THAT'S A WRAP

This is the first blog update on our new computer.  Things should go much smoother now without having to fight with the laptop that we have had since before we got married...that's a long time I am reminded.  This was one of the best Chritsmasssssssssesssss ever!  Booter told us he was going to make sure of that.  We were away with the family most of the time so we really didn't get a chance to enjoy our 10 foot tree, but hopefully you will still enjoy the pictures of it.

This break was filled with lots of excitement.  Having a new sister in the family thanks to the eloping of Will and Cait  or his "roommate" as he now calls her, was the perfect way to get the Holidays started and we are so happy for them.  Booter kept us laughing and on our toes as always.  He also surprised us with two big chompers to snazz up his smile.  If we thought Christmas was special before, having a child to share it with made it all the more special.  Being with all the brothers was eventful and every day was filled with plenty of laughs and surprises.

On the 29th, the family headed to Woodstock to ring in the New Year.  On the morning of the 30th, 13 of us packed into a van (thanks Pete and Shelly!) and headed to DC.  Stu did the driving and did a great job of getting us there and back safely.  Will would have driven, but you have to be an aggressive / angry driver in DC and Will doesn't get angry anymore.  The plan was to hit Fogo de Chao.  Most of us had never been there.  It is something that we will never forget.  Most of us got "Meat Stroke..." a medical condition characterized as an onset of heavy sweating, tiredness and abdominal cramping as a direct result of overexposure to cattle, goat and chicken products...especially Bull W.  It usually takes about 30 minutes to recover fully from Meat Stroke, but in some cases symptoms last over an hour.  It was a great time and the only thing better than the food was the company we shared it with.  It was perhaps the first time that all of us were together (mom, dad, brothers, wives, girlfriends and grandsons).  

We left Fogo and headed to the Smithsonian for some adventure.  Despite lots of people, we still managed to see some neat things (see shutterfly).  We were home by 8PM that night and that was pretty much the day.  We did manage to squeeze in some Taco Bell that night which was probably not such a good idea considering the quantities of beef that we took in earlier in the day.  Thankfully there were no Meat Stroke relapses and we all slept peacefully that evening in our meat comas.

New Years Eve came and went quickly.  The family sadly began to spread out, but we still managed a great time at Stu and Katie's with some Trivial Pursuit, Cranium, fried foods and soda pop.  By the way, it's salt that is harvested from some lake in some place, not pearls.

New Years Day...The Polar Bear Plunge as we call it was the highlight.  Our heartbeats went from about 70 BPM to 150 BPM in seconds.  It was the  coldest Ben had ever been.  He and his brothers immersed themselves in the Shenandoah River in their underroos....very cold.

The rest of the break came and went.  We had great fun each day and hopefully the pictures will do a great job of telling the story.  

Until next time...