Project Life (Mar. 22-28)

Monday 3/22: Kate's new favorite food is blueberries. She downs them by the handful. Here, Kate and Daddy share an after-dinner snack. (We had pasta for dinner, and her sweater got really messy... thus the topless baby.)Tuesday 3/23: Grandpa died today. Mom called with the news while I was giving Kate a bath. After putting her to bed, I desperately wanted to find something connected to him--something he'd given me or that somehow related to him. Like many families, though, it's the women that buy the gifts, and I couldn't think of anything I really associated with him. Then I remembered the state quarters collection he and Nana gave me for Christmas. I remember he started collecting them when the U.S. Mint started the series in 1999, and it turned out he'd been collecting several sets--one for each of the granddaughters--and gave them to us in 2009 when the series was complete.

Wednesday 3/24: Matt and I had a nice, quiet evening together playing Scene It? I finally won one game! He knows so much more pop culture trivia than me!

Thursday 3/25: I worked a half day and then we drove up to Louisville for the funeral. We watched Butler play in the Sweet Sixteen and beat Syracuse to advance to the Elite Eight! (Saturday, they won again and are in the Final Four for the first time! Matt is over the moon, as you can imagine, it being his undergrad alma mater and all.) You can sort of see in this pic that Kate was wearing her "I love Grandpa" bib. It's generally intended as a sentiment for her grandfather, but this weekend it was all about my Grandpa, and we really celebrated him.

Friday 3/26: After helping Mom get things together to host the post-funeral lunch, we all went to the funeral home for the visitation. Beforehand, Nana said "I don't know what friends will come. They're all dead!" (She's so matter-of-fact about things, and it's true, when you're in your nineties!!) But, in addition to Grandpa's kids and grandkids and great-granddaughter, Kate (the other great-grandkids were left at home in Ohio and Illinois) there were actually tons of visitors. My dad's relatives all came, as did Mom and Dad's friends from church and their other activities. It was great to see so many of our family and friends, and I actually lost my voice from all the meeting and greeting! After the visitation, the family went out for dinner. Here's Nana and Kate, with her cheek stuffed full of yummy yeast roll. Saturday 3/27: We laid Grandpa to rest today with a lovely memorial service conducted by Matt and my cousin Becky, a Disciples of Christ minister. Some of our relatives on Grandpa's side came down from Ohio for the small service--one of his two remaining sisters, and several of my mom's cousins. Becky talked about Grandpa's "good death," which I will write about later this week. Some of the photos on display included his Navy portrait (ca. 1934).

Sunday 3/28: Home again, we ushered in Holy Week with Palm Sunday at church. (Kate had a fit and had to bow out of processing in with a palm with the other children!) I decorated for Easter and dyed eggs in the evening. After a week focused on Grandpa's death and new life in heaven, we now look forward to a week focused on Jesus' death and resurrection as well.

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