Monday, March 8, 2010

Home from the memorial

We had decided it was just not financially feasible (or wise) to go to my grandpa's memorial when we discovered just how much we owe in taxes this year. Even so, in what felt like a whirlwind, which was actually just a big ol' snow storm, we changed plans and hauled out.

What is normally a 3 hour drive to my sister's turned into at least a 7 hour drive-plus-mountainview-parking as we worked to get over Donner's Pass. The next morning we made the final three or four hours to my hometown where the memorial was held. We missed a couple of functions, including the grave site service, but we made the memorial and lunch.

On the mountain, we had an uncle stranded ahead of us who was freed by a tow truck and my dad and step-mom behind us. He cut off the freeway and took surface streets to pass us. We sat on the road among semi's, big pick-ups with snow tires, and completely untried motorists who couldn't just sit, but insisted on spinning and sliding in the snow. By the time we could start driving again, there was no semblance of lanes or order of any kind.

I was so proud of all the kids--the two legged ones and the four legged one. Sitting for an hour isn't easy for me, a supposed mature woman. They made the trip with awesome attitudes.

The memorial was really beautiful. All four kids of the second son spoke or sang. My older sis presented a slide show. Three sons spoke. One couldn't bring himself to do so. Afterwards, at the lunch, we got some fun photos of family, got to catch up with several cousins I haven't seen in a decade or so and the next generation got acquainted running around the room together.

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