The season begins

This past week officially kicked off the holiday season. For the next month and more, we'll be involved in the yearly routine of attending family feasts, birthdays, and assorted gatherings leading up to and including the new year. Whew!

Anita and I have been pretty fortunate when it comes to the holiday scheduling. Over nearly 20 years, we've rarely been put in difficult situations, like having to toggle between multiple party locations within the same day. Thanksgiving is one of those occasions that has always produced the same plan: Thanksgiving day at my family and the following Saturday is downstate further at Anita's family location.

[Friday is always reserved for our family feast at Barone's Pizza in Glen Ellyn. Ah, tradition...]

This past Saturday was the annual drive to Bourbonnais to visit with Anita's family. We were thrilled that this visit coincided with the opening up of the new southern extension on I-355. Years in the making, this addition to the tollway system now knocks off about 15-20 minutes of driving time and actually provided a less stressful route.

So, having arrived safely (and early!), we settled in for a relaxing day of eating, drinking, and socializing, as well as watching the painful end to the Notre Dame football season (fortunately producing a win). And Su enjoyed hours of fun with her cousins, Sarah and Erin (shown in photo).