Between Casey’s business and my numerous career endeavors, we don’t make a lot of time for vacations. It’s not that we wouldn’t LOVE to go away, but it is MORE WORK to take a vacation than it is to just keep Casey’s shop open. So when we decided to take 5 days off, we didn’t think that it would be sooo…… distressing. And annoying. And BORING. Ugh, welcome to the life of a work-a-holic.
So after dealing with the mad frenzy that ensued as customers were notified of our brief absence over the holiday, we finally get packed and make it out of the driveway on Christmas Eve. But not after the phone rang off the hook all morning and customers still came to the house begging for mechanical assistance. He’s like the David Beckham of snowmobile and ATV mechanics – completely essential and irresistible (minus the millions $$), and customers flock. What a great start to vacation.
We finally made it to Bay City, and the rest of Christmas Eve was spent exchanging gifts, eating too much food, and celebrating the birth of Christ at a cozy Christmas mass. Good thing I brought stretch-pants.
On Christmas Day, my siblings and I planned a schedule that included naps, Wii, board games, walking tacos (life-altering deliciousness that we discovered last summer), and night sledding. We took full advantage of no parental supervision. Everything went according to plan, except my minor sledding mishap, which happened as I rocket-launched off of the ice ramp at the end of the hill and landed with my elbow, which is now beautiful shades of purple, yellow and spider-vein-ish all around. But I think I get bonus points for being the only one to attempt it.
Moose update -
In Bay City, Moose was in all of his glory at Grandpa Dan’s house on Christmas Eve; he got a new bone and collar from Santa, and was able to partake in much sniffing, tail-chasing and snow diving. Digger was jealous, as usual.
On Christmas Day, we snuck him to Grandma Toni’s – where he was blocked in the kitchen (she has allergies, and we never really got permission to bring him! Sorry, Mom!). He whined and moped and made a sad puppy face that made me want to cry for the rest of our vacation. Thankfully for us, all of the snow melted and new snow covered the ground, so any tell-tale Moose droppings are obscured.
For the rest of our stay, we had no idea what to do. We slept in, we stared at the wall, we tried to watch movies, we read the newspaper, we shopped a little. We complained a lot about how bored we were. I thought about the papers I should be grading and photos I could be editing, but forced myself to “vacation.”
Things I learned on my Christmas Vacation:
1. Don’t stay at your mother-in-law’s house and expect it to be vacation-like.
2. Don’t sled down ice hills.
3. Be-dazzle skulls on sweatshirts, call it couture, and earn lots of money.
4. Walking tacos always heal the pain.
*Kayla
This senior-to-be is a familiar face on my website and blog, because she is my sister, Hannah! Like Moose, Hannah has been a patient subject over the past couple years as I test my photographic skills. Although this is only Part 1 of our summer-long journey of photos, I couldn't wait to share my beautiful sis with my blog ;) 
On Christmas Day, we snuck him to Grandma Toni’s – where he was blocked in the kitchen (she has allergies, and we never really got permission to bring him! Sorry, Mom!). He whined and moped and made a sad puppy face that made me want to cry for the rest of our vacation. Thankfully for us, all of the snow melted and new snow covered the ground, so any tell-tale Moose droppings are obscured.
