It was a good day . . .

My cousin Beulah

This morning I drove to St. Peter, Minnesota, to attend the funeral mass of my eldest cousin. Beulah was a cousin on my father's side of the family. She was the first grandchild for my paternal grandparents, her mother being one of the older children of their ten. I am the third youngest grandchild; my father was the youngest of the ten. I guess Beulah felt more like an aunt than a cousin—her three kids were my contemporaries. She was a very special woman, fun to be around. She worked at the Dayton's department store in Southdale (Edina, Minnesota) for many years.

As I have mentioned before, the beautiful part of a funeral or memorial service is the gathering of family and friends. I was pleased to see other cousins, whom I rarely see any more. It was a joy to visit with them today.

Following the mass, the generous church ladies provided a very nice lunch for the guests. While seated at a table with several of my cousins, I mentioned having been to this church several years ago for our "adopted" Uncle Tony's funeral (actually not this very building, as the original Catholic church in St. Peter was destroyed in the 1998 tornado). Back then I remembered enjoying the lunch and asking one of the church ladies for the recipe for the hot dish they had served. After a few minutes, she returned to my table with the recipe. The name of the recipe: Funeral Hot Dish. I made that dish many, many times for my family—often at their request. Ask any of my kids the name of it, and they'll say, "We called it Funeral Hot Dish." Well, you guessed it, they served it again today!

When Will This Winter End?

I was terribly disappointed to return home last Wednesday and see that we still had a lot of snow on the ground. And it was cold. To top things off, we had snow again today! While home at lunchtime, I let Nels out on the porch. He enjoyed watching the big flakes coming down and tried to catch a few.

Notice all of the snow that still needs to go away. The depressing thing is that Christmas Eve is just 9 months away from now!

Sporting her green on Saint Patrick's Day!

Marshall wore a green shirt, too. After all, he's part Irish (on Chad's side).

My Date with Marshall

On Marshall's day off from school, I took him to see Frozen, the 3-D version. When the movie was starting, I leaned over to say something to Marshall. He soon shushed me. I looked around and then replied, "Marshall, we're the only ones in the theater. It's okay we talk a little bit." He and I really liked the movie

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What's a date without lunch?

Marshall posing by the heather. 

A Couple of Outings in Seattle

One night Heidi and I took Corinne and some pizzas to her place of work. I love going to the tower and watching the controllers. All of her coworkers were thrilled to see Heidi again and to meet Corinne. One of them even took a turn to feed her. We spent a couple of hours or so there—eating pizza and visiting. I got to listen in to one of the controllers for quite awhile. I really respect Heidi and the job she and her colleagues do, keeping track of incoming and outgoing jets, putting them at gates, moving them from one runway to another. They are so focused! I was enjoying it so much I forgot to take any pictures. :-)

Another day we left Corinne with Chad and took Marshall downtown to the Seattle Aquarium and Pike Place Market.

Marshall loves this aquarium, partly due to the many "hands on" things.

Ahoy, there!

Marshall's impression of a starfish.

After touring the aquarium, Heidi treated us to a ride on the new Ferris wheel. I really enjoyed it!

View from inside our car

One of the many views from our car: the stadium where the Seahawks play, the one where the Mariners play, and Mount Rainier in the background.

Check out these daffodils!

One of the many bouquets. I just love this place: Pike Place Market.

A rich, fulfilling vacation comes to an end

Yesterday I returned home from a fantastic time in Seattle. While the city and its surroundings are beautiful, they don't compare to my new granddaughter Corinne. I have fallen deeply in love with her. Like my other seven grandchildren, she is beautiful and very sweet. I have a collection of photos to share that give a glimpse of my great time there.

Here she is!

I couldn't get over how much she resembled my three kids at this age.

Isn't she beautiful!

Marshall and I had a lot of fun together, too.

Marshall and I took Brian for a walk.

Marshall posing by one of the many flowering plum trees. 

I loved sitting in this chair rocking Corinne. She liked it, too.

At a week and a half old, Corinne had her first doctor appointment. Here she weighs 7.5 pounds.

A Fun Day in Seattle

Today was a very full, but fun day in Seattle. After breakfast, I drove Marshall to preschool. When I got back, we drove Corinne to her pediatrician appointment. What a good report she got! She now weighs 7.5 pounds—up a full pound since she was born two weeks ago. Everything else looked good.

This afternoon Heidi, Marshall and I went to downtown Seattle to tour the aquarium. This was a new experience for me. I really enjoyed the beautiful aquatic life. We had opportunity to touch star fish and anemones. The anemones were sticky.

Next Heidi surprised us with treating us to a ride on the big Seattle Ferris wheel. This amazing wheel is right over the waters of Puget Sound, and afforded us great views of Seattle and even the top of Mount Rainier.

After the ride, we walked up to Pike Place Market and wandered through the shops. Once again, I was amazed at the gorgeous flowers. At this time of year, there were beautiful tulips and a big variety of daffodils, plus one of my favorites—pussy willows! I took a bunch of photos, but won't be posting them until I get back home. In the meantime, check out the photos of today on Heidi's blog:

Meet My New Granddaughter, Corinne

 

Corinne Liberty

 

On Thursday evening, February 27, Corinne Liberty was born to Heidi and Chad. She weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 17.5 inches long. [Heidi was 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and 17 inches long when she was born.] Heidi and Corinne came home from the hospital on day two. I thought this was way too early considering she was born cesarean, but Heidi assured me she was very ready to be home and back in her own bed. A week later, I flew in to Seattle to get to meet my newest angel.

 

What fun it has been to be here with Heidi and her family. I have gotten to hold, feed and change Corinne, and have played with Marshall, as well as seeing where he goes to preschool. The ironic thing is this: when I am feeding her, her little face reminds me exactly of my kids. She looks just like Hans, Peder and Heidi looked at that age. Yesterday Heidi had to take Corinne back to the hospital for routine lab work. I got to see the room where she and Marshall were born, and the room where Heidi and Corinne stayed.

 

An added bonus being here is the beautiful, spring weather! The grass is a beautiful green, and the cherry trees are in bloom. Forsythia is in bloom as well as other bushes that are unfamiliar to me. It's definitely a nice change from the snowy Minnesota!

 

 

Marshall, Grandma D, and Corinne



Announcement: I have a new granddaughter!

First photo of Corinne

Marshall holding Corinne

Thursday night at midnight, the phone rang and when I answered, my son-in-law Chad was on the other end. He said the sweetest thing. "Corinne had her birthday tonight." I had been sound asleep, but this much registered with me: Heidi had her baby. Both she and I had wanted the delivery to come early, and we got our wish.

Corinne Liberty was born at 8:52 pm, PST. She weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and is 17.5 inches in length. She arrived 16 days before her due date. [At birth Heidi weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 17 inches in length, and she came 3 weeks early.] Like Marshall's birth, Corinne was delivered cesarean.

Friday morning Heidi sent me a message giving me the phone number at the hospital, which I called right away. It was great getting to hear her voice and hearing about my newest granddaughter.

I don't know too many details at this time, but am anxiously awaiting for my trip out there next week. Not only will I get to spend time with my family, but I'll be leaving my down coat, boots, mittens, and earmuffs at home!