i flew into kearney around noon on christmas eve.  instead of spending the entire day either at the airport or on the road (flying into omaha means a 4 hour drive home), we were within 15 miles of grandpa & grandma ripp’s farm house. flying over nebraska this time i got some great pics of the landscape, amazing texture with the snow.

 

christmas eve is always a big family gathering at the farm, with the famous turtle soup (which i don’t eat), kids running around giving out presents then playing with them all night, too much food, browsing through grandpa’s latest rugs, and catching up with all the uncles, aunts and cousins.  i think we had over 50 this year and we were missing 2 of the 9 families.  we got back to burwell and hit the northside for a few drinks with the dobbins boys, casey and nicola. 

 
  
 

flying in mid-day on the 24th meant that i screwed up our hanna tradition of opening presents on christmas eve morning.  :)  so i got up early on christmas morning to wrap up all my presents…  we all got too much yet again this year. :) 

 

we headed down to dixon’s for christmas lunch and sat around all day eating and drinking.  i helped carrie space plan her home office and played with all the cousins.

 
 

the rest of the week was spent quilting a new masterpiece with mom, baking cookies with rylee, hanging out most nights at stockman’s, and meeting with tenise & lynn about the burwell website.