Merry Christmas!

On Friday, December 21, I met my sister at the Ol' South Pancake House in Fort Worth.  She flew in from Hawaii in order to spend a few weeks with friends and family.  After a hearty breakfast, along with a couple of errands, we were on the road headed south to Austin.  In Waco, we made a stop at the Magnolia Market at the Silos.  Of course I know who Chip and Jo Ann Gaines are, but my sister was more enthusiasted about checking this place out than I was.  Nonetheless, I still had fun since it was time spent with family.  After checking out the market, we made a stop for gas and some shopping at Bucee's.  This particular "brand" of gasoline and convenience store is a Texas phenomoneon.  They pride themselves on the cleanest bathrooms, and, so far, I have never been disappointed.  Once in Austin, we treated ourselves to a late lunch at Trudy's on Burnet Road and then shopping at The Salvation Army Store.  By early evening, we finally called it a day by heading to our brother's house in Del Valle.  It was a full day!  The subsequent days were even fuller as we checked out the new Central Public Library in Austin, ate at a German restaurant called Banger's, and watched the most current addition to the Star Wars canon (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).  Unfortunately, our time came to an end on Sunday the 22nd as I dropped off my sister at the Amtrak train station in downtown Austin.  She headed back to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, while I drove to Yoakum in order to spend time with Mom and Step-Dad.  On Friday I will celebrate turning another year older as it will be my 46th birthday.  Chances are good I will travel back to Fort Worth on that day.  In all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas holidays.  Eventually, I will need to find employment, but I will leave that for the New Year.  In the interim, enjoy your holidays and don't forget the real reason for the season.

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