Christmas in a Winter Wonderland

Hello Dear Friends!

Every holiday season, my sisters and I travel to be together. This year I made the trek to Superior, Wisconsin. I would like to share my trip with you, and how I dealt with a very difficult travel day to Wisconsin. It was a rollercoaster ride that started with the flu in Dallas days before traveling, but in the end it became a delightful time with my family, animals and nature. 

Wisconsin Winter Wonderland

On the Sunday before my trip, I hosted a fabulous game day get together with dear friends. Everyone brought their playful spirit, along with lots of yummy snacks and treats. Game days are always a good time with friends. I look forward to them, but for some reason, I was feeling unusually tired with little energy to engage in the fun. None of the tasty food sounded good, and all I wanted to do was lie down. Needless to say, we wrapped things up early, so I could get some rest. 

With my flight departing on Thursday that week, I decided to visit Urgent Care the very next day, Monday, to rule out Covid. The last thing I wanted to do was expose family, friends and strangers to an illness. Thankfully, I tested negative for Covid. Unfortunately, I did test positive for that awful flu that’s been going around. I was prescribed an antiviral and told I would be fine for travel by Thursday. Just to be safe, I rescheduled my flight for Friday, which turned out to be a good call, because I still wasn’t feeling that great on Thursday. I was miserable all week; upset stomach, achy muscles, and exhaustion. I even lost eight pounds, which were found again in Wisconsin thanks to cheese curbs, dinners out, and my sisters’ gourmet cooking!

I woke up Friday morning at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for my flight. I still wasn’t feeling one hundred percent, but I was feeling better, well enough to travel. Knowing I wasn’t contagious, made for an easier day. One less thing to worry about while traveling.

Colleen & Bonnie, My Beautiful Sisters

Getting to Superior, Wisconsin requires several transfers, including a two hour shuttle ride. During my day of travel, I felt like a chess piece being shuffled from one flight to another, and due to delays and cancellations, an already long travel day got significantly longer. I had to make a decision early on to just go with the flow to keep the stress at a minimum. I couldn't control events outside of myself that day, but I could control how I reacted to them. I took a deep breath, centered myself, smiled, and accepted I would get where I needed to go in the time I was meant to get there. Once I surrendered my expectations to the universe, I felt more in control, calm, and peaceful, even though it did take TWENTY-FOUR hours to get to my family’s house. I did’t arrive until early Saturday morning. I was beyond exhausted, but feeling very grateful to be there....finally.  

I probably would have postponed my trip a few more days due to being sick, but it was Christmas. I really wanted to be with my family over the holidays and I knew it would be worth the effort. It was great to see my family and friends in Wisconsin, even if I lacked my usual pep in the beginning of my visit. It took about a week for my energy to bounce back, but I was determined to make the most of my time there. 

During the second week, the fun really began! I spent most of time with my two sisters, Coleen and Bonnie, and their amazing partners, Mark and Jeffery. I’ve known these two men for years, and they’ve really become family to me. They made me feel very welcomed in their homes, and also treated me like I was a sister. It was so much fun running around and playing in the snow with them. And there was a lot of snow!

This year, Wisconsin was blessed with a winter wonderland - one foot of snow after another, day after day. It was lovely. Mark took me out for a ride on the snowmobile one day. As we glided over the snow and through the tree, I felt like I was on another planet. It was breathtakingly beautiful. During my time in Wisconsin, I made every effort to get out in the snow. Besides snowmobiling, I brushed off snowy cars, shoveled snow off of decks, and even helped haul in wood for the wood stove. Who knew I would get such at workout while on vacation! 

Mark and I heading out on the Snowmobile / Me Shoveling Snow / Mark and I during our Ride

When we weren’t outside enjoying the snow, we were busy playing games like Rook, Cribbage, and Rummikub. I must admit, my first week in Wisconsin was a total bust for me in the game department. I could not win a game to save my neck! (I’m blaming that on my low energy, of course.) However, the second week I was feeling more like myself and back in the game…literally. Ultimately, it didn’t matter who won; it was all about spending quality time together. We’re a family who likes to play games, so I really felt like I was home every time the games came out.

During my visit to Wisconsin, I typically split my time between my two sister’s houses. I’ll stay at Bonnie and Jeffery’s home half the time, and than Coleen and Mark’s home for the other half of the time. Sometimes I even break it up depending on what activities we are doing, and which friends and family we are visiting.

Cooper in the Christmas Tree & Bo Calmly Supervising

While I was staying at Bonnie’s beautifully updated home on Lake Saint Croix, I had the pleasure of bonding with their two cats. Bo is the older cat, who is always calm, cool and collected. And then there is Cooper, who is a wild child kitten. As you can imagine, Cooper was constantly getting up to something. One minute he was trying to wrestle Bo or get his attention, and the next minute he was zooming around the room and climbing up the Christmas tree. It was pure entertainment. Cooper was always getting into something, running around like a typical kitten. One of the more amusing highlights was definitely when he watched popcorn pop for the first time. He was utterly bewildered! It made us all giggle.

Despite the rocky start with the flu, I managed to have an incredible time with my family and friends. I returned to Texas feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world, filled with new ideas. We’ve put our work and production schedule in high gear for 2026, and have loads of new YouTube content coming your way. I’m also adding more events and new classes to my schedule. I’m super excited to share what’s around the corner with you. Time to get to work!

I hope your holiday season was incredible, and you had the opportunity to spend time with friends and family, or just took time for yourself to rejuvenate. As we step into 2026, let’s all embrace the new beginnings of this year. May it be prosperous, joyful, and filled with beautiful moments for you, your family, and your beloved animal companions. 

Many Blessings for a fantastic New Year! 

Sandra

Jeffery & Bonnie / Colleen and Sandra / Sandra, Colleen and Mark