Christmas in Michigan... if you can get there!

Hello from White Michigan... I mean West Michigan!

We would have greeted you earlier.. but we've been holding up in Casnovia - which hasn't quite yet found the highway to the internet. Perhaps some day!

Michigan put all it's natural beauty and wonder on display as we arrived. We literally blew into Grand Rapids airport after a few hours delay in Chicago and a windy (55 mph), bumpy ride in a blizzard across Lake Michigan. To put it into perspective... when I called my brother in law as we taxied into the tarmac.. he questioned me incredulously.. "they let you land in this weather? don't they know there's a BLIZZARD?" He was certain we were being delayed!

As a matter of fact - we landed in such intense weather.. that it took out most of the electricity - including the radar and radio communications with the tower... a fact the pilots let us know AFTER we landed. That was right before he also mentioned that power was out at the terminal and that we could not use the jet-way to enter the building. Instead, they parked in the middle of the tarmac, rolled some stairs up to our plane.. and Welcome to Michigan! 15 degrees.... 50 mph winds... just your run of the mill blizzard! Oh... so how do you get your bags when the baggage claim carousels are all out of power? They had to hand walk in each bag from the plane.

We were really excited to be treated to such different weather! What a welcome. It couldn't have been any better. We laughed all the way to the terminal (with Hannah in her flip-flops) ... and all the way driving back to grandma and grandpa's house with visibility measured by feet.

The week has been a ball. We've enjoyed lots of family time - tons of card playing - two PHASE 10 extravaganzas, lots and lots of wonderful food and some great after Christmas shopping.

And.. we spent time yesterday getting a long-awaited family picture. It was a kick as 15 of us went in for various individual, family, and group pictures. You will be so proud of us. We SET THE RECORD for most pictures ordered at this studio! The previous record was a very sissy 62 sheets. We went for 79 sheets between all the families! SCORE!

So.. now we are in Plainwell, Michigan; at my sister's place. And ahhhhhhhh - connected to a high speed wireless network. For now I have officially quit picking on my sister in honor of her internet connection.

Hello to all our friends in California. We miss you and hope you are well and enjoying a great break! We look forward to returning to sunny California (heard it was getting all the rain out of it's system while we are gone) in the near future to enjoy New Years.

We love you all.

Cold Team Henderson