Tempe And Back In 48 Hours

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind on their own.  Saying goodbye to my Grandma is a daily occurrence and tears spring up when I least expect them.  When I’m suddenly struck by what she would be saying or doing if she were still here.  I have done my best to stay busy and focused more on what it happening outside of me and my family.  I kept an appointment with a lovely bride and groom the day my Grandma left us, if only to know one part of my day would be normal and about happy things. Since that day, my husband and I have been busy tending to all of the details that go along with moving.  So much paperwork that had to be found, scanned, faxed, signed proving we are who we say we are, how will we afford this, do we need to buy another refrigerator, why we want to move, what moving company will we use, how long will wait wait to build a fence so the hounds can run in the backyard, where and when will we get boxes to start packing up this house in preparation for moving.  Items are getting crossed off the To Do list and the legal side is almost complete.  We just need to start packing and have 18 days to get it all ready. Friday morning, I was up and out of the house well before dawn to catch a plane to Phoenix.  I was thrilled that my uncle Mike could come pick me up from the airport.  We stopped by his house to say hello to the Bad Dogs and pick up a few things before going to the hotel to check me in and then out for a late breakfast.  We walked.  We hung out with family.  We walked some more.  We attended the wedding rehearsal in the afternoon and then out for a rehearsal dinner in the evening.  I saw family that I haven’t seen in decades and that was pretty awesome.  And since it has been decades, I’m now considered old enough to hear stories of peoples’ pasts that made me laugh until my sides hurt and trusted that I won’t go out and attempt the same things on my own. I cried through a slideshow of childhood photographs, seeing images I haven’t seen in ages.  And family members who are no longer with us.  At the wedding, I listened as my Aunt Gail’s brother Herb talked through the ceremony as he married his nephew Jesse (my cousin) and his now-niece Katie.  I hid behind my camera and soaked in the awesomeness of the day as our families and their friends celebrated a marriage that has been a decade in the making.  I am so very happy for these two.  They’re good people.  They give me hope that marriage is still a cherished and sacred institution.  And make me wish that we can raise our own kids to become such fabulous individuals. So without further ado (I rambled a bit, didn’t I?), I will share with you my whirlwind weekend.  It was a much needed break from my reality.