After our Christmas weekend in Illinois with my side of the family, Levent and I headed out to Ohio to spend a few days with the Millers in Columbus.
When we were there for Christmas in 2019, we thought perhaps it was the last time we would be gathering at the Wilbur and Shirley's big old house. (At the time they had renters but were transitioning away from being landlords, which would then leave them in this giant house. So their thought was to downsize and move). But then the pandemic hit, they remodeled several things in their home and realize, it was amazing to have this beautiful place to themselves.
Fast-forward to Christmas 2021 and once again we were gathering at the Miller house on 17th street with the state-side Millers. I love coming here for Christmas. Shirley goes all out with the decorations, which look extra charming among the houses' fireplaces, crown moldings, Turkish rugs and giant windows. It's like a Christmas movie come to life.
I also really enjoy our time in Columbus because it feels somewhat restful. (There aren't any kids on this side of the family, which is a whole different vibe).
This year, we were there for 4 days, which is a bit longer than usual. So this time, I made sure I made the time to see my cousin, Betha, who lives nearby.
Of course Shirley made all kinds of delicious foods.
There was lots of time for reading, puzzling, and even games (which will still never be my number one pick).
My favorite day of the whole Miller Christmas was New Years Eve. In the afternoon, we had tickets to go see the Van Gogh immersion experience. I thought it was very cool (although way too short for my liking). (It also felt pretty safe since everyone had their masks on and were spaced out very methodically). Levent was glad we didn't drive all the way to Kansas City to see this show (which was our original plan), but I was happy for the chance to experience it in person. I think I really appreciate Van Gogh because of how he struggled with really hard mental health but was still able to create beautiful things. I am not trying to undercut how much of a bummer his life was (it was real rough) but struggle with mental health around the holidays really made me drink this exhibit in more.
When we got back from the art exhibit, we took a night walk around the neighborhood, followed by fondue, cocktails and playing a Ontario-Mennonite marble game.
Also on NYE, I made my annual Yule log. This is my third time making one on New Year's and had asked if I could make this year's with the Miller. (Of course they had no issue with it). This time, I made a black forest cake. It was a bit more pudgy then usual but it still tasted great. We enjoyed it after we toasted in the New Year.
Usually, I am such a New Year's Eve hater. It's totally overrated and exhausting. This year, however, I had no problem staying up until midnight and actually enjoyed toasting in the New Year, (which I have zero expectations for. Thanks covid).
The next day we had to begin our journey back to Kansas. We broke the 12 hour drive up into two days though, staying in St Louis over night. (Shout out of Kaldis' coffee in STL for being awesome. I am mentioning it so I can try and remember it for the next time we're there).
Like always, it was super hard to come back and get back into the swing of things after Christmas. But at least this year we got to see our families. And I am really grateful for that.
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