Day trip, shopping pleasures and a little melencholy...

What a weekend, busy and not so productive at home, but fun! My plans are almost always pretty unstatic..is that a word? I don't go many places out of my little comfort zone by myself.... I'm just not a great freeway driver after growing up in a place where there was so little need to use the interstate. Anyway, my plans to visit Snohomish didn't come to fruition... we had some things that took precedence over getting out of the house early... so it was after 1 when we actually got on our way..

We decided instead of the little town of Snohomish, we'd go to Bothell, and visit some places that were special to Steve, my hubby. He lived there as a young boy, and his grandparents lived there when we met. Now they are buried in a cemetary close by. We've been gathering family information for genealogy records, and one of the ways we're collecting photos of headstones of our ancestors.. grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, and my parents. So we took some photos of Steve's paternal grandfather and grandmother.

I never knew his grandmother, she passed away the year before we met. But I did breifly know his grandfather Allan, and really loved him. I only met him a few times really, but he was my husband's hero, and he was a fascinating man.... larger than life is an oft used phrase, but it was the perfect way to describe Grandpa. Steve still talks about him with such awe and love... so standing there while we cleaned off the headstone as best we could with no tools, I found my eyes stinging with tears and my throat aching... sadness and admiration, missing a man I really didn't have much opportunity to know well. Why do I always find myself in tears when I go to the cemetary.... even if the ones there were not my family? I was moved in the same way when last summer we visited the grave of my older brother. I never met him at all... he was born 3 years before I was, and died the same day. So why do I miss him? God only knows... and He understands even when no one else does, including myself.

After the cemetary and then driving by Steve's old house, snapping a couple of pictures there, and then seeing the place his grandparents had lived, we went to Country Village. It's a crafter and collector's dream... which made me suddenly feel so much lighter hearted. My poor spouse is not terribly excited about collecting country home deccor or crafting. But he knew I'd been dreaming of going through this wonderful group of shops, so there we were. I found some great little treasures to carry home and just had a lovely time. Funny how much the soul feels refreshed getting away from the city, and just relaxing in a warm, charming atmosphere. The place is very cute, with ducks and chickens walking around and a real box car next to the stream there, converted into a great antique shop. I'll post a couple of pictures, if I can get them to show up... I was really ready to come home when we realized it was time to head back..

We had promised to pick our youngest son from work, so we hurried to make it in time, and thankfully out timing was perfect. The hotdogs we'd bought for lunch had long since hit bottom... so dinner was in the forefront of our minds... California Pizza Kitchen was a very pleasant way to wrap up the day, and... well, a good time was had by all, as they say. They don't normally have chicken pameseana but the waitress cajoled the chef into whipping it up for me anyway... sooooo yummy!

I hope you all have had a weekend filled with laughter and family, and fun.. autumn is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and enjoy the moments we have with our loved ones...

And it's so cool to have an extra hour of sleep...