Christmas in Minnesota!

Minnesota exceeded even my high expectations. We got a ton of snow, on the day we arrived and throughout the week, and the temperatures stayed right around 20°F, so we had a great time being outside and playing in the snow - frisbee, sliding, hikes along Tischer Creek, walks on the Lakewalk.



A few sad things:
(1) Not having Margaret home. She's spending the year in Turkey, and a short trip home wasn't worth it. It was the first year that one of the three of us missed Christmas. We missed her.
(2) My cat died. We returned home from Christmas dinner in the Twin Cities to find her curled up, dead, a few months shy of her 20th birthday. I got her when I was 6 and slept with her in my bed almost every night until I left for college. I'm glad I got to see her again before she died, and I'm glad she died peacefully. Still, it's sad she's gone.



A few fun things:
(1) All the snow. Even shoveling it was fun.
(2) Scott and I went climbing with Fred and our neighbor Jane. Cool to climb new walls, to cheer Fred on and to hear him encouraging me when I went up.
(3) A few more of my relatives got to meet Scott!
(4) Getting dressed up for the annual Red Flannels dinner dance and the New Year's Eve symphony.
(5) LOTS of good food. Venison, salmon, Christmas cookies, breakfast at Hell's Kitchen, akvavit, and coffee anytime you want it.
(6) Spending an afternoon with Alissa! Brunch, fine art, and lots of catching up.
(7) Snow!