Catching Up

Destin was fun! But COLD! I seriously think that Destin should not be allowed to claim Florida as their state - it's like false advertising. They could join Alabama, maybe.

I finally got around to picking up some Space Bags for storing snow pants, jackets, coats, gloves, hats, etc. AWESOME! I'm now eyeing everything in my house wondering if I can Space Bag it. Christine, they even have travel-sized bags! I've always wondered how those worked because I assumed that most people, like me, don't travel with a vacuum cleaner. Well, now I know. You zip them closed, roll them up, and the special valve doesn't allow the air back inside. So Cool.

Yes, I'm easily amused.

It's been almost two months since Hawaii - can you believe it? Our story of Oahu may never be told here.

My van still smells like skunk and is still banished from the garage. When we returned from Florida, my Dad tried to tell me that it was the garage, not the van that still smelled. Whatever. When the van isn't in the garage, the garage doesn't smell. When I stand next to the van, I smell skunk.

Sadly, Rob's grandmother passed away while we were out of town. It wasn't unexpected, as we learned back in January that she had a brain tumor and test results showed an aggressive form of cancer, but it was sad, nonetheless.

She attended every one of the girls' Baptisms, birthdays - and school events with few exceptions. Taking a ride on Grandpa Bob's four-wheeler always included a stop at the farm for cookies and a quick visit with Great-Grandma. We saw her at every holiday, big or small.

She was a mother to six kids, grandmother to 24, great-grandmother to 19; when rounded, that comes to a large, loving family. So it was no surprise that the funeral home was busting at the seams for the entire visitation Sunday night. During the funeral mass, each of the grandchildren placed a rose on the coffin, E1 participated by bringing up some of Grandma's things at offertory, and Rob gave an eloquent eulogy. Her entire family was present, with the exception of one granddaughter, grandson-in-law, and her newest great-grandchild (born a month early and not ok'd for travel yet). We took family pictures at the luncheon, and Rob tried to enlist our Priest in helping to hi-jack the food line.

The girls are sad, but comforted by the idea that she's with Pop and Kilo (their dog) now, and by the knowledge that we have our very own Guardian Angel of Cookie Making.

Grandma will be missed.