The Griswolds (Chevy Chase ~ Christmas Vacation Movie) have nothing on us!!

My last two blogs have been sort of heavy-hearted so gonna try to lighten up here!! As you know I have two brothers, and two sisters and when we all get together it is about 20 or so people, not including those that tag along!! *lol* We use to all gather at my parents over the Holidays - my Mom called it organized chaos. After my parents died, we tried to keep that tradition of coming home alive, but it was never really the same.

So we started a new tradition. Each week after Christmas and before New Year's we gather at one of our homes (we take turns). This year it is was my "baby brother" Mike's turn. Actually he is no longer a baby, but being 10 years younger then I, he get's that label!! Mike and his gf Tonya just built a beautiful new home in Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis.

If you have ever traveled near Minneapolis you have seen the beautiful homes popping up out in the suburbs, they are all uniquely shaped, huge and just beautiful!! So after much baking, packing, orgainzing ~ my family of 5 head on down to Minnesota, we were lucky that the winter here has been so mild, and have wonderful traveling weather!!

Since this was a new home, I had to get "directions" to it from mapquest and was quite proud of my little markings in my notebook. We found the little town with no problem but started to notice my "directions" would say Avenue, when the street would actually be a Boulevard, and you couldn't take a right when it would say too, but a left!! So course I was getting razzed for my directions, being taunted that I wrote them down backwards or upside down *lol* ~ but I held steadfast to my little notebook. 0.7 miles this way, 1.4 miles that way...around and around we go ~ finally I say...we need to find 178th Street. We spot 175, 176, we are getting excited ~ we found it!! 177, 179.....wait what?!?! 179??? What happened to 178?

Course the car abounds into loud chaos people yelling for a map, a bathroom, something to throw at my head ~ and I say ~ Hey it says were 0.6 miles away from Mike's house if we get out and yell he will hear us!! :) Course all I received was a scowl on that idea. So I say take a right at 177 - and right there on the next right you see a cluster of these beautiful homes. I say ohhhh ohhhhh go in there ~ Patrick says, no I don't think that is right ~ and I keep saying just go! The baby is babbling, music is booming, someone yells again about a bathroom, and just when everyone is about to lose it ~ you see a man welding a shovel over his head like a samurai sword - Alas!! - It is Mike!! Horray!!

As we pull up I see my little sister, who I haven't seen since the 4th of July - big ole hugs, smiles and her two son's ages 4, and 5 come barreling down the drive. We exclaim over the directions, and I'm validated when she says...did you scream when there was no 178?? She had the exact same problem we did, guess Mapquest had it all wrong! She was disappointed she made it all the way from lower Michigan (14 hour drive) to get lost the last 5 minutes and had to use her cell phone.

Then I turn to look at this house, OMG it was soooo beautiful. As I stood there all I could think about was how my Mom and Pop's would love it! It's a 4 floor/split level home, three car garage with such a unique shape. Patrick so loved the garage he started grunting like Tim Allen and could often be found hiding out there. When I walked into the door, I felt like I was walking into a home that was just done by Extreme Home Makeover, beautiful wood floors, vaulted ceilings, awesome oak wood ~ the colors and smells you just can't put it in words.

Now Mikes gf Tonya has met most of us, but can you imagine having 20+ people show up at your home, the panic that it causes??! Tonya is not from a large family and was so worried, we kept trying to tell her just relax, take it easy, but any woman knows, know matter how much you try ~ you just want everything to be "perfect".

People keep arriving, my niece Kirah and her puppy Harley, my brother Greg, his wife Laurie and their two daughters. Shoes start to pile alongside the door, house interior noise starts to rise. A funky pink/red van pulls up, flowers/balloons painted all over the outside - everyone stops and stares for a moment. A long lost uncle perhaps??! *lol* Out steps a fellow with 6 balloons attached to a flowered basket...ah haaaa the surprise I ordered for my sister has arrived ~ course she was late as usual and not there yet to see it!!

This would be my sister Patti, who recently graduated from college (last November) passed her boards, she's a Doctor - Chriopractor and just opened her first office ~ little did she know she had a long list of people just waiting for an adjustment!! As everyone starts unpacking you start to see bread pile up on the counter. Homemade bread, butter bread, wheat bread, buttermilk bread ~ seems everyone decided to bring bread ~ toast anyone??!? :)

Several hours later, everyone makes it in. We have children of all different ages 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 13, 13, 16, 18 and all of us adults. Renee, Patti's partner, comes in not looking so well. She says her and Kirah have food poisoning ~ something they got along the road on the way from Colorado! Yikes! My sister in law brings over a huge crockpot full of chili and we all settled in for the night.

What did you do Greggie?? *lol* (Mike, Greg, & Laurie)

Games of scrabble, music playing, ice cold beer ~ children going up and down the stairs, up, down, up, down. I'm enjoying the bantering that goes on when we play games, the teasing, the joking. Terri get's two 7 letter words in a row - cheater!! :) I look to my left and see Harley the puppy ~ humping on a small stuffed animal ~ he was offically named the hump-a-nater. He humped everything that moved.

