June 2012

Can it already be June 24^th?  It just seems like yesterday I was attending Art in the Park with Beckie, Max, and Sadie on June 2nd.  

 

 Bringing the doggies really garnered many "oohs" and "how cutes".  Notice Max in the purse I am holding in my left hand?  

But, time sure flies when you spend half the month traveling!  The week after our trip to Indiana, I got a call from my sister telling me that my 91-year-old brother-in-law, Eber Saniger, had passed away after a lengthy downhill spiral in health.  I regret to this day that I did not act quickly enough to buy “reasonably” priced plane tickets to attend my brother-in-law, Bob Bowden’s funeral a couple of years ago so I quickly went to my computer and I actually found some decent tickets that flew me into Ontario, CA (north and east of LA) where I would just have to rent a car and drive two more hours to Mojave where Eber and Judy lived.  I had hoped to fly into Phoenix and drive over to California with sisters Juli and Jerri but, oddly enough, the ticket prices were higher.  And, this way, I had more time at home to shuffle lessons and other commitments into the days I had left in the week.  I left Monday evening, June 4^th as the funeral was on the 5^th.  I am SO glad I made the trip. Here I am with all my siblings.  Jerri, Judy, Jim, Juli.

 

 I saw scads of other relatives – some I hadn’t visited with in over ten years.  And, of all Judy’s many posterity, there were only two grandsons and one great-grandson unable to attend.   

 This is taken at Judy's place.  Eber was quite the "collector" and, as I strolled around the property, I saw many cool antiques.  Antique Roadshow would have a heyday there!

I returned to Kansas City late Wednesday night, the 6^th,  and it was in the wee hours of Thursday that I finally pulled into our driveway.   Later that day, Emily and Noah and Lucy came into town after doing some photo business in Fulton.  They stayed overnight and Friday morning, we all visited Stephen’s Lake Park where there is a beach and a “sprayground”.  LOTS of fun that morning.  

 

 

 

 

Emily and Lucy left for St. Louis that afternoon and Noah stayed to spend a week at grandma and grandpa’s house.  We had lots of plans but it was just three days later, Monday morning, that we got a call from Steve’s sister, Michelle, informing us that his mother, Iola, had died peacefully in her sleep sometime early that morning.  After her stroke a year and a half ago, she just seemed to slowly fade – never regaining her strength to walk, losing her appetite, no energy – and the doctor warned the family that she would not live long.  So, this was not a surprise.  Now it was deciding who and how to go.  We could have just sent Steve out by plane but this was grandma so we ultimately decided to rent a van and drive with Sarah, Beckie, Emily, Julina, Steve, and me.  And so, Wednesday afternoon, on the 13^th, I packed up Noah and drove him back to St. Louis, selected a van at Alamo rentals, picked up Julina (who had driven in from Indiana) and Emily and headed back to Columbia to collect Steve, Sarah, Beckie, and the little dogs, Sadie and Max.  Melanie thankfully was willing to watch all the other animals at our house.  This included Bacon, Steven and Tamara’s dog, because they were on a 10-day trip in Costa Rica!  Elise was with them.  We pulled out of Columbia at 8:30 pm Wednesday night and got to our hotel in American Fork at 4:30 Thursday afternoon.  LONG trip but, thankfully, with everyone helping with driving, it was do-able.  The funeral was Friday morning and we spent the day with tons of Lambson family.  Only three grandchildren could not be there – Steven, Elise, and Jason Killian.  Again, we saw family we had not seen in twenty years.  AND, it was great to spend time with Kirsti and Ryan.   

 

 Sarah, Beckie, Ryan, Kirsti

That evening, we went over to Iola’s now empty house in American Fork (it is up for sale) and picked up some items that Steve had set aside to bring back to Missouri during his visit in March (SOOOO glad he had a chance to see his mother one last time).  Most if the artifacts are family history related but we managed to fit a small cedar chest (filled to the top, of course) in the back of the van as well as a tub of books and journals – oh, and some great gardening tools.  I now have a very fine antique pruner.  Left behind are two remaining tubs of family history that Julina and I will collect this coming week when we drive BACK to Utah for a planned trip to attend Jamilyn’s wedding.  On Saturday, we had lunch at Kirsti’s new place of employment called Malawi’s, a pizza restaurant that actually serves gluten-free options, before getting back in the van for the drive back to Missouri.   

 

here we are just before heading home....

 

We left 1:00 in the afternoon and arrived in Columbia at 10:00 in the morning on Sunday.  Julina, Emily, and Beckie continued on to St. Louis and poor Juli continued the additional five hours to Lafayette.   That is a LOT of driving in a short amount of time.  

Last week, aside from having residual tiredness, has finally been normal.  I joined the stake R.S. presidency in taking dinner to girls camp Monday night where the leaders and youth leaders were preparing for the rest of the girls to come Tuesday.  I taught all my usual cello/piano/violin lessons.  I watched Iron Lady which was quite good.  I attended my water aerobics class Wednesday evening.  Steve and I drove to attend the temple Friday/Saturday.  Emily and family came to Columbia last night after a wedding that Emily photographed (remember that photo business in Fulton a week or so ago?) and now they are gone after attending church with us this morning.  I prepare to leave for Utah on Wednesday.  And then June is gone!