The End of 2024: The Slow Year

'Sup, Homies.

Abby and her friends went ice skating at the Midland Ice Arena the first week.

Here we are at last, the end of 2024. This year was probably the slowest (in terms of social events) that we've had in a long, long time. As folks' kids - including our own - grow older, they have more after-school and weekend bullshit going on that prohibits us from doing as much as we have the last few years.

Abby, Ella, Nica and Nica's boyfriend pose for a pic out on the ice. . .

There was no Florida this year (though that will be coming up again in Summer of 2025), no Jellystone, no Michigan adventuring with Rita and Smitty, no St.Patrick's Day party, no Cancer Soiree, and due to lackluster weather we didn't even make it out to Eight Point as often as we usually do. Our weekend tribal hangouts weren't as frequent either, which meant a lot more chill time around the house in order to catch up on rest and side projects (and I do love me some side projects.)

No Hough ice skates well. Abby definitely comes by it naturally.

Alayna got a car and started driving this year, Abby and her Pom teams (Northeast and then Midland JV) turned into a powerhouse, Yours Truly finally got his left arm sleeve started, and Kris. . . well, Kris was probably at work.

December was super busy, but as the heavyweight of the Holiday Season that should come as no surprise, honestly. We performed the Greatest Hits of a Hough Christmas - the Sheahan Christmas Party, Christmas (at our House and Mom's), Christmas in Clare, etc. The other usual December nonsense - orchestra concerts, pom performances, weekend hangouts with the usual suspects, etc. - are chronicled in this monthly wrap-up of pics and video that you've all come to love.

So sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy one more month of All Things Hough for 2024.

Enjoy. . .

Group feet pics are all the rage these days.

Alayna and her fit for a Taco Bell Christmas Party.

Samson begs for human food. The dude has no chill.

Abby and the Midland JV Pom Team performing a routine during practice one evening. They practice like two hours a day, five days a week (and usually more - they're workhorses.)

For a couple weeks towards the end of Novemeber/beginning of December this exchange student from Brazil had the hots for Alayna (Abby and Ella took this while their class was in the library and Alayna and this kid happened to be in there 'studying.') She entertained the notino for awhile but eventually lost interest in him. Sorry bro.

Alayna's end-of-year summary, courtesy of Spotify.

Abby's summary on Amazon Music (Abby and I use Amazon Music, while Alayna prefers Spotify.)

Abby's listening habits have totally skewed our Amazon summary. You can see here that the top three spots on hers, while mine come in at #4 and #5.

Tom used A.I. to create pics of some of the Kings of Hill and shared it in our group thread one day towards the beginning of the month. He modeled himself as 'Stabby Tom,' after an incident that occured on a Shepler's ferry during our Brocation '22 adventure on Mackinac Island.

Mitch the Grill Chef

The Colonel - the group's Swordmaster

Collier the Gym Bro

Our first snow of the year. This winter we're supposed to see more snow than we have in previous years, which - fortunately - meant a White Christmas this year.

Our calendar would eventually get more filled in, but this is how things were looking towards the beginning of the month.

(I can't help myself.)

We actually had a Snow Day the first week of December, if you can believe that. I haven't had a snow day in December since like 2016.

Later that evening, I went out with the guys to Diamond Jim's for a Thursday football game, some food, and some much-needed beers.

I love this season for craft beer. This one was pretty good.

Samson gets very defensive over his bones.

Watson's an idiot.

The first Saturday of the month, Erik and I attended our Lodge's Installation of Officers for 2025. Freemasons rotate officer positions on an annual basis, which perpetuates our belief in equality among brothers.

Installation took about two hours, and was open to the public (hence my posting pics online.)

Checking off a classic off our mandatory Christmas movie viewing.

Abby participated in Kris' church's Youth Service the next morning. All these pics are courtesy of Alayna, who couldn't be bothered to put her phone away (she was sitting with other kids across the room from us, otherwise we wouldn't have allowed this.) 

Reading a scripture (I think.)

Super excited that her sister is taking pictures of her in church.

Napping on the couch with Samson later that evening.

Abby and the other Pommers have to submit pom videos to their coaches on a weekly basis in order to get pointers and feedback outside of practice.

The next night, the Midland High Orchestras - Concert (shown here, which Abby is in), Symphonic and Honors (which Alayna is in.)

Cello Shots.

Again, you'll have to make due with just pics 'cause the video files were too large to upload here.

Abby, as lead cello, had a solo in one of their numbers.

Honors Orchestra - the cream of the crop.

Alayna isn't as much into orchestra as she was last year, but is still really good on her instrument.

The Symphonic Orchestra (which includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion alongside the strings.)

(Again, sorry for the lack of videos.)

Weird selfies following the performances.

Amelia, Alayna, and Lexi

The Hough Girls pose for our annual in-front-of-the-Christmas-Tree pic.

And of course one with Ella, who might as well be a member of this family at this point.

The Terrible Twosome.

And one with the parents, per Kris' request.

Contemplative.

And a couple with the orchestra teacher, Mrs. Mammassian

Alayna and Erica on the way to the monthly Korean Club meeting (yes, that's a thing.)

Big Brain energy at Midland High.

The JV team performed a pom routine at halftime during a Boys JV Basketball game one Friday about half way through the month.

Abby, front and center (as one of the squad's best performers, they usually stick her up front.)

(Santa hats 'cause Christmas is in like twelve days.)

The JV Team (Abby at far left in the back row.)

Boom. The video.

Abby got temporary custody of the team mascot (I guess) following the game due to her performance.

Enjoying a milkshake.

