A Christmas Story

I hope you had a very, merry Christmas! This year, I spent the day with Roy, my brother and cousins in Eastern Pennsylvania. After a nice breakfast with Roy at our local diner and opening a few gifts, my cousins came over and we were ready to start our journey for the day. First, we drove about an hour and half to Bethlehem to meet my brother. We met him at the Sands Casino.

This is what the entrance looks like but this is the miniature version taken from the master plan for the venue and nearby areas. They are planning to transform the defunct steel mill into one big entertainment super center. The casino was packed on this day, mostly with people of Asian descent. Even the shops were open. We ate some yummy noodle soup and some fried rice.

After lunch we headed to my brother's place which is about 30 minutes north of Bethlehem. I don't know the exact town name but it's somewhere around Bangor, PA. I was bracing myself for what I was going to see at his place, because with him you never know. When we got there I was surprised, somewhat pleasantly. I was expecting worse. Men living alone can be a scary thing sometimes.

At my brothers place, we built gingerbread houses and played the girls' favorite game, Monopoly, while my cousin watched Bridesmaids. 

Angela's House

Gingerbread Man recovering on the couch

Jessica's House

We ate some of Angela's house after it started collapsing. Jessica's house stayed together and we were able to take it with us. After Monopoly and showing the girls the scene at the wedding shop from Bridesmaids, we headed out for dinner. 

We arrived at Mohegan Sun in Wilkes-Barre around 7 o'clock. The girls were getting a casino tour of Eastern PA on Christmas, ha. The reason being is that my brother, the avid gambler that he is, has accumulated some comp dollars at these casinos and he wanted to use them on us. Plus, we never visit him where he lives, so it was nice to make the trip. We ate dinner at Rustic Kitchen, a ritzy Italian joint. They had homemade pasta which was absolutely divine. The total cost to us ended up being $9.19, so we were all pretty happy about that. The girls encouraged my brother to gamble some more and then invite us up again.

We didn't get back until late, but I think it was a pretty fun trip, full of good surprises. The girls are always fun to be around. They are always so cheerful and bubbly. Maybe it's the frequent napping that keeps them so energetic. I love them to pieces.

Here's a shot of Roy that my cousin took with an iPad Mini at the Apple store in the casino (which I want, BTW). He looks good in his new North Face jacket, don't you think? 

I guess that is my Xmas present for him. He's not big into Christmas as far as the hoopla of decorations, music, and buying presents are concerned. My official gift to him was the Entourage Season 8 DVD. I had no idea what he was getting me and I was very surprised when he brought it out Christmas morning.

It's a KAYAK! I couldn't even get the whole thing in the photo. He says he'll get one in the summer and we'll go kayaking together on the river. Aww, so sweet. Doing things together makes me very happy. Thanks, baby! I love you to pieces, too.

Three more days of work and it's the weekend again.  MD Reunion Time!  Stay tuned.