Funeral and Family

To update before I update, my grandma passed away early in the morning Thursday, July 20. The funeral was on Tuesday in Drayton Valley and we had a memorial on Wednesday at home in Lone Pine. I've had a lot of mixed feelings about her passing. On one hand, she was my last grandparent and the one I was closest to; I miss her. On the other, she was ill for a long time and its kind of a relief. The funeral was a beautiful summation of her life. I actually feel closure. It was also really good to see my family. Everyone was there. Yesterday, after the memorial we went to Uncle Pat's and while our parents went through the cards, us "kids" played bocce ball and looked at pictures. It was good to see everybody and say good bye to Grandma.

If You Ruled the Land . . . by wackyweasel
Your first name:
How you gained your rule:	Military coup, of course! They never saw it coming . . .Walked in and took the throne while they were at lunchRightful heir!!Strategic poisoning . . .Mind controlAsked for it really nicely, 'pretty please'No idea . . .
Your title is:	You Sexy Thang
Your symbol is:	the flamingo, because it's pink!
You rule from:	a mansion always surrounded by storm clouds! Boom!
At your side is:	your body double - hey, good lookin'!
Your enforcers, troops, and guards are all:	veeeery heavily armed
Your most popular law is:	Free alcohol to pretty people if they sit with ugly people
Your least popular law is:	All religions required to write you into their doctrines
Your worst enemy is:	no longer with us. Foul play? Who, you?
Your popularity rating is:: 21%
Your chance of being overthrown is:: 66%
Quiz created with MemeGen!

You scored as XIII: Death. Death is probably the most well known Tarot card - and also the most misunderstood. Most Tarot novices would consider Death to be a bad card, especially given its connection with the number thirteen. In fact this card rarely indicates literal death.Without "death" there can be no change, only eventual stagnation. The "death" of the child allows for the "birth" of the adult. This change is not always easy. The appearance of Death in a Tarot reading can indicate pain and short term loss, however it also represents hope for a new future. XIII: Death 94% III - The Empress 81% II - The High Priestess 81% XVI: The Tower 75% XIX: The Sun 75% X - Wheel of Fortune 69% VI: The Lovers 69% VIII - Strength 56% XI: Justice 56% 0 - The Fool 50% I - Magician 50% IV - The Emperor 31% XV: The Devil 19% Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

Ode to a Rose

I found out last night that my grandma is dying. She's had Alzheimer's disease for about 15 years and she stopped being able to swallow over the weekend. Its just a matter of time now. I thought I'd grieved for her years ago. My grandma really hasn't been there for almost a decade, she didn't remember us or herself. But its hitting me pretty hard none the less.

I've always said I come from a long line of amazing women and Grandma was a big part of that. She was a great equalist. Everyone had a voice in her house; men, women, kids it didn't matter. Your opinion was important to her. She was a great teacher. She had a way of making kids feel incredibly special, smart and clever. She taught me to milk a goat, bake a cake and grow things. She loved plants. The whole upstairs of her house was full of plants, African violets, gerainiums, amyrillis, cacti, jade trees. Her yard had flower beds and planters full of flowers in the summer time. One of her legacies is my knowledge of flowers. She also had two big vegetable gardens. When we were really little she'd let each of the grandkids have a plot that was maybe six feet square. She'd help us plant whatever we wanted in little short rows. One of my first memories is following Grandma through her garden where the plants were as tall as me.

I miss her.

Ding Dong the Dress is Done!

So after about 2 years, 4 temper tanrums, 10 pricked fingers and several gleeful sqeals, Pixie's dress is finished. Yay! I guess now I have to work on those bedroom curtains.

This week has been full of highs and lows. On the good side, we dressed up and went to see "Pirates", where I thoroughy enjoyed myself. I also went to the Knights of the Northern Realms Tournament and had fun. Tuesday the girls came over and watched a movie. On the bad side, I've been getting more depressed. I haven't been sleeping enough. And I'm feeling like I'm not living up to my potential (I hate that word). See there's this opening at work that I'm mostly qualified for that would be a great promotion, only its term, and part-time and while the hourly rate is higher, not enough money. My boss would really like me to get it and was really excited about the opportunity but the more I think about it, the more I'm sure I don't want it. I would have to have another part-time job and find something to do in the summer. Because its Term they wouldn't have to hold it for me if I went on materity leave so I wouldn't have a job to go back to. I don't want to have to live with the uncertainty. And I'm so done working 2 jobs. Beyond that, I really like my job. I like the variety of things I do. That there's always something to do.