These Boots Are Made for Walking (In The Slush) - Brady

Grandma and Grandpa, Fred and Cindy - thanks!

I just wanted to show off the new snow boots I bought with the money Santa left at both of your houses for me this Christmas. I used it to buy these heavy duty Sorel snow boots.

I have a bad habit of buying cheaply made stuff in order to save money and then hating it and having to spend double to correct my mistake. So goes my relationship with snow boots. I bought some inexpensive ones at DSW several years ago. They're cold. They leak. They're flimsy. I actually broke my ankle in them two winters ago. I was goofing around, kicking Kevin, tripped and twisted my leg until my fibula cracked. I 90% blame me and 10% blame the boots for having zero structure. I was being an idiot, but I was being an idiot in shoes whose lack of support is rivaled only by flip flops.

Anyway, gross, I don't want to think about broken bones anymore. The important thing to know is that my ankles are safe and sound and supported in these awesome new boots. Plus my feet are cozy warm. I've found living in Chicago that surviving and even enjoying winter depends heavily on having the right gear. I'm having lots of fun breaking these in, stepping in all the slush puddles I want, stomping around with Molly, looking like a serious Midwesterner.

So Grandma and Grandpa, Fred and Cindy - tell Santa I said thank you next time you talk to him!

Happy happy holidays! - Brady

Oof, I did too much over the holidays to write about it in depth. You'd be bored out of your mind. But I did have a lovely Christmas and a fun New Year's Eve down in Nashville (which I'll write about later). I'll post some photos below.

(Grandma and Grandpa, if you want any of the photos of your beautiful house printed out, let me know and I'll make it happen!)

First! A few photos from our family shopping trip in Chicago, mid-December:

As soon as I was officially done with school/work for the holidays I begin my first duty of Christmas: making limpa (Swedish rye bread) for Christmas Eve. Here are photos of the process:

The ingredients.

Everything all mixed together.

Limpa has to rise for a LONG TIME. It's a two day process to make it.

Ready for the oven!

Baked and braised with butter.

The final product, at Christmas Eve.

And the big day itself. Christmas Eve at my grandparents', Christmas morning at my parents' house in La Porte, and Christmas day at my in-laws':

Getting ready for Christmas Eve!

My grandparents' beautiful Christmas house.

Around the fire.

Six handsome gentlemen.

Our big Swedish meal.

Siblings.

Cousins.

Post celebration. 

Getting ready for bed, Christmas night.

Molly and her present.

The chaos.

At the Rasps'.

Merry Christmas!

And that's it! I'll leave you with two pictures of Ms. Molly.

This is how we felt during the holidays. 

And this is how we feel now that they're over. :)