I've posted some videos from our Oregon trip on our "other" web page because they load easier and faster on that site than here. If you'd like to see them, follow the link below
http://sites.google.com/site/tygonzablog/
If you have trouble accessing the page, send us an email and we'll get you added as a viewer.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Christmas in Oregon
We had quite the trip to Oregon over Christmas. We ended up spending the night in the DFW area before our flight because our flight left at 9:30 a.m. No matter - it gave Ted and I an excuse to visit some of our old Dallas haunts, namely NorthPark and the Cheesecake Factory. That night at the hotel, we ordered room service - PB & J sandwiches and chicken tenders. Kid food . . . yummy! Bright and early the next morning, we were off to the airport (in the cold). Thanks to Ted, a very experienced traveler, we had a detailed game plan that helped us get parked, checked in, and through security without a hitch.
Little Ted managed the 4 hour flight beautifully. He only cried once, and only to tell us he needed food, pronto. We couldn't have asked for a better baby.
A downpour met us in Portland. Ted navigated us through the rain and into Albany without too much stress. Upon our arrival, we picked up a key from Aunt Carol (who graciously let us take over her home during our stay - thank you!) and then grabbed lunch. We were pretty famished by that point.
One night of recovery from travel and we were ready to spend time with family. We spent the next day with my grandparents. At the time, grandpa was checked into a nursing home that is on the same property as my grandparent's home. We introduced grandma and grandpa to their great-grandson and enjoyed their company.
We spent the next morning with grandma and visited grandpa after breakfast. Later that evening, grandpa passed away. Words can express neither the sadness we felt nor the love and support we received from family and friends on the occasion of his passing. His funeral was held the following Tuesday; all of his children, their spouses, his grandchildren and his great-grandson were in attendance.
My parents arrived the Sunday before the funeral. In the days following the funeral, we were able to do some "touristy" activities with them and other family members. We went to McDowell Creek, which is very icy in the winter (surprise, surprise), to Corvallis to see Christmas lights, to the Oregon coast (though it was frosty, foggy, and cold in Albany, it turned out to be a beautiful day at the coast), and to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
Christmas was spent at Grandma's, where we opened gifts. Little Ted is a pro at unwrapping presents, though he found the paper to be much more interesting than the gifts themselves (with the exception of the Hot Wheels cars that Uncle Marlin and Julie gave him). We had Christmas dinner at the Lakeside Center (on the same property as Grandma's home). There were 25 in all, including Uncle Glen, Aunt Lois, their sons and daughters-in-law, cousin Cindy, and the Eichelberger clan.
As you can probably imagine, Little Ted was a big hit. He is especially fond of his great-grandmother, who made sure he was well fed and well taken care of. He also enjoyed playing with Luke, his only cousin (and a distant one at that) on my side of the family. Of course, grandma and grandpa were thrilled to see him again and very sorry to see him leave.
Our flight home was delayed due to snow in Dallas. We ended up leaving 1 1/2 hours late, just enough time for a couple of inches of snow to fall in Portland and ice to collect on our plane. But once again, Little Ted managed the flight beautifully. He was only momentarily bothered by the crying of a toddler in the row across from us, and I'm sure if he could talk, he would have borrowed one of his cousin Matthew's exclamations, "Stop crying!"
We enjoyed the trip immensely and were especially grateful to be able to spend time with my grandfather and introduce him to Little Ted during our visit. Ted and I will both cherish our memories of those two days.
We also decided that we will have to go back in the summer, when we can explore the parks more and visit places like Crater Lake, Mt. Hood, Sisters, and Mount St. Helen. Guess that means we need to start saving our pennies!
Little Ted managed the 4 hour flight beautifully. He only cried once, and only to tell us he needed food, pronto. We couldn't have asked for a better baby.
A downpour met us in Portland. Ted navigated us through the rain and into Albany without too much stress. Upon our arrival, we picked up a key from Aunt Carol (who graciously let us take over her home during our stay - thank you!) and then grabbed lunch. We were pretty famished by that point.
One night of recovery from travel and we were ready to spend time with family. We spent the next day with my grandparents. At the time, grandpa was checked into a nursing home that is on the same property as my grandparent's home. We introduced grandma and grandpa to their great-grandson and enjoyed their company.
We spent the next morning with grandma and visited grandpa after breakfast. Later that evening, grandpa passed away. Words can express neither the sadness we felt nor the love and support we received from family and friends on the occasion of his passing. His funeral was held the following Tuesday; all of his children, their spouses, his grandchildren and his great-grandson were in attendance.
My parents arrived the Sunday before the funeral. In the days following the funeral, we were able to do some "touristy" activities with them and other family members. We went to McDowell Creek, which is very icy in the winter (surprise, surprise), to Corvallis to see Christmas lights, to the Oregon coast (though it was frosty, foggy, and cold in Albany, it turned out to be a beautiful day at the coast), and to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
Christmas was spent at Grandma's, where we opened gifts. Little Ted is a pro at unwrapping presents, though he found the paper to be much more interesting than the gifts themselves (with the exception of the Hot Wheels cars that Uncle Marlin and Julie gave him). We had Christmas dinner at the Lakeside Center (on the same property as Grandma's home). There were 25 in all, including Uncle Glen, Aunt Lois, their sons and daughters-in-law, cousin Cindy, and the Eichelberger clan.
