Travel Catch-Up: Family & Holidays (cont.)

December With Family

Mr. E and I headed to Austin the weekend before Christmas for the Celebration of Life for my Mom. The gathering was at St. Christopher's Church on Saturday, and we were joined by nearly all of my cousins, for whom Mom had a special place in their lives as "Auntiebelle." J had arranged for a light lunch reception in the Parish Hall after the celebration, followed by a locally catered dinner just for family at her house later in the evening. Mr. E and I had decided to stay at a nearby hotel rather to have a bit more autonomy, which also gave us the opportunity to interact with family during breakfast, since nearly all of my cousins where staying at the same location. I also got to hang with A on Saturday evening while Mr. E kept his mom company. So very thoughtful and supportive of her to come for the celebration!

One surprising piece of news that reached us during the weekend was the sudden and unwelcome notification that our gym, the Capital Athletic Club, would be closing as of Dec. 31st. Only two weeks notice, and apparently the news was just as surprising to most of the staff and instructors as well. So we started to think about options, knowing that we wouldn't have much time to make any decisions or transitions due to other upcoming travel plans.

We came home to Sac on Sunday but were back in flight to Austin the following Friday afternoon for the Christmas holiday. As usual, Mr. E was excited about cooking a couple of special meals for the family, both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. For the Eve dinner, we were joined by B's sister K and her partner, and they also stopped by for a bit on Christmas afternoon. The holiday was the first without any grandmas, since both B's mom and my mom died in the Fall of 2023. We all felt the absence but were still able to enjoy being together and making some new memories. Mr. E and I stayed at the house for this visit, and then returned to Sac on Tuesday for our quick turnaround time before our NYE trip to Oahu.