A Winter Trip Recall #1

Dick and I left on Thursday morning, Dec. 11, headed to Atlanta with an overnight stop in Birmingham, AL.  

While in Atlanta, we stayed at the new AC Hotel by Marriott in Dunwoody, Georgia. Its location was perfect, as it’s close to our granddaughter’s apartment. Mary-Elizabeth works nights as a nurse, so we were able to meet her for breakfast after her shift. It was wonderful to spend that time together, especially since it had been a year since we last saw her.

Afterward, we drove north to Cornelia, GA, to spend a few days with friends, Randy and Cele.

They have a lovely home on a mountain top overlooking a beautiful mountain range with the most spectacular sunsets.  Their house was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and their company is always enjoyable. Spending time with them is something we look forward to when we travel north.  This trip was especially nice, sitting by the fire, driving around the interesting countryside of North Georgia, eating in and out, and seeing the wonderful Christmas lighting of the area.  Thank you Randy and Cele.

On Tuesday morning, we left, heading toward Indianapolis with an overnight stop in Lexington, KY.  Wednesday, we arrived at our other granddaughter, Savannah and her husband, Reis's new home in Indy.

  

They have only been married for a year and have recently bought their first home on the outskirts of Indianapolis.  I was so delighted to see how she displayed the Christmas village I had passed down to her mother years ago.  Savannah had asked for it since she now has a place to display it. She and I both love traditions.  It will be a joy to help her expand it in the years to come.  She and Reis have done a beautiful job of making this home theirs, and it thrilled us to share their love and pride in their new place.

On Thursday morning, we headed toward our final destination, Granger in North Central Indiana.   We traditionally spend Christmas with our son and his family there. This was the first year their nest was completely empty, thus our stops on the way up to see our girls.

After experiencing major snowstorms just a few weeks earlier, this was all the snow left on the ground when we arrived—and none was forecast for the near future, much to my dismay. However, the next morning, God surprised me in the most wonderful way: snow!

Of course, the highlight of being there, besides seeing our grown kids, was getting reacquainted with the little ones, Jax, 3 1/2, and Navy Grace, 15 months.

It had been a year since we had seen them, but Michelle shared them with us through Snapchat and FaceTime, so we weren't strangers, thankfully.  This little guy is Mister Personality for sure.

One day between snow showers, Dick and I took a short road trip into downtown Mishawaka. We love the historic buildings and enjoy seeing the St. Joseph River as it winds through town.

This was once a home and I can only imagine what it must been like at that time, but now is an event center

There are several other beautiful old churches that I was not able to photograph while driving.

We agreed this would be a perfect house for a thriller film.

The St. Joseph River flows from this dam northeast of the town center, (two of the large churches can be seen on the horizon)

over these terraced pools between beautifully designed walking paths,

until it reaches the full-flowing river.

There is an outdoor ice skating rink wedged between the river and a new complex featuring apartments, condos, and restaurants.  It was quite busy on this day with families and people of all ages eager to be outdoors while the sun was shinning.

On Christmas Eve, we met our grandson Jackson and his family for an afternoon service at their home church. The children loved it, and Jax especially enjoyed the candlelight portion of the service.

Afterward, the four of us went out for dinner at a lovely local restaurant. We always treasure these evenings spent with our kids.

Christmas morning was filled with time with the grandchildren—Jax and Navy Grace—and, of course, their parents. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of them opening their many gifts, but I can say they had a wonderful time. It didn’t take Navy Grace, at just 15 months old, long to discover the fun of playing with all the wrapping paper!

Jax enjoyed playing with Navy Grace's present as much as she did.

And little Miss Pris was happy to strut her stuff, showing off her new hat and first pair of jean shorts.  It looks like she is going to be a perfect combination of a feminine tomboy.

The next day, John, Michelle, Dick, and I hit the road early to enjoy breakfast at our favorite place to eat—and shop—in Elkhart, Indiana, "Birds Gotta Fly."  It is an old warehouse that now houses the most clever collection of vintage items. 

 

We even had Savannah along via FaceTime.

We love shopping in boutiques and Vintage/Christmas stores.  This one was new to me, and I actually found the neatest long sweater cardigan - perfect for Texas winters.  We also found another place that was new to all of us.

The men folk were happy to stay in the Tesla and watch a movie.  Michelle and I didn't mind that a bit.

This is an overview of a portion of this delightful Christmas store.  It will definitely be on the agenda next year.

Happy gals!

And this was the upcoming forecast!

And this was the Monday radar!

In the middle of a gorgeous snowstorm!

After the storm passes by and the sun creates glistening diamonds on the undisturbed snow 

So what did we do in the middle of a snowstorm in north Indiana?  John works because a hospital never closes; Dick reads and works Cross Word puzzles; Michelle and I water paint.  Neither of us had ever water-painted before, but these precious little books were great for beginners.  We actually enjoyed doing several of the seasonal designs.

This covers Christmas 2025 in Granger, Indiana and the largest portion of our visit.  

In my next post, I will tell you about our New Year's trip, so stay tuned.