December 29

It poured down rain most of today (and thankfully it was in the 40s and 50s, otherwise it would've meant a lot of snow). Also fortunately, we had only one plan in place: brunch with dad in Frederick. So we all --us and dad plus Bobby, Charlie, Reaya, Brendan, and Brianna-- convened at Madrones at 11. They couldn't accommodate our relatively large party at a single table so I had to do piecemeal photos.

Anyway, we dined on a variety of tasty dishes, from my rather yummy but huge coconut cream cheese french toast to the little boys' chicken fingers, and chit-chatted.

After a few restful hours back at grandma's house, we took a quick trip into town to get ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Though the dismal weather made it an odd activity choice, the reason for the outing was a good one: a celebration of Abby's third straight high school semester of straight As.

As of now, we're in grandma's casual dining nook, watching the 49ers play the Seahawks for division dominance.

So yes, it was a much-needed quiet day. And a good day. And I am thankful.