Last week we went on our first out of state family vacation since Kenzie was born. We had planned to spend three days in Seattle with Jared's sister and then go to Portland to spend three days with my sister and her family. As you can gather from the title of this post, things didn't quite go as planned.
Our flight was for early Thursday morning. On Tuesday, my mom called and said my grandpa wasn't doing well and that if we wanted to see him one last time, we probably ought to head down before we left. On Wednesday night we went to Ogden and saw my grandpa. He wasn't doing well and we knew it wouldn't be long before he passed from this life. My mom and relatives told us not to change our plans though because no one knew for sure how long he would hang on and he's been known to cheat death a time or two. So, on Thursday morning we headed out and had our first flight with a toddler. Kenzie did really well. Thankfully, there were some girls, about 10 years old, sitting in front of us and she thought they were great and they loved her, so they weren't bothered when she stuck her head through the seat to say 'hi' and give them a cheesy smile. Our only freak out was due to hurting ears on our descent. I have let her keep her binky (or"B" as she calls it) just for for this trip and the ear thing, but do you think she would suck on it. NO WAY! Once the pressure let up, she was fine.
Well, to keep this post from being forever long, I will spare every detail, but TRY to give the condensed version. We got into Seattle and Jared's sister, Cathy met us as the airport. Shortly after we got to her house, my dad called and told us that my grandpa had passed away. This kind of put a damper on things, but we knew we had to enjoy the time we had because we would most likely need to leave early for the funeral. We got online and checked out the City Pass, printed some maps, had lunch, and took off for the 1st stop of our pass, the Museum of Flight. Kenzie mostly slept through this, but Jared and I really enjoyed it (except for my one emotional breakdown when I called my mom and grandma). We then went to the Aquarium. This is very cool. Kenzie couldn't get enough of touching the fish and playing in the water they have there.
That night, we found out that the viewing for my Grandpa would be on Sunday and the funeral on Monday, so we would be needing to change flights and things. After forever on the phone with Delta, we got fees waived and were scheduled to come home on Sunday, but were told to call back the next day to confirm our new booking.
The next day, we called Delta to confirm our new flights and were then told that it would cost us quite a bit to get on the Sunday flight. This had never been mentioned before, so we were pretty bugged, but were then told we could fly out Sat. afternoon for only $6. We took that option. We also found out that my sister, whom we had been planning to go see, could get a great deal on her flight if she left from Seattle on Saturday so she drove to Seattle and stayed with some of our good friends so she could get home for the viewing and funeral also.
And, since our trip had been shortened considerably, we decided once again that we better live up the days that we had in Seattle so we got an early start and went to the Woodland Zoo. If you're ever in Seattle, I highly recommend it. It was great because the way it is set up, you feel like you are viewing the animals in their natural habitat. Our favorite thing was the bears. They were in river fishing and through a plexi glass type window, you could see the whole thing. Very cool!
Kenzie and the baby gorilla at the zooCathy met up with us after the zoo and we went to Alki Beach for lunch at Duke's Chowder House. Cathy definitely knows the best places to eat. I have never had such good chowder in my life. After lunch, we went down to the water front and Kenzie became obsessed with feeding the birds. So fun to watch her try to chase them and get them to eat out of her hand. They never did get quite that close, but they got full on cheerios none the less.
After Alki, we went to the Science Museum. Kenzie was beat by then and again, slept through that whole experience until the IMAX movie, which she actually sat pretty well through. We then went to the Seattle Center and saw the Space Needle and spent time at the fountain. On our way home, we had to stop and get some pictures overlooking the city.
Friday night, Cathy's roommate, Hollie, made an amazing steak dinner for us and my friend Marianne and her husband Chris and my sister Katee came over for dinner. It was so great! Thanks Hollie!!
Saturday morning, we met up with Marianne and Chris again (Katee had already flown out) and went to Pike's Market. We were there early enough that we got to see them set things up and get going for the day. Pretty cool. We also went to the first ever Starbucks for hot chocolate and again, let Kenzie chase and feed birds. We had to head straight from there to the airport to make it on time. So, for having a dramatic change in plans, we were able to get a lot in and have fun while we were there. Thanks again Cathy, Hollie, Marianne, and Chris. We will definitely be back to Seattle sometime.
My Grandpa's viewing and funeral went well and I am grateful that things worked out so we could be there. As sad as death can be for those of us who are left behind, it can also be one of the Lord's "tender mercies". I'm glad I got to see my grandpa and tell him that I love him one last time before he passed from this life. But, I am also glad for him that he can be out of the pain that he was in and doesn't have to suffer anymore in his broken down body. He was a great man who lived for his grandchildren and taught us all about hard work, serving others, and enduring well. I love you Grandpa!
