While driving to Chicago on Christmas Eve, we received a not unexpected phone call that Mary's grandmother--her mother's mother--had passed away. We were logistically prepared, having packed funeral clothes, but still such news is never an easy thing to receive.

We got into Chicago a little after midnight, said our Merry Christmases, unpacked and went to bed. Christmas day was celebrated at my sister Donelda's. Between her and my mom, our family continued the fine tradition of over doing it. Barely able to walk around all the Christmas presents, we enjoyed an amazing selection of all homemade rum balls, peanut brittle, peanut butter balls (covered in chocolate), chocolate chip cookies, and snickerdoodles. After marathon present opening, we all overate a huge meal prepared by my sister. Our family believes, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.

Later in the week we drove to St. Louis for the wake and funeral. Then, drove back to Chicago to celebrate New Years with friends of mine at Harry's home who I've been friends with since third grade, although, I think we only started getting in trouble together since eighth grade. New Year's day was a drive back to Tulsa.

I commented to Mary's cousin Tom that we were driving a big "M" (motioning with my hand how we had driven from Tulsa to Chicago to St. Louis to Chicago to Tulsa). He, more accurately, pointed out with his own hand motion that we were really just making a dark "I."