![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Finally back! Went to IL to see D's family, minus sister (whom we're going to see tomorrow). We also saw my family, which was in St. Louis with the Kid. There is nothing quite like my family, and we had a marvelous visit. I must admit that D's family probably makes better in-laws, mind you. But their styles are very different. His family goes in for the loving banter, and mine for the loving brawling.
The actual visit was wonderful, and the return trip wasn't too bad, but the trip out was sufficiently awful that we will never travel US Airways again if we can help it. We would also like to avoid United, but both these things are not really possible, alas. Other travel observations: 1) Sayers' Inferno is both entertaining and fitting for an awful and long airline travail, and 2) I really missed bringing an mp3 player along. Somewhere along the line I've gotten addicted to having music around in spare moments.
Also, the loot was awesome. My family did amazon gift lists this year, which worked out beautifully, and I also got a new cell phone, which has improved my life more than I had expected. (The camera phone, for instance: apparently most people don't use it, and the pics are pretty crappy, but I've already found it useful several times as a visual prosthetic memory.) My parents also cleaned up, as both the Kid and I had some good ideas for presents (my mom, for example, at Kid's instigation got a portable DVD player which she adores). However, as regards D's nephews, they are incredibly cute, but when you get so many toys you get cranky, that is too many. (Not, mostly, their parents' fault. They are the first grandkids on both sides.)
The actual visit was wonderful, and the return trip wasn't too bad, but the trip out was sufficiently awful that we will never travel US Airways again if we can help it. We would also like to avoid United, but both these things are not really possible, alas. Other travel observations: 1) Sayers' Inferno is both entertaining and fitting for an awful and long airline travail, and 2) I really missed bringing an mp3 player along. Somewhere along the line I've gotten addicted to having music around in spare moments.
Also, the loot was awesome. My family did amazon gift lists this year, which worked out beautifully, and I also got a new cell phone, which has improved my life more than I had expected. (The camera phone, for instance: apparently most people don't use it, and the pics are pretty crappy, but I've already found it useful several times as a visual prosthetic memory.) My parents also cleaned up, as both the Kid and I had some good ideas for presents (my mom, for example, at Kid's instigation got a portable DVD player which she adores). However, as regards D's nephews, they are incredibly cute, but when you get so many toys you get cranky, that is too many. (Not, mostly, their parents' fault. They are the first grandkids on both sides.)
