flowers for julia

It is nice to head home. Set my alarm so that my clock would be started earlier in the day. Still took my sweet time getting up in the morning. Had a meager breakfast and some chicken tikka masala for lunch (courtesy of Trader Joe's frozen food isle). Did the dishes. Put away my laundry. Tidied up a smidge.

My suitcase was mostly filled with presents. I opted to pack light. A couple sweaters, five or so shirts, two pairs of pants. Normally I overpack. When I am going somewhere where there are left behind clothes for me to wear and a washer/dryer, I can pack lighter. It doesn't take me that long to pack. Though I still managed to forget my needle felting needles. Oh well. I have my crossword puzzle book at least! I only had my large purse (gift from Rubie) and back pack for carry on. Sweet. And Karen gave me a ride to the station.

Mark and Kristen got a larger fish tank. They are really into this fish thing. Fish, shrimp, a couple frogs.

It was starting to snow when Karen picked me up. More of a slush that wouldn't stick, but still it was coming from the sky. Got to the station. Hugged Karen. Got my ticket. Checked my bag. Sat down and worked on solving my crossword. Soon enough it was time to line up for seat assignments and before I knew it I had boarded. Got an aisle seat, but thats okay.

The person who sat next to me was a nice fellow named Alex. I complimented him on his Goorin Brothers hat and he said he worked there. We ended up talking for most of the ride. He helped me a little with my crossword (the first one I asked was about a Chicago radio guy, and Alex was from Chicago. What a quinky dink!). We chatted about art and writing and being positive. I drew him a picture of him holding flowers for him to give to his lady that he was meeting in Seattle. I worked on it slowly here and there. Building it up. I was quite happy with the final results. I hope his lady is as well. He paid me a piece of caramel for the drawing. I still pulled a piece off to share with him. It was so damn good. A perfect reward. I had a hot dog in the dining car.

It was a very nice ride, though a nap would have been nice. Made a new friend!

Ma was waiting for me. There wasn't a lot of people getting off at the stop and the luggage was brought out quick. We drove to SeaTac from Tacoma to pick up Dad at the airport. He flew in from Houston. There was a bit of a mixup. We were waiting by an escalator, and he was in the baggage claim. Neither were very far apart from one another. He just managed to go up a stair way that we were not watching. We drove the long way around, stopped for some drive through. It was rainy and then lightly snowy.

Yay! I'm home! Christmas is coming soon! Have to wrap my presents. But first. Sleep.