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Saturday, June 12, 2010

When being an expat well and truly sucks.

My grandma died yesterday and I can't go to the funeral. This sucks. My grandfather died last year and I couldn't go to that one either. That sucked. Unfortunately, last minute international flights (particularly in the summer time) aren't cheap.

Enough whining about that, let me tell you about my grandma.

Here she is with her boys!

She was a lovely Grandma who knitted lots of things for all her granddaughters (not sure if my cousin, Craig, ever got anything knitted), bought us our yearly pair of clogs, got all us girls matching shiny roller skate jackets (yes!), took us camping, made us yummy food, and thought her sons (my dad and uncles) walked on water. 

I think my favorite story about Grandma happened when my dad was a teenager. Dad was at the town fair was hit by a race car which had gone off the track and broke his leg. Since he couldn't ride his bike, she took over his paper route and got her picture in the local paper delivering the papers! Sassy!

One of the most random memories is of a trip we took to a farm shop in Everett. I'm fairly certain it was just me and her. Why my sister wasn't there? No idea. Or maybe she was and I don't remember. Sorry Julie! We went to this farm shop and we bought Colby Jack cheese, which I had never tried before and have loved ever since. I don't think it's any sort of coincidence that a good memory for me involves cheese. We came back to the house and I had a ham and cheese sandwich, sitting at the table on a barrel stool, with a jewel-colored cushion, on the screened-in, astro-turfed carport. Perfection.

I am a lucky girl to have had such awesome grandparents and great-grandparents! Seriously, I just have an awesome family full stop. One day I asked Wes what he was thinking about and he said, 'How nice your family is.' 

Nice doesn't even begin to describe them.  They were willing to burn their retinas for these pictures!

The Sproats

 The Furrys

8 comments:

  1. An excellent tribute for an excellent lady. There must be a lot of her in you, Kim!

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  2. She sounds like a wonderful woman. I'm very sorry for you loss.

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  3. Kim:

    I am sooo sooo sorry to hear about your loss!

    I definitely know how you feel. Both of my mom's parents' passed when I was living in Germany. (7 weeks apart from one another. I think my PawPaw just died of a broken heart after Kammie went.)

    It's tough to go through and no real words can make it better but just know you're in my thoughts and I truly now how lonely it likely feels for you right now.

    Try and keep you chin up and keep remembering all the lovely wonderful times.

    Anne-Margaret

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  4. I'm so sorry that you won't be able to go back to be with your family. Glad you have some wonderful memories.

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  5. She sounds like a beautiful lady Kim. So sorry you didn't get to go to the funeral, I'm sure she knows you were there in spirit.

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  6. I'm so sorry, I've been there.
    She sounds like a wonderful woman and such a lovely tribute. x

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  7. Such a lovely post about your Grandma. Sorry to hear she passed. - Kim (cleverclogs)

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