Wouldn't be a proper Christmas Season without watching Scrooged at some point (probably my third-favorite Holiday movie.)

Samson keeps Alayna company while she chips away at her homework one afternoon.

Abby takes a lot of bizarre selfies on her phone. . .

This one wasn't as good as I had hoped. I think they dropped the ball on the whole 'toffee' thing, it tasted weird.

Alayna had a Christmas-themed karaoke party for about two dozen orchestra kids in our basement, with food, a gift exchange, and everything. The dogs spent most of the evening down there, making friends.

Meanwhile, Abby went over to Taylor's house for a pom 'teambuilding' sleepover. At some point in time the girls took pics of themselves hiding behind. . . a water heater?

The dogs kept Kris and I company on the couch on and off throughout the night (when they weren't downstairs trying to mooch food off teenagers.)

Kris and the Moms had a gift exchange/Lions game hangout the following afternoon over at Alicia's house. From Left to Right: Nagatha Christie, Danielle, Kelli, Stephanie, Courtney, Susan, Amy, Lacy, Mees, and Alicia.

Look, the wives like football, too.

My borther Jeff recently got back this dagger from his ex-wife, the Dark Lord Sauron, after she had claimed that she had acquired it on a 'missionary trip' to Africa (that she never went on.) In truth, I had purchased about seven or eight of these for my future groomsmen while adventuring through Niger during the last months of my Peace Corps service in Ghana. I picked up a ton of Tuareg artifacts - swords, daggers, jewelry, leather goods, etc. - in my travels, but I wish I would've gotten even more.

Alayna and Ella, on their way to school one morning.

Abby and her friends met up for an exam studying session out at the Chippewa Nature Center one evening, for whatever reason. . . and found the time out of their busy studying to take a couple super-weird pics while they were there.

Hanging out on Abby's bed.

Recording performance videos for their orchestra exams. . .

Dry-Brining the Christmas Eve Turkey, about three or four days before throwing it in the oven. 

I use kosher salt and a bunch of different herbs and spices in the process, which pulls out juices from the meat and then re-releases them into the meat (which sounds super weird but totally works.)

And every year I have to re-read the instructions because I forget how to do it over the course of the next twelve months until I have to do it again.

The process paired nicely with this seasonal gem.

Abby, back at the Midland Ice Arena. Her and her pom friends enjoy watching local Midland High and Dow High hockey games on an almost weekly basis. She says it's because they enjoy watching the sport itself, but Kris and I both know it's because they enjoy watching the teenage hockey players.

I stocked up on Holiday treats for our Christmas Eve spread (and the subsequent days where we'll be loafing around the house surrounded by Holiday gift debris, not having to go to work or school.) My roommates are huge fans of Ghiradelli chocolates.

These, too - whatever they're called.

Kris hates it when I buy these, because the girls mow 'em down in a day or two. Oh well, that's what they're for, right?

See what I mean?

On Sunday the 22nd, the Inner Five families headed out to Stardust Lanes in Saginaw to visit with the Shepherds, who had made the trip out from their home in New Jersey to visit with the tribe. Courtney was still a little 'under the weather' from the Sheahan's Christmas Party.

Grazing on bowling lane food (pretty much everything's fried, just in case you were curious.)

Drew, Jackson, Ella and Abby at the kid's table.

Kris has some laundry to fold and put away. . .

Monday the 23rd. The calm before the storm.

A rare White Christmas (thank God.)

Southern Tier (unsurprisingly) knocked it out of the park with this imperial stout.

At their annual vet visit, it turns out both dogs had fleas. Not bad, but enough where we freaked out and dropped a bunch of money on collars and shampoos. Took a week, but we got rid of it (after washing and vacuuming everything multiple times a day for a week. . . which is just as much fun as it sounds.) 

Alayna (and, to a lesser extent, Abby) dog-sat (-sitted?) once again for the Angelotti's next door for the Holidays, as they were down in Texas spending Christmas with Sherri's daughter, Abby. This is Alayna with their not-at-all-social dog, Smooshie, the day after Christmas in Clare.

Abby had her friend, Kiersten, spending the night, so they popped over to check on the dogs at some point in the evening.

BP got me to try World of Warcraft one afternoon, and we played online for a couple hours. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but it was fun playing online games with folks again (we haven't done so in a few years, since I used to play Elder Scrolls Online with BP, Kimmel, Sean and Scrunge.)

That evening, Kris, Abby and I went out to Midland Cinemas to watch A Complete Unknown (the new Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothy Chalemet as Dylan.)

It was awesome - check it out if you're even remotely a fan of Dylan's work.

Alayna and the dogs, lounging around like a bunch of lazy-asses.

Abby is far more into vinyl - and older rock/pop music of the '60s and '70s - than her sister, so one afternoon I took her out to Radio Wasteland. I dropped off a stack of used vinyl and used the proceeds to purchase myself a couple albums as well as grab Abby a stack of used albums to help her better acquaint herself with the classics.

I have a serious storage issue with my collection, so I spent a few days going through and purging albums in order to free up more space (Kris says I can't buy anymore cabinets, so I have to get rid of albums now every time I buy new ones - not fun.) I mostly purged from my Classical, Historical, and World Music genres - about fifty in total.

In the next room, Kris and the girls (and the mutts) hung out playing cards and coloring.

They only stop to nap.

Another Winter Break evening spent watching movies on the projector.

Alayna got this mirror (which looks like something you'd see in a convenient store in order to deter shoplifting) for 'aesthetics.' I guess it's something teens use for social media pics.

So there you have it, folks. The End of 2024. We'll see you cuties next year in 2025.

- Brian