Happy new year!

I had so much fun with my family this past week. Below is a picture of me with my Mom and Dad before we hit the road. Mom said, "Be sure to take candy canes off tree!" So I have five (for each member of my family) clutched in my fist.

Dad took us on a wild ride on Monday on the edge of the Smoky Mountains to the Dragon's Tail: 318 curves in 11 miles. I was riding in the lead car with my parents and my Aunt Norma. Dad was driving with Mom in front. We lost Luke (who was driving with Tim, Mark & Christina in our Toyota Highlander) soon after the start of the winding tour. My dad drove more like a teenager than the 70+ year old he is. I think we were going 50 on some of those turns! Just as my aunt and I were about to scream PULL OVER because we were about to lose it, the road straightened out. Whew! 

At least I provided entertainment for the older folks as they giggled at my worry and discomfort (I kept glancing back to see where the rest of my family was). Now that I survived that trip, it's fun to talk about--a happy memory.

Before we did the dragon thing, we stopped in Robbinsville, NC for lunch. So we made the trek from Robbinsdale, MN to Robbinsville, NC. It was a nice little town, too. It even had a Wendy's, which is where we ate. 

On Sunday, we had a big time with my brother and his kids, and enjoyed watching my 3-year-old niece Emilee play on the floor with my folks dog, Kimberlee (note the similarity in the spelling of those two names...). We opened gifts and enjoyed sitting in a big circle in the living room as Emilee and Kimberlee entertained us. Emilee stood on the fireplace landing for awhile, using it as a stage to sing some songs. 

To back up even more, we left for Tennessee on Friday, Dec. 26. I had just opened some mail that said my driver's license was about to expire because I hadn't submitted paperwork from my doctor about my insulin dependence and my ability to drive. My endocronologist's office was closed, but my family practice doctor's office was open. I went in at 9 am and got my doctor's signature, then took it to the DMV. They copied the doctor's note, sent a fax as well as mailed a copy to the St. Paul office. They also printed out something saying that my license was valid since the letter I received said it would not be valid as of Dec. 26 if I didn't submit something from my physician. I'm very grateful everything worked out so speedily!

We finally headed out into the fog Friday afternoon to begin our trip to Tennessee. We travelled through fog through the whole state of Iowa and into Illinois for at least two hours--totally about 8 hours of fog--in the dark--where you could see only one or two car lengths ahead. The roads were good, but visibility was terrible. But we pressed on, and finally took a little break at a rest area in Metropolis, IL where my aunt and uncle live (my mom's brother and wife). We would have stopped to see them, but it was about 4 in the morning. After resting a bit, we pressed on through Kentucky and then stopped at my brother Roger's house in Nashville. We got to see my sister Lori and her son Richard briefly, as they were on their way back home to  Chicago after visiting my folks and then spending the night at Roger's. Our arrival at Rog's was his birthday, and Christina's, too. We decided to celebrate by taking a trip to the mall. It was about 70 degrees out and the mall was heated, so it was rather warm, but we had fun spending our Christmas money and then hanging out with Roger playing Wii games on the TV.

We then headed on to the Knoxville area to see my folks, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. A special treat was seeing my Aunt Norma (dad's sister). Roger and kids came down the next day, and then Monday was our trip in the mountains. Tuesday came all too soon when we headed back. Tuesday night we met up with an old high school friend of Tim's, Bob. We had dinner with him at Cracker Barrel in Cincinnati and had a very nice meal with him.

The kids wanted to get back for New Year's Eve, so the boys drove through Wisconsin all through the night--the shoulders were slippery, but the roads were fairly good. 

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Tim and I headed to bed by 11 pm on New Year's Eve and had a good night's sleep. Now we are ready to head into 2009!

Hope to post more pictures soon. Have a wonderful new year!

Till next time,

Suzi