au·da·cious: Christmas in Minnesota

I know, I am a little late, but these last few weeks have been crazy!

This Christmas was a new one for me, it was my first time being away from my family, my first time in Minnesota, and my first time meeting many of Steve's family!

Not going to lie or sugar coat things, being away from my parents and our Christmas traditions was hard - really hard. I found myself homesick from them at times. I missed doing our puzzle, spanking the turkey, and opening up gifts with them. Before we went to Minnesota, Steve and I did some Facetime with my family, which was fun to see them open our gifts. Nonetheless, it was still a challenge for me. I know, that as Steve and I get married, and start our family, there will be blending - and I anticipate there will be challenges for both of us.

So now, on to the real good stuff. Minnesota was lots of fun! Steve's family is fantastic. Loved meeting the cousins, and his Grandma. All very good people.

Some highlights of the trip include:

Being in Negative weather for the first time Ever!
Taking my first Zorbaz ShotSki (see photo below).
Spending time with family! His cousins, Leah & Hannah, are both around are age, married, and have great kids. It was never a dull moment in the house!
Eating delicious food - and plenty of it. Made sure to make two stops at the Pizza Ranch - an all you can eat Pizza Buffet. Also, enjoyed Zorbaz, Taco Johns, lots of local eateries, and of course home cooked holiday cuisine.
Sledding down the hill from the house, both fun and scary.
Talking about their upcoming trip to the bay area in July!
Playing the games Aunt Lyn came up with - with lots of prizes!
Opening gifts - took about 3 hours total to get through everyone!

I am looking forward to our next trip to Fergus Falls, most likely towards the end of summer. Minnesota nice - its a thing - and so wonderful.

The only downfall to our holiday trip, was the holiday travel. Steve, Suzanne and I got stuck another night in Minneapolis due to a storm in Chicago. Suzanne and I spent a lot of time the next day exploring the airport (which includes shopping!).

Here are a few pictures of our amazing trip (more on Facebook):