Cat check!

So I was having a great time, laughing and playing games with my gal pals at the cabin, when I got a phone call from my Dad. Thankfully I got cell phone reception while up there in the mountains. My Grandmother wasn't doing well and he suggested I call her after we hung up. I did, and I am glad I did because two days later I got a call from him again that she had passed away. She was 94, so she had lived a long life. But its a bitter sweet thing when someone you love dies, even if they are elderly and in pain. I would have rather she died in her sleep one day, painlessly, when she was 100 years old or something. But that wasn't God's plan. I am glad I got to tell her one last time, "I love you" and that through the drugged up fog (from pain killers) she got the message and said, "I love you too."

Another reason to be happy is that for her 94th birthday I was able to take my new baby girl on a road trip with my husband to visit her (that is a photo from our visit). I had also thought to take video of her interacting with KD for my baby to be able to see what her Great Grandmother was like when they met. My Grandma was a funny lady. I always laughed when she sent me e-mails, such a great sense of humor. I remember after her second hip replacement surgery she announced that she was now a "hip-py" and then put on an orange wig and sent a picture out to everyone that showed her wearing it and holding up a peace sign and a big grin. It was so silly you just had to laugh. She also was always positive, no matter what. Such a great quality that I wish I possessed. She always had a smile on her face, had nice things to say about the worst people, and told the best anecdotes.

Here are a couple of her silly stories from some e-mails I saved from her: BTW... she always typed in all caps so she could read what she was writing. I have kept the font size and the typing as she wrote it.

She shared this story after I told her JD & I got a rabbit for a pet: "WHEN YOUR UNCLE WAS ABOUT 3 AND YOUR DAD WAS 2, WE DECIDED WE WOULD GET SOME RABBITS. WE GOT JOE, JOSEPHINE AND FANCY PANTS AND MADE LARGE HUTCHES FOR THEM. WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT JOSEPHINE HAD GOTTEN OUT FOR A NIGHT OF ROMANCE BEFORE WE GOT HER. NOT MANY DAYS AFTER THEY WERE SETTLED IN WE HAD 16 RABBITS !!! I THINK WE STARTED OUT WITH THE INTENTION OF ADDING THEM TO OUR MENU; BUT NONE OF US COULD STAND THE THOUGHT OF IT AND WE SOLD THEM. HAD TO TAKE DOWN A SECTION OF FENCE TO GET THEM OUT TO THEIR NEW OWNER"

She Shared this story after I told her JD dropped the bunny in the toilet accidentally: "ONE DAY I WAS IN MY BIG TUB AND THE WATER WAS PRETTY HOT WHEN ONE OF THE CATS DECIDED HE WANTED TO GET IN THE TUB- A FAVORITE PLACE TO GET A DRINK. I HAD TO KEEP PUSHING HIM OFF THE RIM OF THE TUB TO KEEP HIM OUT OF THE HOT WATER. NOW WE DO A CAT CHECK ON BATH DAY."

So, remember to do a "cat check" when you take a bath, in the memory of my Grandma. And its okay to laugh while you do... all the better to honor her memory. :-)