Christmas

I have never been as excited about a winter break as I was this past year. Not only was it a few days off school, but it also marked the end of both graduate classes I had been taking as well as the end of the first semester and report card writing. Also, I was taking Dennis home with me!

I met him at the airport in Amsterdam and then we headed to Michigan together. I had been to Dennis' hometown twice at this point and had spent maybe three or four hours total with his family. Dennis and I landed in Detroit and so began a full week with my family! Starting with two hours in the car with my parents and then pizza dinner with everyone!

The next day we picked up a rental car and toured the area. That night we had Christmas at my grandma's house and I was able to show Dennis one of my most favorite places! I love the coziness of her house, especially around Christmas!

The next few days were full of family gatherings and Christmas celebrations. Lots of playtime with Dylan and Charlotte! My first escape room experience. And, of course, lots of chances for everyone to get to know Dennis. Not that they needed a week-- they liked him right away :)

A big snowstorm hit on Christmas Eve, so we had a wonderful white Christmas. Dennis even got to help shovel all the snow out of the driveway :p

As per usual Christmas tradition, Dylan and Charlotte had some nerf guns in their stockings and Dennis and I helped to break them in.  They weren't quite strong enough to work the toys but they did recognize quite quickly that they had a better chance on Dennis' team.

After all the Christmas celebrations, Dennis and I did a bit more exploring the town and enjoying a visit to the states. We sampled a ton of donuts, went out to Cugino's with Dana and Matt, and did a lot of shopping. I don't think I've spent that much time in a grocery store since ... ever. But it was worth it because he was super excited! ha

Our last night there, Dennis made dinner for everyone. He brought all kinds of goodies from the Netherlands to share and I pretended to help in the kitchen. hehe. Just in case my family didn't already like him (which they of course did!) his delicious dinner won them over!
 
We had a fantastic time in Michigan! Being with my family for the holidays is always amazing, but getting to share it with Dennis too was even better than I imagined it would be!!