Family & History

One week ago, I hopped on an airplane and made my way to the northwest corner of Iowa for my Grandma's funeral. It was a whirlwind of activity, family members, travel and history. It was overwhelming physically and emotionally... but I wouldn't change a thing. I'm proud to be a part of two large families with a lot of history. Here's how my itinerary went:

Friday (11/23)

• 11:30 pm: Phone call from dad. Grandma passed away.

Saturday (11/24)

• 5:30 pm: Arrive at airport. Fly from Dallas to Denver. Fly from Denver to Omaha. Pick up rental car. Drive to Aunt S's house in Omaha.

Sunday (11/25)

• 2:00 am: Go to bed!
• 12:30 pm: Lunch with Grandma W; Aunt S/Uncle M; Uncle G/Aunt K; Uncle G/Aunt J; Cousin J & family; Cousin K & family; Cousin E & family; Cousin Z (all on my mom's side of the family)
• 5:00 pm: Drive to LeMars, Iowa
• 7:00 pm: Arrive in LeMars - visit with my Mom & Dad & about 10 other various members of my dad's family

Monday (11/26)

• 11:30 am: Brunch with Uncle B/Aunt P; Uncle N/Aunt M; Mom & Dad; Cousin A & hubby; Aunt P's DIL & baby
• Visit to Blue Bunny gift shop
• 5:00 pm: Grandma's Visitation - open to the public (she didn't want a funeral or anything, but the family insisted on having some sort of event that others could attend). I met a TON of 2nd cousins & great aunts/uncles that I had never met before that all live within 30 miles of LeMars.
• 9:00 pm: Cousin gathering at Aunt M's house - about 20 people in attendance, including my brother R who arrived from Illinois this afternoon

Tuesday (11/27)

• 10:30 am: Grandma's funeral. Open only to her immediate descendents & there were over 50 people in attendance. Grandma & Grandpa had 5 kids, 14 grandkids, and 29 great-grandkids so far...
• 1:30 pm: Left funeral home to catch a plane - drove to Omaha. Flew to Denver. Nearly a 3 hour layover. Flew to Dallas.
• 11:30 pm: Arrive at home - whew!

When one grandparent dies, it is not easy... but when both are gone, there is a ton of stuff to deal with. My grandparent's house will be sold soon, so I took a lot of photos of things in and around their house that I want to remember. Silly things, mostly... but things that made my grandparents who they were. Losing Grandma brought up the pain of Grandpa's death all over again. Because she is now gone, we will lose the little things that reminded us of him when we visited her.

Grandpa's Tools were all very organized. Every drawer was labeled in detail. I think Grandpa would have made the label maker companies rich, if they would have been around when he was alive.

Grandpa even labeled the souvenirs they kept on shelves in the basement. Each item had a date and location and sometimes who went on the trip with them. Most items were labeled with a piece of masking tape or a small manilla piece of paper.

If you ever need a gallon bucket, my grandparents' home is where you would find one. You never know when an ice cream bucket will come in handy. My grandpa retired from Blue Bunny ice cream after 31 years of service. I'm pretty sure they consumed most of his salary in ice cream over the years...

Grandpa & Grandma's basement looks like a set from "That 70's Show". No joke! All of the furniture, the wood paneling, the wonderfully colorful striped carpet - all of it. It's like the basement that time forgot. Oh, how I loved visiting their house. The funny quirks and crazy artifacts are unlike anyone else's home I've been to.

Grandma's hair brush & mirror set. I remember watching Grandma put her winter white hair into curlers while her teeth sat in a glass on the bathroom vanity. She combed & brushed and looked in the mirror. I remember the first time I realized Grandma had false teeth. It was such a shock. I was probably 7 years old at the time.