always goes

This week was a hard week for me.

But we had already invited all our friends and I just didn't feel like canceling.

We were celebrating Jakes return to Minnesota!

The night was really fun - it was great having the space to have a party!

Even though we bought a new sofa, have two bedrooms and a sunroom - most of the night everyone was in the dining room - surrounding the food.

Isn't that how it always goes?


After it was all said and done I sat down and had some hot cider. It was a great party.

Adeline

On Monday morning my Grandma Adeline passed away.

Today was the funeral and I wrote this and read it aloud during the service - tears streaming down my face.



I loved asking her questions.

I especially loved hearing about when she grew up - what life was like for her as a girl, as a teenager and when she was raising my Dad.

We would pull out the old photo albums from the box at the top of her closet and sit on her couch.

She would know EVERY SINGLE person in those old black and white photos.

She would point out the family hardware store and tell me the stories of working there. She would point out her parents and her grandparents. Then the ones of my grandfather and her on their wedding day – she would tell me that she had been so young.

But my favorite photos have to be the countless arm in arm photos of the four Setran Sisters! She would turn to me and say they always posed like that.

She had stories for each photo and they would come pouring out - she had the most amazing memory.

I just kept asking questions and loved to listen to her answers.


Her house at 3009 holds many memories for me – her piano, the record player, her bedroom, the pool table, the clapping monkey, the wallpaper in the front porch. There are moments and images I will never forget about that house and the feeling it ensued when entering its doors...but there is ONE in particular that I just can’t seem to get out of my head...

It’s just me and Grandma on the balcony upstairs. She asks me if I REALLY want her to do it?

I say yes as my eyes widen with anticipation and my heart races...and then I screamed!

She had taken out her front teeth and my eyes had never seen anything scarier! I had asked and she had warned me!!!

She was the organizer, the planner, the program director and the choreographer. She took risks and laughed at her mistakes. She held her own in a room full of family and friends and usually was the one to make everyone laugh.

I will miss stopping in for visits, out of the blue phone calls, hearing how much she won at the casino, her postcards from Arizona and her lefsa. But most all I will miss her laugh.

She was a generous and incredibly thoughtful woman that I had the honor to call my Grandma.


This is what today looked like in Minnesota.

blog about

Well, there is a lot to blog about.

Jake moved in!

We bought a sofa!

Jake moved in for not just the weekend!

We are having a party on Wednesday.

Jake moved in!

Photos are coming soon.

last night in town

cross everyday

There is this crazy busy intersection place in St. Paul that I have to cross everyday in my car.

On most days people hold signs in protest at this place.
Other people honk at these people holding signs.

Anyway, I always hope that when I am coming up to cross this crazy busy intersection place in St. Paul I either have a green light - and I just pass on by - or I have to stop behind many cars - why is this so?

Because if I have a red light and I am the first car, then I am staring straight onto this crazy busy intersection place in St. Paul and it makes my head hurt.

The other day I got caught up in the front of the line and I could hardly open my eyes - I was getting motion sick - car sick if you will.
I tried to cover my eyes but the car behind me started honking.
I guess red had turned to green and it was time to go.

driver side

Someone broke into my car.
I left the driver side door open last night.

The funny thing is I remember thinking that I hadn't locked it...but I thought it would be safe.

They had to crawl over the driver seat to get into the glove compartment.
At first I thought - maybe all my stuff had just fallen out...?
But that is pretty much impossible.

My old sunglasses are still there, my owners manual is still there, my car insurance information is still there, my supply of tampons are still there, my mixed tapes are still there, my broken compass is still there - just all on the floor now.

They didn't take anything or leave anything.
I don't know what I was expecting - maybe a note of explanation? A message of who they are and why they did what they did?

I guess they did leave something for me - a sense of violation.
Which is like a pit in your stomach that doesn't go away.

those moments

Two months ago...

We stopped for just a bit but she appreciated it so much, as she always did.

She offered chicken fingers and gravy from her freezer (her favorite DQ treat that she keeps on hand). How could we refuse?

I had brought my camera so we started to snap a few candid shots, showing them seconds after; it is always a marvel.

As we were saying good bye she grabbed Jake's face rubbed her cheek against his beard smiling and laughing.

It was just one of those moments....


She went into the hospital a week later. At ninety-two her body just doesn't quite know what to do even seven weeks later. We are all hoping that she will get better because it is just so damn hard to see someone you love so sick, so weak, so fragile.

straight up

On my drive to work this morning...

Milk cartons were spilling from trucks and squirrel tails stuck straight up from the road.

Seriously.

or maybe

Last week I had lunch with a ninety year old Sister (aka a nun).

I have never been around a real nun before. She makes me feel a little nervous at times but I really really like her.

She has a very matter a fact way about her. Whenever I ask her a question she answers so obviously.

She is very smart.

I think the funniest thing that happened that afternoon occurred literally in the last 10 seconds of our visit....

As I am dropping her off she turns to me and says, "I think I am allergic to something in your car.

Or maybe you."

double clicks

She called and said she could only open one page. She wants to print all the pages.

I asked her to forward me the message, maybe I could open it at work and print them for her...then I asked if she knew how to do that?

She said, "Are you kidding?"

I'll be there after work Grandma.
Oh, that would be great she says with a sigh of relief.

They have been sitting there since Sunday. I kept trying to open them but it didn't work. I am nervous they are gone forever.

I take a seat and dial up the Internet.

But with a few double clicks all eleven e-mails including attached documents and photos are printed and ready to read.

The night also included a short lesson on how to open attachments and (more importantly) how to get to my blog!

Hi Grandma!