re-energized, and not quite long enough to completely catch up on everything. That includes sleep. I shall do that now.

The Sticks.

calm. quiet. serene. empty. vast. beautiful. The great outdoors.

As strange as it sounds, I really miss being outside. When I had more free time, it was cold outside. Now even if I had more free time my schedule seems to be booked solid. I really can't complain - I just want to make more of a commitment to be outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

The weekend we were away and got to enjoy a slice of the outdoors, Minnesota style. Winding county roads, no street lights and the northern accent, yah. It made me a little melancholic for fall and slightly cooler weather. It did that same number for family. In the last 36 hours I have seen more family (including my own - all of my own, rock on!) than I have in years. Well, not really years, but it seems like it has been awhile. I guess the advantage to having to back-to-back family weddings in Minnesota is you have time to catch up on conversations and life happenings. All very nice indeed.

If it wasn't creeping into my sleeping time, I'd almost think about enjoying some outside time now. There are trees where we are in the city, so it still counts!