Holiday Hawks

PRIME TIME: Anyone who reads our blog regularly knows, we head to the stadium district all the time for games. While Mariners games are a regular event for us, a Seahawks' game is a whole different deal. 

Compared to Mariners' games, Seahawks' tickets are hard to come by, and they're expensive. Christian and I were lucky to be gifted a pair for the Dec. 4 game for our birthdays (thanks Rick and Rachel). As soon as CJ heard talk of us going to the game, he extrapolated that to mean we four. Oh dear ... 

We'd kept our eyes on prices for weeks and it came down to the day before the game. I posted a kind of 'pity me' ask on Craigslist for a pair of 'cheap' tickets to take my two youngest kids to their first game, and lo and behold, a lovely young man who has had season tickets in the family for years gave us a call and sold us two seats at face value. We were in!

It was a prime time, Sunday Night Football game, and temps were predicted to be about the freezing mark. We dressed accordingly, the kids in ski suits. We stashed a car down by the stadium the night before (for a quick post-game get away), and rode the bus down to the game on Sunday.

It was a party atmosphere heading in, complete with live music (band on stage beneath the awning).

Our tickets were two pair, so CJ and Christian sat in the NE endzone corner, while Bee and I were in the SW corner. 

This mega fan was close to our seats in the SW. :) 

It was a phenomenal game, if you're a Seahawks' fan. On the first play from scrimmage, the Panthers' QB tossed an interception, which was returned to the Red Zone, and the Seahawks' scoring over and over and over started. Final scoreboard: 40 to 7, 'Hawks. Sweet!

The lights outside added to the post game party atmosphere.

SLEIGHING IT:  Almost every year since we've lived here, we have headed to Swansons Nursery, a couple of miles north of our home, to check out their holiday display. There's always a nice model railroad set up. This year's theme was interesting. It was a mix of Seuss stuff ... 

 And then this, to us, had "Nightmare Before Christmas" elements. ... 

And then there was this church-y looking model, but wait ... what's that lurking around the corner?!

 GODZILLA!!!

So yeah, a mixed bag. ... 

A new addition to Swansons' mix this year was an apatosauras display!

 Apologies for the kinda crappy photo, but it was sleeting at the moment ... 

Swansons has had a pair of living reindeer since our ten years of visits commenced. This year, Dasher was a little lopsided. 

 But Blitzen's antlers were more impressive than ever!

There was a new Santa cut out to pose with.

One must-do was sitting in the red sleigh. It has been a tradition for the kids for years now. 

Their first sit was in 2007.

 And here's 2007 with a Photoshop background.

 This shot is from 2010.

 And the one below is 2011.

 And here is 2013.

 And 2014.

 We didn't make it out to Swansons last year, but here's the 2016 edition. 

It might be the last year they both fit in the sled!