A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Gav & I!!!

We arrived from Marrakech via Madrid to snowy Rhode Island and the warm house of the Purdums a week before Xmas . The kids, Isabel and Harrison greeted us with hugs and Suzie and Ed, the adults, greeted us with beer and magaritas. Yep! Holiday season has begun!

Our 2 weeks there was a riot of drinking, eating, shopping at the mall, throwing snowballs, sleeping, playing Wii and a bit of sightseeing.

We had a dinner party at their friends' Jim and Lisa and along with Cindy and Bill, they are just as mad as the Purdums. Ed's legacy of the night was not realizing he should have let Bill win the arm wrestle. All 3 times.

Christmas Day was hosted by Ed's mum and partner, Betty and Don, who made us feel very much a part of the family. Christmas Day is always a wierd one to be away from family but Gav and I were right where we needed to be.

We took a 2 day trip up to Becky (Ed's sister) & Tom's place in Vermont and partook of some snow-shoeing and snow-fighting. The highlight tho, was toboganning down a neighbour's hill. Hilarious! Enough trees to keep it interesting :). Gav insisted on wearing the fluouro orange beanie which ensured he wasn't shot by a hunter in the woods.

Ed, who was raised in RI, regaled us of all the local wildlife, monuments and history and Suzie, good Aussie chick who has embraced American culture, regaled us with the best restaurants, malls and outlet shopping.

Issy and Harry were gorgeous except when Is was singing karaoke-style to High School Musical and Harry was belting us in Wii boxing. Wii is definitely a video game worth having - it gets everyone off the couch pitching, bowling, batting...and my tennis arm is still sore a week later !

We left the Purdums with warm hearts and me with a tear in my eye - precious are those enduring friendships...

But our 6 hour bus ride to JFK airport on New Year's Eve snapped me out of my sentimentality as the lady driver announced that she "had a party to get to and I áint takin' no arguments from no one". It was a hairy ride.

We're now in Buenos Aires, a lovely tree-drenched city but that's another story.

For a quick video of us in Vermont check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgkj2ZRh130

xMandy & Gav