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Friday, January 6, 2012
A Christmas to Remember
Being nestled in the heart of rocky mountains has many perks. Unfortunately for myself, being located near most of my family isn't one of them. Christmas has previously lacked the special luster that being surrounded by loved ones provides. As the holidays were quickly approaching, I couldn't shake the feeling that this year we had to head east. Spending time with family was long overdue and my gut rarely steers me wrong. Due to my work schedule our first opportunity to start the trip was the morning of December 24th, Christmas Eve. Flying to Pennsylvania & Michigan would have certainly been quicker but in consideration of our furry dog child Apollo, we always opt to drive. After a nap and drive rotation we made it to Erie, Pennsylvania around 4pm on Christmas day. Welcomed by warm greetings and many hugs we had an incredible evening with dinner and presents.
Erie is the home of some of husbands family (all of which I consider my own) as well as my friend Andy. I was not only excited to see them but also eager to take Andy up on his offer of an Erie tour. The first morning we went to Pano's Restaurant a delicious and affordable 24 hour diner. With our stomachs pleasantly full we headed to Presque Isle and walked down a very old trail named the sidewalk trail which was built for children who endured a long walk to school from the lighthouse in which they lived. The next stop was truly the highlight of my day. Andy took us all to a beach where by some wonderful stroke of luck we ran across his uncle who is a fascinating man and local artist. Witnessing his work firsthand was surreal. Andy's gene pool must be pristine, every member seemingly wonderful and down to earth. Erie's nightlife was next as we went to local favorites like the Plymouth Tavern and The Brewerie each location steeped in history and mystification. The following day I tasted the best gelato in existence at Gelateria Barbara where Tim the owner was kind enough to let us sample every flavor and even offered to sell me his secrets since he is looking forward to retirement. It was a tempting offer to say the least. After my sweet tooth was satisfied we headed to the Erie cemetery to see historic grave sites one of which is rumored to belong to a vampire. I had to see it of course but I would like to add that I've always loved vampires; before it was cool and before they sparkled like diamonds. Not a moment was wasted but time still flew by and I left Erie with a bit of a heavy heart.
After about 10 hours of driving we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan just before midnight. Where the remainder of my husbands family live with exception of a couple siblings but they had flown in from Oregon & Texas for the holidays so for the first time in many years we were altogether. Since my husband and I know the area like the back of our hands we focused on visiting with friends and family. I got to see my best friend of 15 years Mike and his beautiful family. Our days and nights were full of interesting conversations, eating, drinking, hot tubing and being merry. It was the perfect end to a perfect vacation. It made me realize once again how precious life is. That in order to truly live I must act as if every day is my last. To tell my loved ones just how much I appreciate them as often as possible because life can only be what you make of it.
Andy Steinmetz http://www.stmtz.com/
Gelateria Barbara http://gelateriabarbara.com/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
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