The other Oma post...

WARNING: Tons of pictures ahead!

This is the second post about my Oma. The first post was my tribute to her. This one documents the trip that we took to go to her memorial service. We decided to take Trinity, but leave Teagan at home with Autumn's parents. The idea was that Teagan, being 18 months old and, well, Teagan, would not sit still for the service, and then no one would be happy. It turns out that this was a good choice and he had a great time with his grandparents!

But we did take Trinity, because I think that she will remember the trip, even if it is only little bits and pieces. I have a few scattered memories from when I was that age, so it's important to give her all the experiences that we can. This was her great grandmother after all. Since Trinity already knows Sue as her Oma, we ended up calling my Oma, "Big Oma". We told her that we were going to go say goodbye to Big Oma. She was pretty excited to say goodbye to Big Oma and Big Opa, the latter whom she had never even met. We explained that Big Oma had died and was with Jesus. When Trinity heard that, she then declared that she wanted to go see Jesus too. How do you answer that one? I mean, I hope she does, but selfishly I hope it's not very soon!

So off we went in the van. This is how the trip started off...

Yeah, we've had better starts. But she was asleep about 30 minutes later. And no, she didn't cry the whole time. Thankfully.

Interlude: These pictures are way out of order. But they are also two really great pictures of Trinity on her first ferry ride. Okay, technically she's been on one before, but not when she would really remember.

Very cute. Trinity liked her Aunt Coleen A LOT!

...and now back to the regularly scheduled programming!

Had one of my favorite meals on the way to Seattle, Pho! "Daddy, what's in this bowl that made your stomach make those noises?" Ha! I love this stuff!

Trinity mostly liked using the spoon.

We stayed with my sister Coleen while we were there. It sure was nice to not have to stay in a hotel.

Coleen works for a non-profit in Seattle that feeds and shelters members of Seattle's homeless population. Trinity thought this was pretty cool! We visited the kitchen and the apartments. All the guys there were pretty excited that Trinity was there to visit!

Then it was time to explore Seattle a little. When we pulled into traffic, we stopped at the next light, only to see the view above. Some guy in a little pick up truck was standing in the open door of his rig, making some weird gesture. I am pretty glad to live where I do.

Then it was off to Pike Place Market for some Market Spice Tea, yum! They always have samples...

Those are big fish. Seriously. Big.

My girls at the cheese shop. Behind them is a big vat of almost-cheese. Fun stuff!

We were lucky enough to be at the original Starbucks during the musician shift change. I swear there is a schedule so that everyone gets a turn. It was pretty cool because we were able to listen to two different musician...AND drink coffee!

A little hill work to tire the little girl out...

Whoops, someone just peed.

Then to Tully's? Man, we're hitting the coffee shops hard today! Really we needed to use the restroom...badly. The restroom was for paying patrons only. So Trinity had warm milk and chocolate covered graham crackers.

My dad came over to Seattle to pick up Sue from the airport, but stopped by to have dinner with his kids too! We found a genius restaurant that had a kids play area.

Yep, she likes it. The adults liked it just as much!

  

Vending machines are a rite of passage, I guess. It's amazing how timeless those things are. Wow, there is an industry that only produces millions of useless peices of plastic. Yet, those little machines persist...

Then it was time to go sa goodbye to Oma. Needless to say, the ferry ride over was windy!

Trinity made the rounds, making new friends as usual. Uncle Bill was her favorite, which surprised no one. I love that guy!

Trinity with her Oma...

Me with my Oma.

Jason even looks the part of the hair stylist. Actually, he's a gardener.

Saying goodbye, one last hug for Bill!

The ferry ride back was a bit calmer than in the morning. Nice picture!

And then it was this. The weather report said that a storm was rolling in, so we took off as soon as we could. The speed limit was 35, which I was very happy about. It took longer to get over Snoqualmie, but it never really felt dangerous.

Yup, that's how she rolls. Sleep the boring parts away...

We made a stop fo dinner...

...then it was off to bed! Don't worry, she was the only one without pants.

Then there was this...sweet dreams girlie!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip to say goodbye to my Oma. I will miss her, but the memorial was a great remembrance that was attended by her loving family. It was great to see everyone, hopefully we'll do it again soon, minus the somber occasion!

Oh yeah, Teagan is 18 months old!

He went to the doctor, who pronounced him healthy, if a bit small for his age.

That's right, and don't forget it!