As you can probably imagine, Little Ted was a big hit. He is especially fond of his great-grandmother, who made sure he was well fed and well taken care of. He also enjoyed playing with Luke, his only cousin (and a distant one at that) on my side of the family. Of course, grandma and grandpa were thrilled to see him again and very sorry to see him leave.
Our flight home was delayed due to snow in Dallas. We ended up leaving 1 1/2 hours late, just enough time for a couple of inches of snow to fall in Portland and ice to collect on our plane. But once again, Little Ted managed the flight beautifully. He was only momentarily bothered by the crying of a toddler in the row across from us, and I'm sure if he could talk, he would have borrowed one of his cousin Matthew's exclamations, "Stop crying!"
We enjoyed the trip immensely and were especially grateful to be able to spend time with my grandfather and introduce him to Little Ted during our visit. Ted and I will both cherish our memories of those two days.
We also decided that we will have to go back in the summer, when we can explore the parks more and visit places like Crater Lake, Mt. Hood, Sisters, and Mount St. Helen. Guess that means we need to start saving our pennies!
In Memoriam
Gaile Eugene Eichelberger
March 26, 1934-December 18, 2009
My grandfather, Gaile Eugene Eichelberger, was born in Shickley, Nebraska on March 26th, 1934 to Helen Kuhns and Glenn Aaron Eichelberger. When he was quite young, the family moved to a farm near Broken Bow, Nebraska, where he grew up. Grandpa was the oldest of eight children. His siblings include Vera, Stanley, Joe, Arla, Merle, Ray and Max. As children, they were known to be jokesters and pulled pranks on each other. Moving ahead several years, my grandfather married Laura Mae Roth in Sweet Home, Oregon on July 10th, 1955. My grandparents worked in Albany at the Mennonite Home for the Aged until 1956. My grandfather’s duties included milking cows and driving a tractor. From there, he and his family moved to Nebraska to help his father on the farm. They stayed for two years. In 1959, they returned to Oregon and, with the exception of a brief stay in Idaho, my grandparents have lived here since then.
After returning from Idaho, grandpa worked at Cooley’s Dairy. He started out milking cows but soon had a delivery route. He worked there for about ten years. He then took a job with Albany-Lebanon Sanitation in 1970 and worked there for twenty-seven years. My grandfather made many friends on his route, including Eric and Matthew, two little boys who waited expectantly for his weekly arrival. Grandpa retired from this position in 1997 but continued to work for Albany-Lebanon Sanitation during the summers for the next four years.
In addition to the service my grandfather provided to the city of Albany during his working years, he found time to serve his neighbors by caring for their lawns. I remember when grandma and grandpa lived on Vine Street, across from the canal. In those days, mowing the lawn could be an all day affair. Grandpa would start out by mowing his own lawn, a job that he approached with care. Then, he would mow the lawns of one or two neighbors. From there, he would mow the stretch of grass along the canal that was directly in front of their house, though he often took it upon himself to mow the entire bank of the canal to ensure that the job was done. He was a man who took pride in the appearance of his neighborhood and who believed it was important to lend your neighbors a helping hand.
My grandfather was a long time member of Fairview Mennonite Church. He served the congregation as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher. He also joined a team on a mission trip to Costa Rica in 2002. I for one was very surprised when I learned about his trip. I’ve always known grandpa to travel by car and stay within the borders of the U. S. and Canada, so it was an extraordinary feat for him to take such a long trip at the age of sixty-eight, and it showed the lengths he would go to help others. He and his team did various maintenance jobs at a church there. During the trip, my grandfather stayed with a family that attended the local church. He enjoyed his stay there a great deal and even maintained contact with his host family after he returned home.
During his retirement years, grandpa enjoyed visiting people and spending time with friends. He also liked attending local high school football games, where he got to know even more people. Most of you know grandpa was a devoted Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. He followed the team’s progress though the good years and the not-so-good years. As a testament to his good will and generous nature, though committed to the Huskers, he did not hold it against me for enrolling in a competing Big 12 school, nor did he reject my husband, who is a fan of the Texas Longhorns. He prioritized his family, even when football conflicts arose.
My grandfather is survived by his wife, Laura Mae, who stood by his side faithfully for fifty-four years; by his daughters, Susan, and her husband Danny; Carol; Rebecca and her husband Larry; Delene and her husband John; Anita and her husband Wendell; and by his son, Marlin. He is also survived by his favorite granddaughter (grandpa’s words, not mine), Yolanda, and her husband Ted; his favorite grandson (again, his words), Luke; and his favorite great-grandson, Little Ted, to whom he was introduced shortly before his passing.
Each one of us here today has a certain memory of grandpa that we will carry with us. For me, this memory is of my graduation. On that occasion, grandpa took the time to write me a special note to tell me that he was proud of the person I was becoming. Today, on the occasion of his passing, we express a similar feeling of pride. We have gathered to recognize that we are proud of the person he was and that our lives were enriched by knowing him. We remember a life well-lived and mourn its passing. And we take comfort in knowing that he remains with us in the memories we have and the legacy he left behind.
