Grandpas Memorial

What a week and what a trip! Elijiah returned from TX from a week long adventure with his Dad Tuesday night and we left Wed morning 6am to drive down to San Diego. Everything was packed and ready to go. We had Tristan to drop off at Grandmas and things looked fine. However not a few hours into the trip did another Migraine headache come on and I was not in good shape. Lucky for me I was able to zone out( something I shouldnt have shared with my loved ones) and once my meds kicked in 8 hours into the car ride I was sane again. Needless to say it was a VERY difficult journey. Elijiah was a great companion and was a joy to have with me. I was happy to have a couple days with him- just the two of us-as that doesnt happen all that often. As we pulled into the hotel it was perfect timing. About 30 minutes later we were all going to meet up for a family dinner.....
Grandma looking so beautiful as usual and holding it together for us all. I hope that when I am her age I have her same boundless energy.
Elijiah loves his great grandma ....there is a bond between these two...perhaps its because I love my grandparents so much and they are always a topic of conversation and i make an effort to see them when I can, but Elijiah has always had such a fondness for both Grandma and Grandpa....
Grandpa and Grandma have both decided to donate their bodies to the medical center and to science, and thus there was no funeral just a memorial. The services were wonderful and there came a time in which those that wanted to step up and share a memory of Grandpa could do so....I felt it would almost be a bad thing not to share with those there a fond memory of my loved grandpa...I knew it wouldnt be easy....I was very emotional, but I wanted them to know I cared deeply for this man...however I made a funny mistake...being my DADs oldest and I said that I was the oldest grandchild, (knowing that wasnt true- duh- Gary- Grandpas oldest child has to be in his 60's) anyway thats what happens when you arent thinking clearly LOL) Anyway I shared one of my memories of Grandpa when I was visiting them for the weekend prior to Elijiah being born, and playing Golf with them both. Grandpa was driving the Golf Cart and grandma and I were heading home in the car...Grandpa said something to the effect of "see who could get home first - or Ill race you" and he proceeded to put his leg out of the cart and push it along. He had a big smile on his face and I was cracking up at how funny he was being...and he was doing things like that all weekend. I never knew until I was older that he had such a sense of humor.
At the reception after the service there was a big poster board full of photos that my sister Jessica helped Grandma put together( she was there last weekend) and I tried to take pictures but I had the crappy camera so nothing came out too well. But I wanted to put them up anyway. The below photo is of my grandparents on their wedding day. My grandmother was 48.

My Grandparents were married for 39 years...and were eachothers soul mates. While not their first marriages, they found eachother and made the second marriage and with it every year count.They both lit up when they looked at eachother and it was obvious that they loved eachother so very much....
Some of the photos below are from the reception after the services.....however the couple below...DAD and Nancy---finally have set a DATE!!!! August 2, 2009---YIPEE! We are very excited--


Grandma is showing off Grandpas football memories and additional photos which never did come out well on camera and it was such a shame....
On our last day I took Elijiah to the pool however he said that it was too cold. What a silly kid. However what I didnt know was that he was getting sick....after that swim we went to grandmas house to enjoy spending time with family as the next day we were heading home. Elijiah quickly went downhill and spent most of the day on the couch watching TV.
The night before we left I started to get another migraine but with only one pill with me I thought I should try and sleep it off( yea right) and if I still didnt feel better in the morning take it for the drive...well thats exactly what I did. I got up, feeling like hell and took my medication and got on the road at 5:30 am. Elijiah was asleep in the car and we were in a rough spot...however I started to feel better for about an hour but then the headache returned with a vengeance about the time I hit Vegas. Jonathan had been calling me on and off through out the trip and was getting angry at my insistence of driving. But I really didnt feel like I had a choice. Id rather keep trying to get home than stop on the side of the road etc. My mother was calling me, they said they would come get me etc. Well eventually I couldnt keep my eyes open and I was in so much pain that I pulled over and rested. I actually fell asleep for about 30 minutes...and truly a miracle happened. When I woke up my migraine wasnt gone but almost gone. My mom said they were all praying and I really believe that everyones prayers worked. Typically when I have a migraine I usually have to go to the ER and driving is impossible. Everyone was worried that I would kill myself and Elijiah and infact Jonathan ended up leaving work, filling my medication ( as I was out of my prescription) and getting his dad and driving several hours south to meet me. He was so worried about my state. Luckily I had such a miraculous change because I really wouldnt have been able to continue on. Jonathan has been my knight on the white horse on so many occasions, and this is just one example of the lengths he will go to to make sure I am safe, and taken care of. I cannot express my appreciation for a man that will go to such measures to ensure that I am okay. I love him with all my heart, and each fiber of my being. The return trip was a long one, but we made it home. It was a long exhausting trip, but one worth it to celebrate the life of my beloved Grandfather. I will never forget the quiet strength of a man that lived and loved my grandmother, stood by her side, supported her, made her smile, loved each of us, and in turn made me feel important. I know where you are Grandpa and I hope you are looking down proud of all that you have done with your 91 years......