Christmas Road Trip: Day 1

Today was the last day of school for Susan and the girls until January 3, meaning the start of Christmas vacation for the family.  However, in our case, "vacation" means "1,673 miles of driving in Midwestern winter weather."  Fun for me (a.k.a. the driver)!  The upside is that we'll get to spend our time with family and friends, so let the driving begin!

Road Report
Today's route: Dickinson, ND to Harwood, ND on I-94 and I-29 (297 miles).  Roads were clear; driving was uneventful.

Notable Events
We got to spend our 17th consecutive Christmas with our dear friends, the Zanders--a tradition started the first Christmas of each of our marriages.  Jeff and Janelle completed a major remodeling project on their house this year, so we got to see it in all its finished glory; it's beautiful!  The kids disappeared to play together while the adults visited.  Janelle served a delicious German supper of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and knoephla soup, after which we retired to the living room for gift opening.

Before bedtime, each Zander boy asked my permission to sleep with a different Moberg girl.  If the boys weren't all under age 10, I might have reacted differently---but how could I refuse the cute little boys who wanted the blondes to put their sleeping bags next to their own?  Here are some photographic highlights:

Janelle and Jeff with their second child, Jaden

Their oldest child, Megan

Their third child, Jordan (the best photo I could find from the candid shots taken during gift opening--trust me, he's cute)

Their fourth child, Austen