Back from vacation

I drove 11 hours yesterday yo get home from New Jersey. It's never my favorite part of vacation. On the way there, you have the anticipation of spending time with old friends and family.
This winter vacation is pretty programmed. I get to New Jersey on Thursday and Bruce and Fran order Chinese food for dinner. We watch a couple of old Star Trek episodes.
On Friday, I have lunch with my friend, Keith, who still works at The Courier-News, and then all the old Jersey gamg -- the people who my husband grew up with -- goes out to Lu Cas for dinner. We reserve a closed room that we call The Cage, although the waiter always calls it the alcove.
This group of people knows at least as much about me as my family. When Rob and I started dating, I knew it was as important that I get along with them as with his family. For 28 years, they've been like family. The men played softball together while the women cheered from the bleachers. We vacationed together and watched our children grow up. We had annual softball picnics, Halloween parties, Christmas Eve gatherings and ofr course, now we have the annual Leslie's-in-town dinner. (Rob doesn't take the winter trip with me because it's just too much driving in too short a time.) We have inside jokes that are as old as the children.
We walk into the restaurant and Craig offers to order for everyone. Bruce offers his salad to whoever wants it. We tell the same stories about camping trips or beach vacations over and over, and the kids never seem to tire of hearing them.
The parties end earlier, although we can still be pretty loud and obnoxious. I love that the kids still come along for the dinner. I guess they see me as the crazy aunt. When Katie was at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, she spent most of her weekends at our house. Liz and Jay spent the first night of their cross-country tour at our house.
The family party on Saturday afternoon is different without my sister. KJ doesn't unpack the dozens of Father Christmas figures or the Dickens Village, the nutcrackers, the garland ... Her homage to my sister was the Christmas kitchen towel hanging on the front of the stove, and a few ornaments on the houseplants.
As always, we were silly and we ate too much. My stepfather and my younger sister's boyfriend fell asleep on the couch, side by side, snoring in perfect harmony. My mother, who started the party fighting back tears because she misses Ellen, ended it by laughing so hard she had to clutch a pillow to her stomach. We have our ways of cheering her up.
I got to watch two football games with KJ, and the Patriots won. Every time they scored, we did a silly dance.
It was kind of mundane, normal stuff, I guess, but it was wonderful.
I love hanging with my family.