A Great Thanksgiving

We traveled to Grand Rapids for this year's incarnation of the turkey day holiday, and we were able to spend a good solid 4 days in my old stomping grounds. We took the kids for some swimming at the state-of-the-art YMCA in downtown GR, and also to the Michigan Athletic Club where my folks have belonged for ages. Ann got some shopping in with my sister and mom, and even took a class at the MAC with them after a stressful morning of trying on jeans at Nordstrom Rack. Whew...
I learned the hard way that trying to get in on some bargains on black Friday, especially mid-morning, is a joke. Society's worst had the isles clogged up at Menards (which was the oldest, nastiest Menards I have ever seen) in Grand Rapids, I wasn't going to wait over an hour in line just to save a few bucks on some items that I could live without. What a mess that place was..
All of us went out for a night on the town Friday to Bistro Bella Vita, a nice joint downtown (where M and B had their rehearsal dinner) and then we met up with some of my old high schools friends Rich and Gregg (along with Kolleen and Mishelle) at Bar Divani, a swank joint that has all sorts of amazing alcohol choices. i would have enjoyed that place a lot more if I didn't have a raging headache all evening.
So what's the cure you ask for a raging headache? Why karaoke of course. While it certainly wasn't my choice for the evening's entertainment, it proved to be a blast as we got even more hammered on shitty tap beer and inhaled smoke from everyone else in the joint. Even Ann got into the act as she "performed" Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks along with my sister Meg. That was a sight to see... pictures forthcoming for sure.
Apparently my brother Jon goes by the name "Jonny Rocker" when he moonlites in karaoke clubs, and Friday he wowed the audience with renditions of Given to Fly by Pearl Jam (with a sweet-ass flying spreadeagle off the stage) and another one by them that I can't remember...
Dad got into the act on the dance floor and shook his stuff like I have never seen him before, that was awesome...
After closing the joint down (I had no idea it was that late) it was a high-speed trip to Yesterdog in Eastown, which ended up being a total nightmare. With Meg throwing up in the parking lot and Jon and Dad waiting 15 minutes for hot dogs (amid a sea of drunken assholes) only to find out the place doesn't take plastic, it was a mess.
Everyone was paying the price Saturday morning, thankfully we had a whole extra day to spend there before coming home.
It was a great visit, capped off by one of the easiest drives home around Chicago that we've had. For some reason, we picked the perfect time to drive through town and got home before dark.
Now it's on to more holiday decorating, and we're looking forward to upcoming visits from the Richards and then my parents the following weekend when we'll have an early Hankins Christmas on Bond Drive.
Ho ho ho, indeed.