Christmas 2013: Part Two: Bloomington

Christmas in Bloomington was wonderful.

Joe, Jackie, Sarah, and Jacob were visiting too, which really made Christmas special.

We all got together with Nola and Mimi and had a Christmas book swap. I got this awesome book!

And we had a lavish farewell breakfast the day that the cousins left -- with Dad's eggs, potatoes, bacon, homemade biscuits, Christmas crackers, and a few small presents.

 

Merriment ensued.

We took the family portrait.

While I was in town, Mom and I got to hike at Lake Griffy.

On this lovely icy day.

We climbed all the way down these stairs at Leonard Springs.

And we had a fantastic brunch at the Punce with Nola.

And then it snowed. It snowed a lot. Right before David and I had to leave for our conference in Chicago. I was so happy to have this beautiful walk with Mom in the snow-covered, otherworldly woods. But I was less happy to drive through the snow-covered, otherworldly highways. They closed the roads in Indianapolis just after we got through them.

In Chicago, the snow stopped, but the temperature started to plummet. We stayed in our hotel almost the entire time we were there. This is the view from our room.

And the view looking down.

And this is all the sightseeing we did: the Magnificent Mile, glimpsed from the car window. Because it was on its way to -20. The day we left Chicago the weather forecast was calling for "Brutally Cold," "Dangerously Cold," and then "Just Cold." But luckily we were headed south.