Romulus, Black Friday, and Some House Guests

Happy Belated Turkey Day, Nation.

I know I've mentioned this before, but we Houghs aren't huge on Thanksgiving.  That may have something to do with the fact that none of us in our family could really be described as 'big eaters,' or that my extended family is seemingly cursed with misfortune, accidents, and/or both during the holiday, and therefore do their best to downplay the event year after year.  Due to the latter, our own family, upon moving back to Michigan, opted to celebrate Thanksgiving with both sides of Kris' extended family instead.

Which I'm totally cool with.

So, once again, we'll be taking you all on a scenic trip to picturesque. . . Romulus, Michigan. And then afterward, back up to Midland where we took in two of Kris' cousin's kids - Scarlett and Kyan - for the weekend, threw up the Christmas Tree, and inadvertently introduced the girls to One Direction.

God help us all. . .

The dreaded Zilwaukee Bridge.  Kris and I both hate this with a passion. . . probably because the history of construction is down-right terrifying and it's not technically sound.

A couple hours later, rolling into Paradise on Earth.

The Landing Strip: best steak in town, evidently (Kris wouldn't stop.)

For the entirety of our visit, Kris and I didn't take any pictures.  It was harder for me than her, obviously.  Anyway, the girls both brought their cameras, so nearly all of the following pictures from our Romulus visit were either taken by Abby or the Cannonball (like this selfie.)

Dance party

Abby and Kris' cousin, Lily (yes, seriously - it's Kris' youngest aunt's youngest kid.)

These kids hid behind this couch playing on a tablet for a good part of the Lions game.  Kept them from making a crapload of noise, so I wasn't complaining.

One of our better 'couple' pics.

More weird selfies.

I don't think that was booze  (the Red Solo Cup was a bad choice on her part.)

This dog's a frickin' BEAST.

The girls spent about an hour outside taking pictures of the empty parking lot across the street: they were convinced their were ghosts in the cars, and kept trying to obtain pictorial evidence of paranormal activity.

Shitting their pants.

Seriously.  Ghosts.

They repeatedly came rushing into Wayne's house, where adults were sitting around after dinner and enjoying interruption-free conversation, to show us 'proof' that they had in fact seen ghosts in the parking lot.  What we found on the SD cards were a shit-load of blurry, poorly-executed night shots.  These girls have a lot to learn when it comes to nighttime photography.

On our way to Kris' Uncle Jeff's house, for a visit with her other side of the family.  We'd end up leaving around 8:30pm (we opted not to stay the night downstate this year), reaching Midland around 10:30 at night.  Kids slept the whole way back, which was awesome, but Kris and I were both dead on our feet.

The next morning - Black Friday.  You'll note that we all slept in and are clearly not in line outside a Best Buy.

Kris did some online browsing from her phone, though.  So that counts for something.

Later on in the day, Kris and the girls drove up to Clare to pick up her cousin Crystal's younger two kids, Scarlett and Kyan.  Their whole family - Crystal, her mom Mickey (Kris' mom's twin), the older sister Victoria, and them - had celebrated Thanksgiving in Clare with Kris' mom, and originally the plan was for the two kids to stay the weekend in Clare. . . but we all knew that Marcy's apartment was going to be nowhere near as much fun as our house (which is bigger, has videogames, etc.), so we offered to take them.

These kids played a shitload of videogames over the weekened (especially Kyan, who repeatedly drained the battery of the Wii U Gamepad.)

Kris, gettin' her hair did.

After dinner we took the kids out to Family Video to pick out a couple movies (and of course they went in costume.)

Alayna and Abby, as previously mentioned, discovered One Direction this weekend (Alayna's dancing here to one of their music videos, via Youtube.)  Perhaps it was a random YouTube find, perhaps it was the influence of a 6th grade girl staying wtih us for the weekend, but it became quite evident to Kris and I that both girls have fully embraced the 'boy band' phase.  They might not quite understand why they like these One Direction videos so much, but Kris - being  herself a once-superfan of New Kids on the Block - sure as hell does.  I wasn't quite ready for the whole boy-band crush thing yet, but I guess it's a right-of-passage for any dad who has to raise daughters.

