Holiday Update

Well, the holidays are winding down, though I still have plenty of time on break. If I'm reading Columbia's Web site right - and there's a very good chance I'm mistaken - we don't start classes again until January 26. That means I still have at least another 2 weeks of break.

I had a pretty fun time this holiday season. And it was nice to spread things out just a little. For the last few years, it's been a mad dash to see friends and family when we come back to visit for Christmas. This year, since we're here, we got to spread things out a bit.

In addition to seeing some old friends from high school and some of Jen's classmates at her 10-year reunion, we got to spend time with our friends Jeff and Jessica and their baby Lillian. They stopped by to see us on their way through to the Quad Cities. Hopefully pictures will be available on Jess's blog soon. We had a great time catching up, and we got to introduce them to The Junction Restaurant, a quaint little hole-in-the-wall that Jen and I have eaten at since some of our very first dates. The carpet is ugly, and it smells a bit of old fried food - which I'll admit is a step up from the haze of cigarette smoke in its earlier days - but the food is tasty and the waitresses are friendly and that's all that really counts. Oh and it's cheap. :)

I also got a chance to head into the 'burbs with my father-in-law for a little golf, believe it or not. We went to a "bubble" up in Bensenville, where we got to hit a balls for an hour or so. Here's me slicing my 3 Iron.

After the bubble, we went to a nice Wineshop in Downers Grove (I think that's where it was) and had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

What else? That's about it, I suppose. Had a quiet but nice New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. And today I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my cat and maybe do a little coding. :) Tonight I play soccer. Cross your fingers that I don't blowout a knee or something what with all the extra holiday weight.