home for the holidays!

Sadly...the flight was not as expected. An hour and a half late gave me plenty of time to walk around LAX (about 2.5 hours), to take pictures of myself in the bathroom mirror, to snack on some fresh baked Christmas goodies from Amy, and to people watch. When we loaded the plane I sat next to a chatty girl who wouldn't let me sleep for the first 30 minutes. Turns out she went to Gustavus, knows my friends, the Lieser's, and remembers Kevin vaguely. Small world. Either way, I was pooped, so I finally put ear plugs in. She got the message! :) I eventually slept on and off the rest of the flight. But boy was I glad to see the lights of Minneapolis/St. Paul from the air. The sight of snow covering the ground, and even runway was a very strange sight. We landed, and I was on my phone calling Kevin even before the flight attendant said we could. Shh...don't tell anyone. He was already there waiting, so I got off the plane, and cautioned the people around me, "I'm a runner!" and took off for the exit door. One step out into the frozen tundra known as MN and alas, I was home! Kevin had a hat, mittens, and a jacket all ready to bundle me up in. The MSP airport police are nicer than those at LAX...we could've stood there all day and hugged, and no tickets would've been issued. But, it was freezing, so we made it quick!

Back to the Bergeson's for a 2 hour early morning nap, followed by a delicious brunch, some last minute present wrapping, and we were on the road to Worthington. I called Presley on the way: "Auntie, when you get here, I'm going to give you a really big hug!" Me: "It's not going to hurt is it?" Presley: "No, but it's still going to be really big!" Around 5:00 we walked into my mom's house with arms full of presents and saw one little 4 year old jumping up and down! Ah, PRESLEY RENEE! She kept her word and greeted me with one gigantic hug. We spent the evening eating a wonderful meal, opening presents, a Minnesota style surf session (when there are no waves, surf on your brother's back!), lots of new toys to play with, and the pictures to prove it all. Holly loved her new Coach bag, and my mom loved the personalized calendar. Presley is still a little mystified that there is "money" on the Disneyland gift card, but come March, she'll understand completely!

Presley rode with Kevin and I back out to their house. As we turned into the driveway, there was one massive snow drift. So, we did the responsible thing with a 4 year old in the back seat: gunned it and plowed right through! So fun!