the holiday express

we had our first visit to union station this evening to see the holiday train. hector and i had never been there and we were amazed by the grandiose lobby of union station and the immense christmas tree... one word, stunning. as we made our way to the holiday express we were able to travel back in time, a time when union station was full of bustling travelers and a time when my grandfather might have graced those very same halls along with his little girl, my mother. i never had the opportunity to meet my grandpa holthouse but have always been told stories of how he worked for the union pacific railroad and how my mother and her family often traveled by train. when we finally made it downstairs we were greeted by 2 model union pacific trains, perhaps my grandfather worked on a train just like one of them. isabel and jax got to sit on santa's lap and once again isabel placed her order. and then, we saw it... the santa train!! if you've never been to see it, you have to check it out next year... so very cool! there were cars filled with model trains, gingerbread men, santa's, elves, and everything christmas. and to top it off... santas sleigh and reindeer.