We are Also Family

Here we are...15 (I'm behind the camera again) members of the McKee clan on Christmas Day. This is mom's side of the family, and for the most part, we're all here. My brother, his wife, and their kids were not...but that's an entirely different story. It's a dysfunctional family but we love each other.

Although I was only home for about 30 hours, it was a good trip home. Perhaps it was the perfect amount of time. Enough hours to catch up...but not enough time to get annoyed with everyone. I jest, I jest....sort of.

One highlight of this Christmas: a LONG-overdue present.

Yeah, that's a Teddy Ruxpin. Remember him? I do. I wanted him when I was 5 years old. I really wanted him...a lot. But for some reason, Santa decided I didn't deserve him. I'm not sure why. I got everything else I wanted. What was the big problem with Teddy Ruxpin? Over the next 20 or so years I never let my parents...uh...I mean Santa...forget the fact that I never got a Teddy Ruxpin. Well, at the age of 28, the issue has been rectified. I opened up a Teddy Ruxpin on Christmas morning.

The entire trip would have been great had a storm not blown into Salt Lake the night I was supposed to leave. As soon as I got to the airport, the snow started to fly. The plane that I was supposed to ride on back to Boise wasn't allowed to land in the blizzard and was diverted to, of all places, Boise. I didn't get home until 1 am. But compared to other travel delays across the country this past week, I'm sure I got off easy.

Merry Christmas (by the way...I'm sick of people saying Happy Christmas. When did that get started? It's Merry Christmas people)