The above is a longer version of a tribute I read at my grandfather's funeral just three days before Christmas. My grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer during the Fall. It turned out to be very aggressive, but he battled it with courage and dignity.
Grandpa passed away two days after we arrived in Oregon. He was able to meet and spend time with his first great-grandchild during those two days of our trip. We know that he had been looking forward to this event for a long time, and we couldn't be more grateful for the time they had together.
Grandpa will be dearly missed.
March 26, 1934-December 18, 2009
My grandfather, Gaile Eugene Eichelberger, was born in Shickley, Nebraska on March 26th, 1934 to Helen Kuhns and Glenn Aaron Eichelberger. When he was quite young, the family moved to a farm near Broken Bow, Nebraska, where he grew up. Grandpa was the oldest of eight children. His siblings include Vera, Stanley, Joe, Arla, Merle, Ray and Max. As children, they were known to be jokesters and pulled pranks on each other. Moving ahead several years, my grandfather married Laura Mae Roth in Sweet Home, Oregon on July 10th, 1955. My grandparents worked in Albany at the Mennonite Home for the Aged until 1956. My grandfather’s duties included milking cows and driving a tractor. From there, he and his family moved to Nebraska to help his father on the farm. They stayed for two years. In 1959, they returned to Oregon and, with the exception of a brief stay in Idaho, my grandparents have lived here since then.
After returning from Idaho, grandpa worked at Cooley’s Dairy. He started out milking cows but soon had a delivery route. He worked there for about ten years. He then took a job with Albany-Lebanon Sanitation in 1970 and worked there for twenty-seven years. My grandfather made many friends on his route, including Eric and Matthew, two little boys who waited expectantly for his weekly arrival. Grandpa retired from this position in 1997 but continued to work for Albany-Lebanon Sanitation during the summers for the next four years.
In addition to the service my grandfather provided to the city of Albany during his working years, he found time to serve his neighbors by caring for their lawns. I remember when grandma and grandpa lived on Vine Street, across from the canal. In those days, mowing the lawn could be an all day affair. Grandpa would start out by mowing his own lawn, a job that he approached with care. Then, he would mow the lawns of one or two neighbors. From there, he would mow the stretch of grass along the canal that was directly in front of their house, though he often took it upon himself to mow the entire bank of the canal to ensure that the job was done. He was a man who took pride in the appearance of his neighborhood and who believed it was important to lend your neighbors a helping hand.
My grandfather was a long time member of Fairview Mennonite Church. He served the congregation as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher. He also joined a team on a mission trip to Costa Rica in 2002. I for one was very surprised when I learned about his trip. I’ve always known grandpa to travel by car and stay within the borders of the U. S. and Canada, so it was an extraordinary feat for him to take such a long trip at the age of sixty-eight, and it showed the lengths he would go to help others. He and his team did various maintenance jobs at a church there. During the trip, my grandfather stayed with a family that attended the local church. He enjoyed his stay there a great deal and even maintained contact with his host family after he returned home.
During his retirement years, grandpa enjoyed visiting people and spending time with friends. He also liked attending local high school football games, where he got to know even more people. Most of you know grandpa was a devoted Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. He followed the team’s progress though the good years and the not-so-good years. As a testament to his good will and generous nature, though committed to the Huskers, he did not hold it against me for enrolling in a competing Big 12 school, nor did he reject my husband, who is a fan of the Texas Longhorns. He prioritized his family, even when football conflicts arose.
My grandfather is survived by his wife, Laura Mae, who stood by his side faithfully for fifty-four years; by his daughters, Susan, and her husband Danny; Carol; Rebecca and her husband Larry; Delene and her husband John; Anita and her husband Wendell; and by his son, Marlin. He is also survived by his favorite granddaughter (grandpa’s words, not mine), Yolanda, and her husband Ted; his favorite grandson (again, his words), Luke; and his favorite great-grandson, Little Ted, to whom he was introduced shortly before his passing.
Each one of us here today has a certain memory of grandpa that we will carry with us. For me, this memory is of my graduation. On that occasion, grandpa took the time to write me a special note to tell me that he was proud of the person I was becoming. Today, on the occasion of his passing, we express a similar feeling of pride. We have gathered to recognize that we are proud of the person he was and that our lives were enriched by knowing him. We remember a life well-lived and mourn its passing. And we take comfort in knowing that he remains with us in the memories we have and the legacy he left behind.
The above is a longer version of a tribute I read at my grandfather's funeral just three days before Christmas. My grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer during the Fall. It turned out to be very aggressive, but he battled it with courage and dignity.
Grandpa passed away two days after we arrived in Oregon. He was able to meet and spend time with his first great-grandchild during those two days of our trip. We know that he had been looking forward to this event for a long time, and we couldn't be more grateful for the time they had together.
Grandpa will be dearly missed.
Sweet Slumber
This sleepy head moment is brought to you by the sweet potato, Little Ted's favorite food. He fell asleep eating the night before we left for our Christmas vacation.
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