As has been the tradition for the past few years, my uncle Kurt (Landerholm) and his family have welcomed us into their home for the Thanksgiving Holiday. They live in Akron/Canton area of Ohio, which is about two hours from Pittsburgh. It's been great to be able to spend this holiday with family every year without spending so much time and money to fly to Wyoming.
For those of you who don't know my uncle Kurt and his family, here is an introduction. Kurt (my mom's brother) and his wife Nancy have three kids: Megan, Mark, and Scott (oldest to youngest). Megan's husband Bob, as well as Nancy's brother, Warren, and niece, Kaylee, are also here this year. Mark, however, is in Kenya on a Christian mission, and is probably warmer than most of us, but is a bit homesick. Finally, Megan and Bob brought their Yorkshire Terrier Shatzy (probably spelled wrong) and Warren and Kaylee brought their dog Baxter (also a Yorkshire Terrier). Parents, children (and dogs) alike are very kind and friendly, and there is never a time when we don't feel welcome.
As you can imagine, there really hasn't been a dull moment with all the people (and canines) in the house. Highlights have included celebrating Scott'sbirthday, watching the dogs meet each other and eventually starting to play together, football games (all the men except me follow college ball quite closely), board games (Cranium, Taboo, and Scattergories), meals (traditional Thanksgiving fare, but also other wonderful food), and some tv (especially the old series "Hogans Heroes" on DVD).
Saturday night is going to be a bit different. We have spots reserved to tour and eat in a nearby mansion. Once the home of a wealthy industrialist, the mansion will be fully decorated for Christmas. Some of the men aren't too very excited about this, but the women are pretty much unanimous that it will be fun. Afterwards we will drive through a local neighborhood known for it's Christmas lights. The sentiments about this part of the evening are very similar.
Well, this post took longer than I expected, and I need to get to bed, so that's all. Ashlee and I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
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Come on now...a mansion decorated for Christmas, what is there not to like about that. You can pretend to be somebody.
ReplyDeleteWell, the lights thing was actually a joke, but the mansion visit was legit. The lights are actually near Shadyside, which is where they used to live, and would be 2-3 hours away. We started by touring the mansion and had hors d'oeuvres. Afterwards we sat down to dinner and dessert. The mansion was spectacular, and the food was good too. Us guys even enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteAll I know about college ball is, "Go Ducks".
ReplyDeleteWell, unfortunately the Ducks didn't stand up against the Bruins (UCLA) and lost their bid for the Rose Bowl. Speaking of the Bruins, Ashlee and I fondly remember watching three years ago when Wyoming beat them in a thriller at the Vegas Bowl. It was especially pleasing because the sports editor for the UCLA newspaper wrote a very inflammatory article about how UCLA deserved a better opponent.
ReplyDeleteI found out today our company (RMHN not St. Vincent) Christmas party is going to be held at the Moss Mansion here in Billings. It is probably similar to the Ohio house in that every room is decorated to the hilt for Christmas. I'm betting that an Ohio Mansion is much more garish then a Montana Mansion though.
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