Flying Home

I went back home to Washington on Saturday, February 7th - the day after my Nanny passed away. My good friend, Denise, picked me up at the airport and I stayed with her my first night. We stayed up until 1:30 am (2:30 my time!) just talking and catching up on life. Denise and I have been friends since high school- it was great to see her! She was a terrific hostess and treated me to brunch at one of my favorite resturants on the Kirkland waterfront - Anthony's Homeport. Yum! Then, I stayed with my sister the next few nights. It was so good to see her and her family! The boys have grown so big! My brother and his family came over and I got to see them and spend time chatting with them as well. His girls have gotten so tall! Three years is a long time not to see your nieces and nephews! I wish I could come visit more often. As usual, my sister spoiled me rotten with her fabulous cooking! She knows how much I love seafood and made a delicious seafood pasta dish.

The Viewing made Nanny's death a reality for me. I have never been to a Viewing before and wasn't sure what to expect. It was just my immediate family that went together, others came before and after us. As I stepped into the room following my parents, I suddenly lost control of my emotions. My mom fell apart and that made my heart ache even more to see her crying so hard. I went to Nanny and whispered once more I loved her. She looked so pretty and peaceful. The drive back to my sisters was difficult - I couldn't seem to stop crying. The harder I tried to pull it together, the worse I got.

The next day was the funeral at St. Spiridon Orthodox Catherdral in downtown Seattle. My grandma was a Russian Orthodox Christian. (Not sure how many of you know I'm part Russian). The service was nice, but very different from what I'm used to. It was very ritualistic, so I spent my energy trying to follow what the priest was saying and not focussing on her passing. As my mind would drift to flashbacks of time spent with her, my eyes would well with tears. Then the priest stopped his portion and began to talk about Nanny as a person and addressed our family directly. I think every single family member "lost it" at that point. Thank goodness Karen had lots of tissues! Afterwards a private commmittal was at Evergreen Memorial and then we all went to my cousin, Tracy and Karen's house for a traditional Russian dinner called Piroke. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with my extended family, some whom I haven't seen in 8 years!! I really miss them. A celebration of Nanny's life is being planned in a few months. I really hope our whole family can fly up to Washington for this...just not sure how yet.

I stayed at the Ranch in Cle Elum with my parents the remainder of my trip. My parents live on 12 acres with two horses. Spending time with them was great! They treated me to a western concert in Ellensburg and made the most incredible Valentine's Dinner! We had barbequed prime cut filets, rebaked potatoes, asparagus, incredible salad, and for dessert, tiramisu. Wow! My mouth is still watering! The steaks were so tender and juicy, you could cut them with your fork! My parents are coming down to Arizona next month, so it made saying goodbye slightly easier, but we still cried at the airport. We're just an emotional family!