I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.

We went home for the Christmas. While some things change over the years many things stay the same. Our family is big, loud and leaning very close to crazy.

Family lingering over coffee after a yummy feast

It's a whole different world back in Hartland. With a language all it's own. You have to pay close attention or you will get lost in translation. I am sure my family is no different than yours. The parents are now the grandparents. The siblings are all grown up: The successful engineers who travel all over the world; the working moms who do it all; the ones who think they have it all; and the ones who really do have it all. Note to self, I want to pick up a book on birth order.And the kids of all ages running amuck.

The food was plentiful and so was the laughter. Did I say it got loud? Oh yeah, everyone needs to be heard at these gatherings (I included). Even when everyone is listening they sometimes don't feel they are being heard so a bit of exaggeration is thrown in to spice the story up.
As crazy as this family is they have taught me a few things:
1) Time does not stand still, so make time for family. One day you will wake up and they will be old and not able to remember your name.
2) Always make time for game night. There is something about sitting around a table having a bit of fun over a game to bring everyone together.

Mom cheating and Amanda literally up in arms about it. LOL

3)Success means nothing if you don't have a family to share it with. You can have all the riches in the world but what good is it if you are all alone. I think Ebeneezer Scrooge found this out one Christmas Night.

 Each one of us is so unique and special, clever, intelligent and little on the witty side but what my parents have tried to instill in us that trumps all of that is love. I have said many times over the years "We never had much growing up but I have always known I am loved". I may complain about the craziness sometimes but this family has made me who I am today and that I am grateful for.

Traditions

It's Christmas. I love Christmas. The whole season. A time for reflection. A time for caring and sharing. Laughter. Surprises. Celebration. Great Food. Family. Gifts and decorations. My favorite parts of Christmas are the traditions. 
As I type I am flooded with memories of some of my favorite traditions over the years. There are the classics like getting up at 3am to run out to the tree and see what Santa brought us. Or the special Christmas cereal - the only time that mom would allow us to have sugary cereals. I always picked Frankenberry or Lucky Charms.
Some of my favorite traditions I made with Grant and Georgia. Christmas Eve is a big day for us. We can't sleep in too late or we miss all the action. We head to the mall around mid morning where we grab our specialty coffees and a comfy chair in the center, sit back, relax and people watch. This is so much fun. Some are racing around. Some laughing, Some fighting. There are the women who are all dolled up in their high heels and party hair. Others still in their pj's or sweats. We sometimes take a break from the sitting and do a little self indulgent shopping but nothing that needs to be delivered or put under the tree. After the crowd dies down we head home to prepare for our Christmas Eve dinner. Everyone has a tradition here. For us, it's wings and ceasar salad. The wings slow cook in the oven all night and we head to the Christmas Eve service at church. This year, I am singing in the service. A little nervous. The service will end with Silent Night by candle light. No matter what church we are at this is always solemn and beautiful.
We'll arrive home to the wonderful aroma of chicken and garlic roasting. The wine will be chilled. The salad tossed and we will cosy up and watch one of our favorite Christmas classics.

After years of watching our own parents frantically run around on this day we decided we would not carry the panic on. I look forward to this day with Grant and Georgia so much. It is completely self indulgent. With no expections of me or of anyone else. The hardest decision all day is, what kind of coffee will I order.

LIPPERPALOOZA

This will be the 2nd Annual Lipperpalooza.

Now that the sun is starting to breakthrough I am getting excited for everyone to show up.

Gary relaxing while tending the corn.

Last year we had so much fun that we agreed it needed to happen more often. And then Grant's dad died at Christmas. Who knew the next time we all saw each other would be so sad? It seemed more important than ever to plan this bbq.

Everyone should start arriving here at the lake late afternoon. No agenda but loads to play and do. Swimming, kayaking, golfing (I'm sure Kevin and Allison will have a mini putt course all set up by 4ish). The bon fire will be so much fun with 4 generations gathered for s'mores, guitars, and fireworks. Did I mention food? Corn Boil, Hamburgers, Shelley's Salads are always yummy and lil'g even wanted to make a contribution this year so she is making her famous taco dip.

A bunch of Kooks. Blow out the candles Nanny Sis.

We are a crazy clan. Masters of the silly face portraits and even though we sometimes drive each other nuts but we enjoy a good feast filled with laughter and lots of R & R.
They will be here soon. Time to stop reminiscing and get the iced tea brewing.

Essentials

School is out. I decided to pack an overnight bag, the laptop and lil' g and I hit the road to go visit my folks for a couple of days. Yes, I had to bring my laptop. It's one of the freedoms of being able to just take off at a moments notice and still get work done. Because it was a quick decision to make the trip I packed lightly, but their were a few essentials that had to make it in my bag. You know, the kinda things you don't leave home without. I'm sure you essentials would look quite different from mine. But I had to make sure I packed:

Calvin Klein T's. This tee is actually part of the Essentials collection by Calvin Klein . There you have it, they agree with me that this tee is an essential. giggle. Actually they are sleepwear but so comfy I wear them as day wear and no one is the wiser. So soft and comfortable. Most tees look to sporty for me but these just seem to have a little more style. I love that we carry them at the Girls Bra Shop. Tammy and I always anticipate the next season's colour.

Ultra soft and comfortable. Made of the natural and luxurious modal fabric.

Exercise Bands. Oh I packed my running shorts, sneakers, sports bra and ipod. But I like to get my strength training in too. So I plan to do some planks, downward facing dog, willow tree and a several arm curls. I love these bands. The are so easy to pack in an over night kit and they offer just the right amount of resistance. And by bringing them with me it keeps me from making excuses.



 a great way to workout while you travel or add variety to your usual routine.

LLBean Boat and Tote. When we were in Freeport a couple of years ago, I grabbed a couple of these amazing totes. The most durable canvas. You can carry up to 500lbs. That's crazy. I have suitcases for my business trips but for hob knobbing about, to the lake, or evening to the city market these tote carry everything.