Midwestern Holidays: Part Two

The second part of my holiday break was spent in wonderful southern Michigan.  My dad and stepmother recently (within the last year) upgraded from a summers-only place on Lake Michigan to a year-round place on a private lake about five miles from the big lake.  This was the first time I had visited them at the new house. Here's a view of their neighborhood from the middle of their frozen lake!

I had a really fun holiday with my dad and his side of the family too! We spent lots of time visiting people, exploring the new city they are living in, freezing our buns off, drinking LOADS of amazing coffee from this coffee shop, and shooting guns…a Red Rider BB Gun to be exact.

I also spent New Years Eve in Michigan and we went out to a local bar.  It was lots of fun and we randomly ended up sitting next to a few members from a popular Vegas show (think nearly naked men).  Apparently, one of their members was originally from the area and it ended up being pretty hilarious for all of us to witness.

It was super fun to visit my family at their new place.  I was pretty sad to see my childhood house get sold this summer, but the new house totally made up for it.  This area in southern Michigan is a place that Cody and I have debated moving to at some point in time (probably when we decide to "settle down.")  There's a decent job market, progressive communities, close proximity to the lake, lots of colleges/schools, and we've just always enjoyed the area.  Getting a chance to experience the area in the winter months was a great opportunity for me in terms of future moving plans.

Overall, it was an amazing trip! I couldn't have asked for a better trip to Illinois and Michigan.  It definitely made me feel a little nostalgic for my Midwestern life.  But, I did miss Juneau and it was nice to be back in my own (tiny) corner of SE Alaska.

Questions:
Teachers: How did you spend those glorious weeks off? 
Non-teachers: Did you get to take any holiday time? What did you do? 
What is everyones favorite New Years Eve memory?