Christmas Break

So I know that it has been way too long since my last post, but we've had a lot going on. I'll try to remember all that has happened since the end of November but will probably just have to skim over the details. I was really sick for the last 2 or 3 weeks before we left for the break so I wasn't feeling up to blogging. I had a terrible cold for a week and a half and at the end of that I got a really nasty stomach bug...fun times!
We were able to attend Holidazzle, the black tie Christmas ball and a lovely Holiday party at our friends' Kelly and John's place before the end of the semester. It was so much fun getting dressed up and spending time with all of our friends before leaving town.



Minneapolis was a lot of fun but we stayed pretty busy seeing friends and family. Every night we were going somewhere so we didn't have a whole lot of down time. Jesse also spent a great deal of time applying for jobs for his summer internship. I think he ended up applying for around 47 jobs. He wasn't able to relax much but I'm sure the diligence and hard work will pay off.

Peggy, Jesse and I took Casey to the Minnesota Transportation Museum in St. Paul one snowy Sunday. The drive there and back was miserable but it was well worth the trip. Santa was there and we got to take a ride on a real train! There were also several really cool train sets and there was a gigantic one made completely of Legos. There were also quite a few antique train cars, engines and cabooses that you could walk through. Casey was in heaven. There aren't many things he loves more than trains.

We did all the usual things while we were there like going out to dinner at the Layfette Club and Lord Fletchers and hanging out with the family to watch football. We spent Christmas eve together and had a delicious meal of prime rib and polish potatoes and got spoiled as always by Jesse's parents on the gifts. We had a great night opening presents and spending time together. Jesse surprised me with a pair of diamond earrings which I would have sworn would never happen but they are beautiful and I love them. I guess I've been a good girl this year! Christmas day, we went over to Toni and John's (Peggy's sister) to celebrate with the whole Schultz clan which is always a lot of fun. Their boys Kyle and Ryan have tons of cool toys and that kept Casey pretty bust most of the day. We gorged ourselves and drank bloody marys and mimosas all day until we were practically comatose. It was a really great Christmas all around.

Casey on Christmas eve opening his new John Deere tractors, the were a major hit!

My very own microwave!!!!

Thanks for the polar bear and the "Polar bear, polar bear, what do you see?" aunt Jeanne

Casey getting walloped by a snowball, thanks daddy.

Boy, this shoveling isn't as easy as it looks.

Casey and his good buddy, Chipper.

Jesse in front of the lake. That's right Georgians, that's the lake back there and you can drive your car across it!

Casey and Grandpa

During the rest of our time there we were able to get over to see Casey's buddy Jackson, for the afternoon and we had dinner over at my good friends' Georgia and Mark's one night which was a lot of fun. We also had the pleasure of going out on Jesse's birthday with Katy and Jesse's cousins Emily, Molly and Dan and their husbands/girlfriend for a night out on the town in a limo. We went to several bars in St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis and partied it up! It was one of the most fun nights that I've had in Minnesota, thanks for setting that up Molly and Cory!

The next day Jesse's grandparents and most of the Brettingen family came over for brunch. We don't get to see them very often so it's always great to hang out and catch up. Jesse's grandma, Marge, made her famous homemade buns at my request even though she claimed that she doesn't make them anymore. She totally loves me! They were delicious.

By the end of our time in Minneapolis we were worn out. We were definitely ready to get down to Georgia to relax and spend time with my family but we were really sad to say goodbye to everyone. Fortunately we will be meeting back up with Peggy and Greg in Florida near the end of March. Casey has been telling me almost every day that he is going to see grandma and grandpa in Florida and he is ready to go!

