Mom-Mom's Funeral

Mom-Mom's funeral/remembrance was this weekend in St. Louis, MO. Carrie woke up at 5:00 AM Saturday to make her flight. It was a life-well-lived and not a sudden tragedy, but I still expect it to be an emotional weekend. Even when someone was ready to go, you know that you will miss them. I'm glad that Carrie took the opportunity to be with her folks and extended family.

Carrie has sent some great pictures home for Shane. I bet it was Grandpa's idea to look at the trains!

If it weren't for the big blue train, I would find it hard to believe they were in a train station.

There are wooden bridges...

...and fish...

...and a mall?!? The sign says "TRAINSHED." Unless, the misspelled "tarnished" I think it's safe to assume this picture was taken close to the blue train earlier.

Grandma and Grandpa love to travel. Travel agency suits them.

This picture actually looked like a train station to me (albeit an incredibly fancy one).

I hope that Carrie's family is enjoying their time together. They should swap stories, celebrate the good memories, enjoy each other's company and pay their respects. I'll add more pictures if Carrie sends them. 

UPDATE: Carrie reported that the trains are decorative and no longer functional. No wonder they looked so clean. No current lines pass through. It's a thematic/historic mall.

Farewell, MomMom

MomMom passed away at 1:00 AM Saturday morning, April 18th, 2015. Grandma and Grandpa were still in Montana. Uncle Mike and his wife live nearby, too. Carrie called me to let me know, so we could mark her passing and mourn together. I pray that she is at peace with Jesus.

Carrie and I agreed that we should try and do something with Grandma and Grandpa the next chance we get.

MomMom

I have not mentioned it here, but MomMom's health has seriously declined. After the first stroke put her in the hospital, she recovered, and moved back home. She had another stroke weeks later than went undetected until she told Grandma she lost the ability to read.

MomMom still seemed sharp to me whenever I talked to her. She remembered Kathleen and her family was in Greenville when we talked about my parents moving south. However, it was clear she was unhappy and sounding weaker from week to week. She told me that she wasn't eating any more and mainly laid in bed all day. She never wanted to talk about her condition, but it was easy to read between the lines. I was not surprised when I heard she was moved into hospice care.

Easter weekend, Grandma had more news. She and Carrie hugged for a long time.

I talked to Grandpa again today. He and Grandma have been in Montana. They were told it would be a day or two when they flew up, but MomMom has hung on since Easter Sunday. She's been non-coherent and she has slept the past couple of days. Grandpa said her breathing was very shallow, but still steady.

I'm not really sure how to end this post. I've started and stopped at least ten times. There's more to say, but I don't want to say too much or something wrong or something trite.

MomMom

We got a call that MomMom went to the hospital on Tuesday night. Carrie called the only hospital in the area she lives to track her down and call her room. Much was unknown.

UPDATE: CT scans confirmed that it was a stroke. MomMom is recovering at a rehab facility. She can talk better and sit up on her own, but cannot stand without assistance.

MomMom's Visit

Last Sunday, MomMom, Grandma and Grandpa visited. We were going to visit them until Min got on her antibiotic regimen.

They're cat people, so they understood.

They're also car people who don't mind long car rides and love Wegman's (which we have around here and they don't!). We all met up for lunch and Shane-anigans and came back to our place to visit.

It was nice getting a chance for MomMom to see Shane. I want that relationship for both of them. She's 92 years old, lives in Montana, and insists (each time) that she may not make the trip out here ever again.

I told her "That means we'll have to visit you!" I have family from Nebraska, so I know the Great Plains rock. I've never been to the Rocky Mountains, but I like exploring and it's nice to have an excuse reason!

It'd be nice to do a 'summer tour' and hit multiple time zones to visit family when Shane's older. He's not that far from the age where memories stick!

I was waiting on pictures from Grandpa before I was going to post this, but they're very busy in his 'retirement.' They spent this weekend at an Italian festival running a booth and advertising for their start-up travel business.

It was a fun visit. Carrie, Shane, and I are looking forward to the next time we can drive down to visit them for a weekend. I got to fly a plane last time!

Car Ride Conversations

One of the things I want for my son is a relationship with his great-grandparents.

I have no memories of mine. There are pictures; there are stories. I'm in them, but they're not in me. It's always struck me as a little sad. They influenced my early life, and I know they loved me. It's clear in the stories and pictures, but I want something more for my son (maybe that's par for parenting).

I love efficiency, and traffic where I live is anything but efficient. There's nothing like staring at another car's bumper and playing "How Many License Plates Can I Memorize?" It doesn't take long to start imaging all of the wonderful things I could be accomplishing if I wasn't inching along the roadways.

Something I started doing after Shane was born that has really enriched my life is using my commute to call loved ones. I was never a big fan of talking about myself, but now that I have a son I always have someone I like to talk about.

Who better to call than Shane's great-grandparents?

I want Shane's great-grandparents up to date in my son's life, and I want him to know them when he's older. I also want to keep up with them, because (surprise!) they're my grandparents, too.

There's (in alphabetical order):

Grandma Lois (so as not to confuse her with Grandma Carrie's Mom. Maybe Gran-gran would be better?)
Jama
and Mom-Mom.

Grandma Lois is a Cornhusker fan and proud Nebraskan (aren't they all?). Jama is from warm and sunny Beaumont near the Gulf (and where I get my excitability from). Mom-Mom is Carrie's grandmother who lives in Montana. Her husband was extraordinarily tall and probably the reason Shane is such a large boy (I'm about the same size as Pop-Pop and we aren't giants). They have all led full lives and are full of stories.

Now that I've started calling on my commute, I wish I'd started earlier. I enjoy talking to my family. Plus, they're always willing to hear my Shane stories. That's what grandparents do! I don't always have my phone on me (or charged), but when I do I always feel like a quick call can change a boring commute into time well spent.