Wonderful Day!

Met up with cousins at the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum this morning at 10, but guess what.  I first got to sleep until 8:15am. Yes!  You read that right (do you know how long it's been since I got to sleep that late?), and I got to take as long as I wanted in the bathroom including a bath.  It was pretty darned heavenly!

I started a blog post but didn't finish it, so I will, and I'll post it later.  For tonight, I couldn't go another night without writing, so here I am.

I ate coffee cake with pecans in the hotel lobby, and then we headed for the museum.  While waiting to leave, a man passed me on the street and said, "Well, hello pretty lady."  Ugh!  Pretty funny.  I had books in my hands and a doorknob.  I should have just whacked him with the doorknob.  That would have taught him a thing or two, huh?

At the museum, I loaned a scrapbook of my grandfather's, the doorknob from the old Stegner house from the 1800s, a pair of baby shoes of my mom's from 1927, and a number of other items.  Had lunch with the cousins out back.  Some of the Holz cousins showed up too.

One of the Holz cousins, Jeff, waited around for us and then played tour guide for the day.  It was so fun!  We went to Spokane Falls. Amazing!

He also took us to meet his mom and aunt at their place of business.  Great people.  Funny how connected you feel right off.  I invited them to join us for dinner.  We also went to my great grandfather's place of employment and invited the cousin who runs the business now to join us at dinner.  We found the old family house in the town blocks away from the family business.  I'll post photos later.

We went to the cemetery and took photos of the family graves.  I forgot the flowers, so we might go back again.  We go to another cemetery tomorrow morning.

Tonight, though, was what I came for.  We all met up at the Elk's Lodge and had dinner.  We had to keep pushing tables together.  As I sat down and looked up, there they all were--my mom's people.  One side of the table was the Stegner's, the other was the Holz's.  I was surrounded by family.  I think my mom would have been so happy.

Everyone I invited today came.  The Stegner's were all here and planning on it, but the Holz's showed up.  Wonderful!  I think this is just teaching me that everybody wants to be connected.

I looked and saw the similarities in looks between one family and then the other.  I saw my features in many of their faces and the features of my sister and brothers in those faces.

Yes, my mother would have been pleased.