Sadness and Family

Not long after we returned from our trip out west, we had to head that way again, although for a much more heartbreaking reason. Without going into too many details, my cousin, Larry, had passed away. So, we packed up and headed to Laramie. Sadly, we had made this same journey only two years before, for my cousin, Jim. And, although we were together for the saddest reason possible, being with my family is always comforting. And, we always manage to find happiness in the saddest of situations. So, keeping this post brief word-wise, I'll just let the pictures do my talking.

Girls' Trip to the West - Part 6

The next morning, we got ready and headed to Pacific City, where Rachelle lives. We got a tour of her house, then headed down to the beach for a while. After that we were off to taste some wine at the Eola Hills Winery. We were able to taste some different wines, then we enjoyed a glass on their patio. After making some purchases, we all headed to my Aunt Barb's for a family dinner that night. Our cousin, Russ, and his family drove from Dallas (Oregon) to join us. After a wonderful meal, drinks and laughs, most everybody headed home, and we went to bed. The next day we left for home, driving all the way through. I got to take a turn in Montana, driving through the mountains. Never again. It was terrifying. We finally arrived home the following day, only to have a huge storm hit a couple hours after getting back. Ah, it was good to be home. :)

Girls' Trip to the West - Part 5

We arrived to my Aunt Barb's about midnight, so there wasn't a whole lot of time for visiting before going to bed. The next morning, our cousins Renee and Rachelle suggested we meet them at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. So, we drove down there and spent the morning and early afternoon. Although we had seen Renee in the last couple of years, it had been a long time since seeing Rachelle last, and it was our first time meeting her 2 boys, Kadyn and Preston. Preston is just a few months older than Sofia, so they easily became instant buddies. After touring the aquarium, Renee, Rachelle and the boys headed back to Renee's to begin getting ready for supper. We planned on spending the night there as well. In the meantime, we decided to check out the Pacific Ocean at Yaquina Beach. It was Sofia's first time seeing the ocean, although she was more impressed with the lighthouse that was there. We stayed for awhile, soaking up as much salty air as we could. Then, we decided we better be on our way to Renee's, where she had made a delicious meal of salmon and oysters. The kids played a bit more, then we decided we better get to bed. We needed to be rested for the next day's wine tasting.