Thursday, September 30, 2010

Goodbye PopPop

One of the sad moments of this summer was the loss of our beloved, PopPop. Aaron's grandfather, Hank "PopPop" Weyand, passed away suddenly in June. Aaron and I decided to make the trip down to California with Maycee to say our last goodbyes and love on Grandma Mary and Aaron's other set of grandparents, Ken and Jean. It was a poignant way to spend Father's Day, but we were able to gather with the many friends and family of Pop Pop to remember his amazingly funny and sometimes crazy life. All who knew Pop Pop loved him and he will truly be missed.
One of Pop Pop's favorite things to do when he came to visit Alaska was go halibut fishing. Aaron and he spent many a days on the water fishing. Those memories are very special and we are grateful that Grandma Mary and Pop Pop were able to go on many Alaskan adventures with us.
Maycee got to meet Grandma Mary for the first time and we all enjoyed watching them get to know each other.
We were also able to make a quick trip to Santa Barbara to see Grandma Jean and Grandpa Ken. They are both in their very golden years and it was bitter sweet to see them. Grandpa Ken is in the late stages of Alzheimer's and it was very difficult to see the effects of the disease. We love them both so much and pray that they will continue to enjoy life.
It was beyond sweet to see Maycee with her great grandparents and the smiles she brought to their faces. She was the hit of the retirement home!
We couldn't go to California and not get Maycee's feet in the sand and surf, so we made a quick trip to the beach on the way back from Santa Barbara. She wasn't too impressed and I personally think she likes our beach at home better. It was a quick trip, but we were happy to be able to reconnect with so many relatives and will be telling Pop Pop stories for many years to come.

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