When we left Fort Riley on December 22nd we planned to spend a few days in Atlanta, fly to Michigan and return home on the 30th. Simple, right? Well, our trip was anything but simple! En route to Atlanta, Justin came down with the flu. He began feeling better so we kept our plans to spend a few days at a rustic lodge in North Georgia with most of Justin's family. Sam fell to the flu Christmas Eve, Anne Marie fell Christmas Day evening and the rest of Ducote clan fell quickly. (Sorry, everyone!) Needless to say, we were in no condition to travel to Michigan on December 26th but before we could cancel our flights, they were canceled due heavy snow in Detroit. We planned to stay in Atlanta and fly directly back to Kansas on December 29th but that morning Justin woke-up with a bad ear infection. Per doctor's orders he could not fly for TWO weeks! We rented a car and began the long journey back to Kansas from Atlanta. A stopover for the night in St. Louis and one bad snowstorm later we arrived "home sweet home" in time to welcome in the new year! This will not be a Christmas we will forget! Despite all the illness, we had a great time with the Ducote side of the family and look forward to seeing the Sutherland side in a few weeks.
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| Sam feeling well enough to play with his new drum set from cousin John on Christmas morning at the lodge. |
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| Sam met his cousin Max this Christmas - we expect they will be great friends as they grow-up together. We also welcomed the first girl cousin, Ella Jane, a few days before Christmas. She was born in Houston so we are all so excited to meet her soon! |
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| Somewhere in Tennessee taking a break from the drive back home. Sam was ready to face a storm with his snazzy boots. |
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| Getting fueled with our morning coffee in St. Louis to drive the width of Missouri. |
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| A snow covered "Old Bill" (resting place of the last active duty cavalry horse) greeted us at Fort Riley. |
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| Home sweet home - 129B! |
