Tea, Chocolate and A Good Night's Sleep

 Reasons to be thankful:

A fun Christmas party at work

Christmas bonuses

Going to Tea with Allie

Getting the day after Christmas off from work

Diana arrives on Saturday!!

Shopping at the mall and it wasn't very crowded

Finding a great parking spot

Sleeping for 11 hours!

The Polar Express

Taking a day to just sit on the couch and watch TV

It's almost Winter Solstice!

Chocolate Truffles

I'm linking up with Rebecca Jo at Knit By God's Hand for Thankful Thursday

What are you thankful for today?

Bricks

I was thinking about my dad today. 

As my dad got older he fell in love with trains and he donated financially to the Pacific Southwest Railway and Museum. So when my sister asked me to plan the train ride as part of our memorial/celebration, that's the one she wanted to go to but it was an hour away and it was kind of expensive.

So I made the decision to just ride the commuter train up the coast of San Diego and back again. It would be quick and inexpensive.

But no. My sister insisted we go to the Pacific Southwest Railway and Museum. She said our dad volunteered there over the years and she wanted to ride that train. So we all piled in our cars and drove the hour out to Campo, CA. 

I had read on-line that we could buy a brick in honor of him and they'd put it in the walkway leading to the station. We all talked about doing that, it could be nice!

When we got there, we all headed toward the office and what did we see?

Bricks!!

He had already purchased bricks for himself and for me and my sisters!! I'm so, so glad we followed my sisters advice and took the time to go out to that train! It really made us feel like he was there, like he bought them knowing one day we'd go out to ride that train.

 I bet he smiled as we darted about the walkway searching for bricks! "Here's another one!"

I miss you dad. 

Chains for Your Feet

Seattle is in a deep freeze. We had a few inches of snow fall on Monday, then the temperatures dropped into the teens. Watching the news last night, the temperature outside was 11. Just a tad nippy! That's unusual for Seattle.

So when Chuck headed out to work, I put out the Trax. Have you seen these? They're incredible! They work like magic, making it viturally impossible to slip on the ice. Slip 'em on your shoes and waa laa! I'm surprised everybody doesn't wear these. They're called Yak Trax and we got ours at Big 5 for about $20. A little steep, but SO worth it! (They may be cheaper in the off season.)

Chuck's also been taking the train this week. The freeways have been parkinglots with all the accidents and spin outs. People have just given up, parked their cars on the side of the freeway and walked home. Public transportation has been a mess. I think they said on Monday night there were 200 busses spun out or stuck on hills. Chuck usually takes the bus into work, but (my brilliant husband!) thought to take the train into downtown Seattle. He sent me a text this morning, "Made it in just fine. Right on time. No hassles." Did I mention he was brilliant?