Family visit

Since I now have more schedule flexibility, I decided to make a visit to see my family in post-holiday January rather than spend four times as much for the same plane tickets in December.  I am not sure the four week difference in time would have made much difference, but my schedule meant that I got to visit Central Indiana and Chicago in the middle of some damn cold weather.

There were definitely more days with below zero temperature than there were days with above freezing temperatures.  This put a bit of a damper on outdoor activities but the visit was great anyway.  It was really nice to be able to take the time to enjoy a relaxed, extended visit rather than trying to cram everything into a short stay.  This visit definitely reinforced the correctness of my decision to prioritize what is important in my life.  At no point did I feel like I should be going to an office rather than hanging out with my family.

Days were spent attending some nail biter overtime basketball played by my nephew's 12 year old team with the incredible score of 4-6 (yes, basketball and not hockey), and attending some pretty impressive displays of 10 year old gymnastics put on by my niece and her team.  Those girls are freakishly strong!

I was able to squeeze in several days in Chicago with my Grandmother who still manages to kick my butt at scrabble at the age of 91, attend a few college basketball games with my niece and nephew (the score there did get past 4-6), and go to the gym several times with my mother (something I never imagined doing).

Enjoying the game with the kids

The visit was great but I will admit that by the end of it I was beginning to look forward to the 40 degree, rainy weather that awaited back in Seattle.