It's Christmas TIme!

Merry Christmas Everyone! It's been a great holiday! I flew in Friday night and ran into Amy in the MSP airport. We were able to finagle seats together, and it was nice to catch up. Got in late that night and stayed up talking to Mom, Dad, and Grandma.

Christmas Eve I saw my mom's family, hung out with Smashley and Gretchen. Good Times! Smash has official agreed to update her blog from the Oct. 5 "baby it's cold outside..." I should have got that in writing. We went to the Wild Things Gallerie which has a little coffee shop, but they had a soup buffet and the soup was amazing.

That night we had a great dinner and watched Kain, Shawn's son, open gifts. I do enjoy having a little one around for the holidays. We played a mean game of Sorry that night. Damn, that game takes a long time.

Christmas morning Santa forgot to report. Perhaps I am too old.

We went to church and oddly enough I felt almost overdressed in dress slacks and a sweater. ND is SO casual. The service was nice and my mom and I ran out to see her family one last time. Her mom's sister is moving from the house that they all grew up in. My mom, one of seven, will no longer have any siblings in Minot. It's kinda sad.

We had a great turkey dinner and I was very happy with all of my gifts. Good job shoppers!

That night, Sara, Dustin and Tara (Sara's friend) and I played "this or that," a game I had given Dustin. It was so FUN! We were up until after 1 a.m.

Monday a.m. I had breakfast with the Brunner's, family friends of Mom and Dad. I then met up for lunch with Amy. We went to the Pita Pit, a new restaurant in Minot. It was good! We then got a cookie at Cookies for You. I showed her Josh Duhamel's restaurant, but it like many other things on main street, was closed. Minot's downtown is cute, and I am glad to see new businesses there.

That night we went to the annual Pinkerton's family Christmas party. Per usual, it was a fantastic frenzy of food, friends, and fun. I gorged myself and caught up with the Pinkerton clan and some of other people I only see once a year there. It was a great time!

After the party, I made my one and only stop to a Minot bar with Sara, the Dakota Lounge, which has moved from the mall. I basically knew nobody except for the people Sara was meeting. It was good to catch up with a few people, but it was so smokey that I was litterally getting sick to my stomach.

Today, I am meeting Karissa for lunch and we are all going out to Sammy's for supper. I am glad I will be able to squeeze a Sammy's run in. Other than that, I need to just pack up and make sure I have everything. I leave tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.

PS
Because I know it can be hard to follow who people are on blogs, I thought I should make a key:

Sara, Shawn: 1st cousins, children of my dad's only brother
Amy: good high school friend who lives in LA right now
Gretchen: good friend, former Minotian, parents have moved but in Minot because married to Matt whose parent's are still here. Key player in the Minneapolis friend's group.
Smash: aka Ashley friend through Gretchen and Danny, finishing up her degree at Minot State and thinking about med school
Josh Duhamel: Minot's favorite son who currently stars in the TV show Las Vegas
Brunner's: family friends
Pinkerton's: family friends
Karissa: former debate partner, good friend, getting Ph.D. in Iowa