Presents recieved

This is just a thank you to all the gift givers. We gave hugs while we were there but let it be forever known (or until Achned the terrorist takes down the WWW) that we love the gifts.

We appreciate all the gifts for us and the kids. They have been played with (especially in the car ride home) and used non-stop and they were just what the kids are enjoying right now. Candi and my gifts were perfect also. It's amazing how well you nailed us down even with us being gone from the family so much. I hope we can call and write more often the gift exchange will be easier as the years go by. I hope you are enjoying yours just as much.

Also, thank you for opening your homes for the "homeless Sickels clan" for ten days. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories in that short time. I am really happy to have spent time with you all and that the kids were able to get to know you more. God has really blessed us with great family! We'll start adding rooms so you can all come down next year. There's something awesome about hiking in the desert on a "cold" Tucson Christmas day. We love you.

The Long Haul

We arrived in Minnesota (my parent's home) today around 0600. It was a long 36 hours. Well, we didn't actually drive for 36 hours; only about 24. I was approximately 1700 miles and to my great surprise gas was about 20 cents cheaper once we left AZ and continued that way for the whole trip. We didn't get to see a whole lot because all but six hours was during darkness. We left at 6pm Sunday night and drove until 2pm-ish Monday in Emporia, Kansas (KS?). We stayed there until 10pm and then went the rest of the way. It was definitely tiring but about $600 cheaper than flying (in addition to rental vehicle). The kids were great and the weather was perfect. Honestly, I give glory to God for how smoothly the trip went because I couldn't have planned it any better! We're here for the rest of Christmas time and will be leaving to come home on the 26th. I'll write later to fill in on the holiday "spoils."