Bittersweet Symphony

Grandma Marjorie was an amazing woman.  She married grandpa Caleb just before WWII where he was stationed in Mill Valley, CA.  The couple bought land in a hollow just below the mountain where he was stationed, and you can still see his lookout on the top of the mountain from one of their house's large bay windows.  She raised three beautiful, wonderful girls, including Nate's mother.  She was an integral part of her church, a devoted student of the French language, and loved a good walk up or down the mountain, even in her later years.  She lived to the age of 89 and passed away peacefully watching television in the home Caleb designed and built for them.

Though she passed last November, it was decided that the memorial service would be held on her 90th birthday on February 22nd.  And so, family and friends arrived from near and far to enjoy the beautiful California spring that grandma so loved.  The days before the memorial were filled, as family went through old photo albums and pulled out photos that would help encompass Marjorie and Caleb's life together.  Stories were traded as pictures and items were set aside to share at the memorial, a great tribute to a wonderful life.  The service went off beautifully in grandma's home church, and all breathed a sign of relief.

After, we all had more time to spend together enjoying both the home and countryside.  Thought there was limited internet access, Nate took much of the down time to work on his game.  Cousin Alexi became enchanted by the process, and the two spent hours talking about games and design.  Since the trip, Alexi has been diligent in learning more about game design, and is headed to a programming camp this summer to learn more.  Nate is thrilled!  :)

We went out as a group to Golden Gate Park one day and went boating and hiking.  Mom teased Nate that he owed her a paddle boat ride, as many years ago he agreed to pilot a similar boat, but then decided, after paddling out to the middle of a lake, that he would rather not paddle anymore and left mom to get them back.  So the three of us grabbed a boat, and Alexi, John, Susan and Tatiana grabbed a second, and we chauffeured mom around Stow Lake.

We also got the chance to spend time with Caroline Benson and her family.  Caro was one of my bridesmaids, and spending time with her is always a joy.  Though we hadn't talked in a while, we came together as if no time had passed, the two of us making silly jokes and Nate rolling his eyes.  We also got to meet her boyfriend Matt, who we wholeheartedly approve of. 

One of our interests is always learning more about our newly combined family.  We spent a lot of time going through photo albums and hearing stories about Caleb and Marjorie, their daughters Susan, Sally and Molly, and all of our cousins!  We were excited to see the family crests hanging in Grandma's bedroom:

Our trip home had an unexpected (but ultimately fun) detour. We left from San Francisco early in the morning for a 7:30am flight and flew to Chicago to catch a connecting flight to Grand Rapids. Unfortunately, when we got there and turned our phones back on we got an email from United saying our flight had been delayed. By the time we got to our gate and got settled, it was delayed again. We went to the customer service desk to see if they could get us on another flight and we were put on standby. When we arrived at that flight's gate, the agent there told us the flight was overbooked and she was going to have to ask a paying customer to give up a seat, so there was no chance for us.

Meanwhile, at every step of the way we noticed a man about our parent's age who was following the same path, one step ahead. When he saw us at the other gate, he laughed and asked if we wanted to rent a car together and just make the drive. It was a three and a half hour drive or a five hour wait for a flight that might get delayed again. We jumped at the chance to get moving again, so we left the airport, caught a shuttle to get rental car and he offered to pay if we did the driving. It turns out he was from Canada and on his way to Holland, MI for a conference. We had an enjoyable drive there chatting about the differences between the US and Canada and laughing when he said 'eh' without realizing it. After dropping him off, we finished the drive to Grand Rapids, dropped off the car, and arrived back to Lansing right around when our flight was landing in Grand Rapids.

All in all it was a wonderful trip.  It was fabulous seeing so many family and friends that we've been missing, and to reconnect with people in new ways.  We are so blessed and humbled to be surrounded by so many amazing people!

-Nate & Justine (enjoying tea and a hike in Golden Gate Park!)