great lakes, great times

i'm back from a lovely though frigid weekend in michigan. apparently, it was the coldest weekend of the year, and i believe it without a doubt. it was a grand total of 8 degrees on saturday, the kind of cold that makes your hair freeze and your fingers hurt for 20 minutes after you go inside.
i've been missing my family a lot lately, and it was time to go back and see them. we had a good time on friday family fun night, a shoutout to days of yore when my parents had us push potatoes across the living room floor with our noses. this time we stuck to less snake-like games, like taboo and rummikub. please enjoy this picture of my parents attempting to read the "tiny" print on the taboo cards:


thanks to my new digital camera (potentially my favorite new possession), here also are some pictures of my sisters and brothers-in-law, and also my honorary sibling, liz, who is trixie's best friend and one of my favorite people:

i also went to an uhhmazing sigur ros show at calvin. it was unbelievable. those of us who attended have since been discussing the sub-parness of the rest of the music in the world. if you've never gone, please do yourself a favor and experience heaven on earth. the opener, amina, was also beyond description. i take comfort in the fact that most of the people who read this were there, and hence my lack of descriptive ability is of no consequence. i will direct your attention elsewhere, to a much more articulate description of the ecstasy in the FAC.
ahh, sweet bliss.
but now, i'm home, and as this weekend is jubilee, i am very vErY VERY busy. so, don't expect much from me til next week.
pax.