Our time in Georgia was wonderful. In Dublin, as usual we spent a lot of time relaxing and eating my grandmother's delicious food....I stuffed myself around the clock, it was disgusting, but you just can't help yourself everything is so good! Casey ate like a champ as well but he doesn't have to worry about gaining any weight. He had a blast hanging out with his cousins Tripp, Joe and especially Wesley, who he adores and follows around like a puppy. He also loved playing outside, feeding the goats and donkeys and pushing his lawnmower all over creation. The highlight though, was when one of the baby goats got out of the fence and we all had to chase it around. Casey ran around after it with a fishing net. We also went fishing in my grandmother's pond and Casey thought he was something else! He kept saying "Casey fisherman" and then he would look into the water and call "where are you fishies?, where are you?" It was hilarious!

My dad came down on the second day we were there and brought a load of presents for Casey and his four-wheeler for Jesse to ride. Casey does love his "Pop" especially since he always shows up bearing gifts. Jesse had a fabulous time riding 4-wheelers with Wesley all over the farm. He has now decided that we need to get one someday, ha!

On our last night in Dublin we took Casey over to see my uncle Wayne and aunt Connie (my dad's brother) and luckily my cousin, Laurie was there were her family. We rarely see them which is unfortunate because they are so much fun. We all sat around and talked and laughed while Casey entertained us.

Casey with cousins John, Regan and Claire

The next day we drove to Augusta to spend a few days with my dad. Jesse and I went to our favorite little raw bar, Rhineharts for some cheap oysters and shrimp on the first night while my dad stayed with Casey, YUM! While we were in Augusta we also drove out to my dad's property in the country one day to see the improvements he made on his shop and all of his cool "junk", and we were able to meet up with my friend from high school, Chad and his wife Pam ( I went to their wedding back in August) for an early dinner downtown. One afternoon we took Casey down to the riverwalk to run around and to Fort Discovery, the National Science Center's interactive museum for kids. He had a great time playing in the indoor playground which was this big tower of tubes and ladders that you climb around in until you end up at this huge slide at the top that takes you back down. He probably spent an hour climbing up and sliding down and was worn out and drenched in sweat by the time we left. Jesse was the one who really enjoyed all of the exhibits, though. It was kind of a math nerd's dream.

Casey playing in the helicopter outside Ft. Discovery

While we had a relaxing time in Georgia and really enjoyed spending time with my Grandma and Dad and the rest of my family we were ready to be back in Boston after spending a month away. Casey was thrilled to see his best friend, Kate as soon as we got to our apartment building and was equally excited to see his room. He dragged out every single one of his toys in about the first 20 minutes we were back here, and that is quite a feat.

I am getting back into the swing of things, seeing friends, and taking Casey to story readings and the like. We went to Chuck E. Cheese with our friend Natalie and her little girl, Hailey, last week which Casey loved. We have had preschool a couple days, one of which I was a helper....it was kink of nuts, 2 hours with 10 2 and 3 year olds... We're having fun doing our normal stuff but Jesse is swamped with work already. He has 16 job interviews between this Friday and next Thursday. There is no class next week because it's "dedicated interview week" or what is more commonly referred to as "hell week" and there is a chance that he may have to fly to California next Friday. After he is done with his cases he has to do interview prep work usually until around 12 am or so. So, for the next 10 days Jesse will be going through a little hell, but we all know he can manage it. The bad news is that we are all sick. It started with Casey and then Jesse caught it and now it's catching up to me. Casey was really bad off, actually. I took him to the doctor yesterday because he had been in pretty bad shape and had not eaten anything since Friday. As it turns out, the doctor told me that he was getting pneumonia! He has a raging ear infection in both ears, his eyes have been all gooped up and he has a terrible cough. We started him on antibiotics and ointment for his eyes last night and he's much better today. Unfortunately, we had tickets to Sesame Street live on Saturday which we had to give up and we had to miss 2 days of preschool, but at least he is feeling much better now. Hopefully Jesse will get better by Friday so he can be sharp for his interviews. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for checking in on us. I will try to do a better job at keeping you updated. We love you all!

These are some pictures that my friend, Jenn took around campus a few days after we got back in town. There mostly right outside our building. You southerners that have never really experienced snow should plan your trip out here for next January!