We began our journey to Christmas this year at 4:30 am by leaving home in the blackest of black part of the night. No glimmer of dawn cheered us...or pried itself between the eyelids the 6 of us who weren't driving!
By 8:00 we were starving, and in an uncharacteristic move that had us all feeling a bit edgy,
Tim, the "you've got 3 minutes to use the bathroom and we're leaving" guy,
suggested...yes SUGGESTED we stop at Perkins.
Perkins is a sit down restaurant.
The universe was upside down.
"Is this really happening Mom? Are we really eating a sit down breakfast at the very BEGINNING of a day long drive? Can we DO this?"
Lily coped by pointing out her various rashes.
Thinking he must be in a dream, Timmy ordered off the kid's menu so that he could have the syrupy red kool-aid drink that comes with it.
Ugh.
Not everyone was ready to face the reality of that drink...
or the camera!
Flash!
Breakfast the way it's supposed to be...
washed down with the red, super saturated sugar solution..
Lily was like minded.
Bring it on.
Andrew had his usual...the Terrific Twelve, or the Killer Twelve or Something Twelve which consists of...
pretty much everything on the breakfast menu.
Zach is an Egg Benedict man all the way, loyal and true.
Katie...all I remember was she ordered extra meat...
and sat far away from the big boys.
She's no dummy.
Nine hours later, we joined with my sister and her husband Darrin and spent a couple treasured hours visiting with my Grandpa Louie.
That right there is one loving and loved man.
Can you tell?
You can tell.
Somehow, Lily got her hands on the camera and took the only picture (above) I have all day of Darrin, even though he was kind enough to drive us around and treat us to diet pepsis whenever we so wished. That's the back of his head as he chauffeured Sarah, Lily and myself to...
isn't it obvious where we were going?
Can you guess?
We started the day at Perkins in our grubs...
...and ended it with a white table cloth Italian dinner...
...on our way to...
...meet the cousins at....
THE ST. LOUIS BALLET PRODUCTION OF THE NUTCRACKER!
STARRING ALLY CURRY
as the cutest mouse.
We all stood around and congratulated her on her performance, while...
...the kids began planning their holiday antics....
he he he....
...which were set to begin the next day.
The boys and Katie didn't get to see the ballet, but they were at my parents' house eating big steaks, so everybody was happy.
It was a great day.
Note: Although you just saw the back of Darrin's head today, I have a post coming up that reveals him for the warrior he is, front and center. But I have to get his permission to post it first. Excuse me while I go do that now. Thanks.
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