My brother Mike opens a cabinet and out comes the new Xbox 360 - to a gasp of oohhhh's and ahhhh's from the younger crowd. Next morning the house is up and running, I swear it seems like more shoes appeared at the door overnight, they are everywhere. We try to orgainze some of the chaos. My brother decides to cook breakfast with brand new pots, on a brand new stove. Smoke everywhere! We can't help but point and laugh!! Thank god they have 3 bathrooms, one bathroom busy - no problem - upstairs ya go. They also have those new washer/dryers that you always see on Extreme Home Makeover - that wash huge loads of clothes and dry them fast.

We have plans to go to a Winery and do some site-seeing but my brother Greg calls and says he and Laurie are ill, looks like the flu. We all turn and eye up Renee and Kirah. Are you sure you guys didn't have the flu?? No, no, no, course not, it was food poisoning.

More games of scrabble, scattegories, cards, ~ my sister Terri and I try to figure out the new "fancy" coffee pot, I mean seriously how hard can it be?! She said she made a pot, so I make a cup, add some french vanilla creamer.....and I say, umm this is ok, but it tastes mostly like creamer. Eventually I go to make a new pot ~ and we are debating where to put the water. Two polish lasses, what can one say?? It was a funky shaped new coffee pot I tell ya!! *lol* ( I won't mention about us trying to figure out the new dishwasher) *snorts*

Finally we ask Mike, and to the shock of my sister she says.....I didn't put the water in there. Awkward silence. I said, well where did you put it?! She points. I lift up the lid to look at the coffee grounds and they aren't even wet. I said what were you trying to do ~ ~ steam them to death!?!? *Bawhahahah* She was fired as coffee maker woman.

My Sister Terri and Son's

Hours later, it is announced on T.V. that Saddam Hussein is to be hung etc.... and this starts a fiery debate that would have made my ole pop's proud. A debate about war, life, death, presidents, troops, oil, the economy ~ you name it. It was amazing to sit back and watch everyone, their opinions, ~ but eventually there was so much overtalking you couldn't understand anyone!

Ah Hahhhh!! - Mike holds up this banana and says, no one talks unless you have the power of the banana. Haaa! I'm thinking,this will never work. Whenever someone tried to say something over the other, you'd hear, you don't have da banana. The banana went this way, that way, you never seen a more traveled piece of fruit!! I yelled for said banana ~ as I finally snared the elusive banana they all turn to stare at me. I say, hey I just wanted to hold it for a sec - for which I think someone tossed peanuts at me and booed/hissed. (no sense of humor I tell ya)

Back to scrabble, scattegories, ~ Patti is sitting to my left, she doesn't look well. She does these amazing "burps" that would put a sumo wrestler to shame. She says'...it's gas (from the chili). I start to tell her this story of this college roommate I had who would flop down on the floor and start rolling. (mostly in the middle of the night) and I'd be like what the heck??! She said it was a old wives tale on how to get rid of gas/stomach ache. So I keep saying to Patti - get down and roll, just get down and roll ~ course when we all looked towards the floor there is "humping harley" - going to town on a poor defenseless shoe.

Next morning, with our darling 2 yr old daughter snuggled happily between us in bed, Patrick and I hear this small cry....and then this fountain of puke, that would have put old faithful to shame ~ shoots straight up! Ugggggggg!! So wasn't ready for that.

Up we go - chaos abounds. Patti has the flu, Jessica has the flu, Greg and Laurie ~ flu ~ people are dropping like flies. You start washing your hands like a mad person, standing and staring at each other for several minutes, giving them that "are you ok look" ~ I start drinking OJ but I know I am doomed, for I already feel ish. I try to fight it off - for I had also started my period that morning (lucky moi huh) *Bawhahahah* ~ so I'm blaming the ish stomach on cramps etc...... forever the optimist.

We start to hear of the horror stories trinkling down from upstairs ~ that overnight, ~ throwing up, diarrhea, whimpers, bath running at 3 a.m., people sleeping in closets (don't ask) ~ I don't dare venture upstairs. Now it is rough enough to have a house full of people, but to have them there sick with the flu ~ can one say - Go Home!! *lol*

The washer/dryer are working overtime, people are flopped down everywhere. I start to get majorly sick that afternoon and thru most of the evening. The only good thing is that is lasts about 12 hours. My sister comes into the bedroom carrying lil miss Jessica and lays her next to me, she says with all the madness going on, she found Jess sitting next to the bedroom door doing this very soft, soft knock ~ looking for Mama. (awwwww) We cuddle into each other and fall off into a blissful sleep.

I can't really tell you much of what happened that Saturday ~ cept for my brother/sister jokingly saying - com'on Bren get down and roll ~ to which I gave them the evil eye. My sister laughs and says, she won't laugh now, but she will in a few days.

Days later, we all make it back to our own homes safely and as I sit and reflect - I do laugh. Though our trip didn't end the way we would have liked it too - it gave us a million different smiles and laughs. There is nothing like getting together with your family, those you love, sharing, joking, making new memories. On the day we went to leave - the 10th anniversary of our Mom's death ~ the two yellow roses that were "purposely" added to the middle of the flower arrangement ~ delivered to my sister Patti earlier that week ~ opened and bloomed.

And the saga of our family continues......

Huggles and God Bless ~Bren~