Here's to a Rockin' New Year's Eve

2012 ended just like it began {sort of}, with champaign and family that are more than friends. 

You may remember that last New Year's was spent with Hubby's siblings. {We are a group of five!} I have loved each of these people since the moment I met them. We have hung out together and vacationed together and found snippets of time to talk on the phone or video chat since, like, forever! Shared memories and jokes just get richer and richer. 

Brother's wife and I like to sneak off and laugh until tears roll down our faces. We laugh until we can't catch our breath. And we often get in trouble with our husbands. They think we are too rowdy? Or think we may be making fun of them somehow? SIL and I have talked on the phone and our stories make each other laugh/cry on the phone too. 

Hub's Sis is also important to our group of fun. She and SIL totally get how wonderful white Russians are and allow me to indulge in Kaluha and cream. And sangria in summer? Why, yes, thank you! Many an afternoon has seen one or three of us on the porch with a sangria. We know how to appreciate the small pleasures.

We three "girls" enjoy our time together often on the porch or in the kitchen watching SIL (Bro's Wife) cook. She loves to cook and she is incredibly good at it. 

The boys are often in another room taking techie talk, or re-wiring computers or trying to establish the fastest connection to something and typically talk in geek. 

Bro and SIL are incredible hosts. They have created a home that is so inviting and comfortable and are so generous with having family come and stay for our visits.   

SIL loves to decorate for Christmas. She usually has several trees with different themes. When we visit around Christmas time there are so many cookies and goodies we can never finish them all. It is a Christmas wonderland at their house. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be with them this time of year.