Later that evening, once we had all four kids down for the night, Kris and I were ready for our annual Black Friday tradition:  decorating the Christmas Tree.  I had spent the last couple days trouble-shooting the lighting situation with the tree (two strands are completely burnt out, so this will be likely the last year we use this paritcular tree), having to string four new strings of lights on the tree and shaping the branches out how I like them.  With that set, and with kids in bed, it was finally time to mix up a Merry Irishman (shown here) and kick off one of our favorite Christmas-time traditions. . .

. . . and, of course, that meant we got to watch our annual Decorating the Tree movie.

We should purchase stock in Hallmark.

(Watson isn't much help.)

The finished product: the Hough Family's 2016 Christmas Tree.

The next morning, as Kris prepares a huge-ass, animal-centric breakfast.

Snuggle time with some pigs (this one's Fuzzy.)

Kyan and Susie. Sunday afternoon, Kris drove Crystal's kids back up to Clare, where they were to be picked up by their mom, and we started putting our house back together for the upcoming week of school and work.

I bought a star for the girls' playroom tree this year.  In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have gotten one that was so big, but. . . whatever.  'Tis the season.

- Brian

We Get It, Leaves...

Seriously.

Perhaps I'm spoiled from my eight years of Florida residency, perhaps I'm just being a good ol' fashioned 'Grumpy Pants,' who knows.  But I'm just going to come right out and say it. . .

I'm done with Fall.

I get the appeal, I do.  The cool, crisp air, the pumpkin beer, the pumpkin carving, the pumpkin spice invasion of every facet of our consumer society. . . it makes sense.  Fall is swell.

From a distance.  Like, when you're looking at other peoples' pictures from across the country.

I used to enjoy the changing colors of Fall, and I did this year, too. . . for the first month.  It was nostalgic, and it was cool seeing the girls' reaction to seeing leaves fall through the air.

But then reality set in, and I realized - in horror - that I would have to start cleaning up after Mother Nature in the same manner as I clean up after Watson while taking him out for walk.  Just more frequently.

Mother Nature, as it would seem, won't stop shitting in my yard.

Check it out. . .

Hough Manor (for now)

A view of our side yard (we're renting a corner lot, so it's a shitload more leaves to rake up this time of year.)

The Cannonball decided she'd help me with the raking this afternoon. . .

The Detroit Lions finally put an end to their atrocious losing streak this season. . . thank God.  After a couple hours raking I took a short beer-and-Lions break.

Kris and Abby had originally decided to rake up the side yard, but the pile never quite made it to the curb. . .

. . . somewhere along the line Kris relented and began piling up all the dead leaves into a pile for the kids. 

When you've spent your entire existence in a swampy, urban sprawl - without seasonal changes of any kind - this sort of thing is a pretty big deal.

 

No, I didn't use a leaf blower.  I used a rake.  And my muscles.

. . . and the kids 'helped.'

Raking leaves the first time?  That was cool.  The second time (less than a week later, probably)?  Okay.  The third, fourth time?  No.  Hell no, Mother Nature.  It's no longer cool.  I don't care how much you want to dress it up in sweaters, knee-high boots and Infinity Scarves, Mother Nature is still a seasonal skank who can no longer control her bodily functions, and I'm funned out with her.

The kids lose steam. . .

Bath time at the Hough House. 

Watson sportin' the Honolulu Blue

New neighborhood tourist attraction (this is our side yard.)

Abby and her classroom beau, Jackson

Guess which kid's having fun helping out the parents with yard work?

COWABUNGA

Hopefully Old Man Winter is a little more considerate.  I mean, what could he possibly dump in my yard that I'd have to worry about.

Right, guys?

- Brian