A day with Heidi

I love that being back in Oregon allows me to spend more time with my family. What I don't get very often is one on one time with my nieces. Do to good timing I got Heidi for one whole day here at my place. It was spontaneous and absolutely fun!

After a breakfast of Raspberry Pancakes with powdered sugar we headed out for the day.

First stop: Eugene Saturday market
We perused all the fun stands of homemade items and enjoyed the locals making a little cash with their instruments. We hit the farmers market on our way out and picket up the best assortment of snackable items.

Second stop: The Blacksheep Gathering and Alpaca Festival
It was so much fun to teach Heidi a little about sheep and share stories about her mom and I when we were her age.

Third stop: Coburg Cafe
The only reason: some of the best burgers and shakes around!

Fourth stop: Strawberry Picking
Fifth Stop: A little antiquing - we were getting pretty tired at this point... sooo

The Sixth Stop: A little resting!

After a good rest we hit the Valley River Center for a little retail therapy and then headed back home to watch The Princess Bride and have a good nights sleep!

Such a fun time!

Memorial Weekend 2010

During Memorial weekend we took the time to visit the grave sites of three generations of family. It was not only beautiful to see each place where family is buried, but it was also great to take the time to reflect on how each person effected our lives.

Bertha Ellen Winn Johns & Arthur Bailey Johns
My great Grandparents, as well as two great, great Uncles are buried in the Coburg Oregon Pioneer Cemetery. This cemetery is only a mile or so from where I currently live. I asked my mom what one of her favorite memories were of her grandparents. She stated that she loved her grandmothers button box, and that she would spend hour after hour sorting those buttons.

Betty Lou Phillips Johns & Dewain Winn Johns
My grandparents are buried in Coos Bay Oregon. One of Darilyn's favorite memories of our grandmother is of her driving around in her Pacer. This was a nice bright yellow one. My favorite memory of Grandpa Johns was of him sitting me on his knee and repeating over and over again in a sing songy voice, "there was a little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead, and when she was good she was very , very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid!"

Benedict Pavlovich Eremenko
My dad is buried in a little cemetery on the top of a hill up Allegany. Surrounded by Pine and Myrtlewood trees it is hard to imagine a more beautiful place to be laid to rest. If I asked any one of my nieces what memory they have of their Grandpa each one would say how he called them his "little turkey". Heidi also threw in the memory of when her grandpa first introduced her to Coal and Sue - the Llamas.

Even though our Memorial weekend was filled with fixing fence lines, picnics, and lots of laughs. It was nice to spend time remembering those that we have loved and have already left us.