Late nights, lazy days

So long has it taken me to blog Christmas that I'm now more excited about our summer visit home than I am about reminiscing. I'm a procrastinator who's in over his head. Since Christmas I've been to Vegas, Amy met up with Julie in London, and my sisters (Lisa and Chris) visited and joined us on a trip to Scotland. Many other recent events are blogworthy as well. John and Kim come in a week and we're seeing the Loire Valley (France) with them. If I don't get typing I risk being swamped under...

Two yearly visits aren't enough to see the people we care about. Of course, it's fair to say that we didn't see friends and family enough when we lived nearby. Another lesson learned. At least things such as time, distance, gray hair, extra pounds, wrinkles, and lacking or unwanted hair don't seem to change much between friends. Our visit to Minneapolis was short but eventful.

The O'Hallorans dropped me off early. Mom arrived on time. It all seemed so simple. Yet we waited 30 feet away from each other for nearly an hour. We'd still be waiting if not for cell phones. This was the first I'd seen her since her heart attack. She looked great, felt pretty good, and wasn't thrilled with her diet restrictions.

Mom and I made up for that lost hour over the next few days. One evening we met Erik and Ty at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Mom and Ty switched into Fox News mode which, as one may imagine, brought about a passionate discussion in which old topics were rehashed and absolutely nothing was solved. Thus, inevitably, this conversation will happen again soon. Ty's swearing increased steadily with each shot of Jack he consumed. Mom ordered a white zinfandel and received a strange look from the waitress. Ty, in his army fatigues, carried Erik's framed Uncle Sam poster thru uptown. It looked like he was taking military recruiting to the streets...quite an unusual sight. Mom went home, the rest of us detoured to Erik's and then to the Bulldog for some good greasy American food. My previously twice a month get togethers with Erik are now twice a year. No fair.

Randy and I caught up at the Big Ten. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Randy reminded me of Fred (his father)...this was a new and interesting twist: not only am I becoming my father but I'm watching my friends become theirs...Shit!...things are strange, or at least worth a good laugh. Catching up with Randy is like a night in Vegas...3 hours seem like 20 minutes...a good soul.

Deb and Bernie arrived and the children were outnumbered. The kids had a second Christmas at nana's and were entertained with snow forts, crystals, neck pillows, Star Wars, cousins, the indoor park... Deb brought her camera and her itchy trigger finger. Dylan, famous within the family for ducking out of photos, would have been exhausted had he tried to outrun Deb. On vacation, the lazy mornings are nearly as nice as the late nights which precede them. We had plenty of both with mom, Deb and Bernie (and with Rosie and the McMonagle's in GB for that matter). Hopefully Deb and Bernie will come to Antwerp this summer or fall.

New years eve was to be a quiet evening at mom's with Julie, Trevor and Lexi coming over for dinner. This was the first significant snowfall of the winter and they got in an accident. All involved ended up being OK but Trevor was badly injured. Having been through an ordeal but things are better now. We'll be seeing a lot of Trev, Lexi, and Julie in the states and when we go to Italy with them this summer.

Amy worked at corporate a few days, thus missing out on some of the late nights and lazy mornings mentioned before. She caught up with work friends, hung with the family, and took a girl's night out with the book club.

The holidays at the Browne's aren't complete without football. As a kid the game was even on during Thanksgiving dinner...unless it was a blowout. Some might think this would take away from family time but, when it comes to football, the Browne's are excellent multi-taskers. Many of my fond memories of family are tied in with football. This trip Bernie and I watched possibly the greatest NCAA game I've ever seen: Boise St./Oklahoma. There were clutch plays, a hook and lateral, lot's of back and forth, overtime, a behind the back Statue of Liberty play, and even a successful marriage proposal! Best part--Underdog State outduels Goliath U. What fun!

I caught another bowl game at Majors with college friends. It was fun but the night was too short and I felt like I barely talked with anyone. I'm hoping these guys will come to Oktoberfest with me in the fall but it looks as though it won't happen this year... maybe next.

At Mac and Kathy's we saw TC and Dale, Eric N., and Ann and Dan. The kids played, the adults hung out. We'll be at Mac and Kathy's cottage for the 4th of July. That will be a blast.

Things are changing fast back home. Erik's moving to Ohio, Ty's shipping off to Iraq, others with new babies, new pregnancies, or new homes. Back home in 6 weeks!