We Wish You a Nicholl Christmas

Since it'd be nearly impossible to get all of us together on Christmas day or Christmas Eve, we tend to have the Christmas on my mom's side of the family a week or so before Christmas.  This has worked really well, as pretty much every year we have everyone, including Uncle Brent and my grandparents, in attendance.  This year was no different, and it was great to have everyone there to celebrate Christmas as a family.  Every year we take a photo identical to this one, except for adding in any new spouses or babies.  This year Clara joined the party.  Fortunately, she doesn't take up a lot of space, because as you can see, we're nearly out of it.

The Crew

Today was the big day. Jeff had helped me move the items from the storage unit last night, but the most of our possessions were still in the house. I assembled a crack team of movers: Nick, Andrew, David, and Jason Hanson (not pictured). It took us a full day, and it was a lot of work, but despite I-35 construction and tight deadlines, we managed to move everything from the old house to the new house in time to enjoy some pizza and beer at the new house when we were all done. I couldn't have done it without these guys. It was grueling, but we had fun and still got the job done.

Aloha to Hawaii

Today was our last day in Hawaii. We had a nice family meal at the Chinese restaurant on the property. It was really good (well the dessert was kind of not something we would want again, but everything else was excellent). Jim, Joanna, and Julie and Andrew leave tomorrow so they were able to store our luggage for us and help us out to the car. We got this picture in front of the hotel sign on our way out. We had a great time in Hawaii and I think we could have happily stayed much longer since it's pretty much paradise. But we are looking forward to our Actuate trip to Vegas this weekend.

Bella Vista

Today we moved down the road from our condo at Mauna Lani to the hotel at Waikoloa Beach. Jim, Julie, Andrew, and Joanna are also there so we met for dinner tonight. We went to the Italian restaurant at the resort. The food was good and name of the restaurant is accurate because it looks out on the water and it was very enjoyable.

Miller Time

Today we drove up to Clarinda, Iowa, and back for Jason's grandma's family reunion (her maiden name is Miller so this year's reunion was called "Miller Time"). It was really fun because Grandma Hall showed us her farm that she grew up in and where her school used to be and the country church and the cemetery. And then we went to the reunion at a really fun farm and Joshua and I got to meet everyone since I hadn't been before. Joshua got a little prize for being the youngest Miller in attendance. We couldn't stay as long as we wanted because of all the house craziness, but we were so thrilled to be able to go and had a great time.

The Whole Family

Although we are all here in Las Vegas, our arrival and departure schedules don't all overlap exactly, so we had our family meal today, when we knew everyone was going to be in town and available. We all traveled via the tram to the Treasure Island buffet for a great lunch. It was really nice to have everyone together in one place, as it doesn't happen very often due to everyone's schedules. Afterward, we got together for a family photo.

Yard Games

Andrew and Julie invited us to their house today for a Memorial Day party. Originally we were going to go to a beach at Clinton Lake, but ultimately they decided to host it at their place. We had a great time, as Andrew grilled up some great food. Wally and Lisa were there too, and they brought a board game that we all liked (it seems we're pretty much all board game fiends). In between, we played some games in the yard. Here Andrew and I are tossing around a football as I try to guess which way it will come down from the tree.

Family Night at the K

Mom and Ron recently decided they wanted to have a family night with a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, and they generously got tickets for all of us to see the Royals play the Twins tonight. Joanna was at K-State, and Meghan had to stay home with Joshua, but otherwise all of us "kids" were in attendance. It was buck night, so the peanuts, pop, and hot dogs were all a dollar (while supplies lasted, apparently), and there were fireworks after the game. To top it off, the Royals even ended their long losing streak and beat the Twins in an exciting finish.