Amtrak Rewards Expiring

I got a message from Amtrak saying my membership rewards were going to expire because I haven't taken an Amtrak trip in three years.

Oh, the passage of time.

That means it's coming up on three years that we've been gone from New York. And since I lived in New York a little less than three years I have lived in Baton Rouge about the same time. I certainly feel more rooted here -- home owner, in a church community a bit more here, etc. I'll always love New York as the place we started married life and lived the DINK life (double income, no kids). I wouldn't trade my life now for anything though!

Anyway, back to Amtrak.

There isn't really a way for me to take a trip on Amtrak here that I can see. Maybe New Orleans to Chicago? And I'm not thinking I want to do that. I also don't want to take the train from New Orleans to the East Coast. (I should have taken that DC to NYC trip with Jane while we were there in October, but who had the time ... or the money for the hotel once we were in NYC?)

So I guess goodbye to my points.

BUT I was able to redeem most of the points I had accumulated (and I gathered almost all of them via trips for work back and forth from NYC to DC -- I did work for a living once!). I got a $50 gift card and had a few choices. I ended up picking a restaurant just because I like dining out. A bit of redeemer's remorse though, as I kind of wish I'd just gotten the Lowe's card for Shawn. (Target and Amazon weren't options.)