One year later

One year since receiving it, my digital camera is still the best gift ever. (Thank you Sweetie!) It kept me somewhat sane in Denver. I love the Ansel Adam-ish aspen trees in Dad's yard.

Final Resting Place

We picked this place to leave Dad. I still can't type this without the keyboard getting wet. The reality has not full sunken in. I picked up the phone to call him the other day. I knew to dial 1...but then what. I stared at the phone for awhile. It just does not seem real.

Memorial

Dad's Memorial service was really nice. We had a good mix of family, friends, clients and golfing buddies. I think Dad would have been touched. We were most surprised by the clients. Dad really went above and beyond in helping his clients. We just never knew. I was proud of Sissy for getting up and giving a fitting tribute. Her description of Dad as "high spirited" got a few chuckles. Dad was nothing if not passionate. Nothing was undecided in his mind; he had a strong opinion about everything. My oldest brother read from Dad's first hand account of Pearl Harbor. It was fascinating. I will post the narrative at a later date. There was also a great slideshow. Dad had personally autographed pictures of several of the high ranking Navy officials of the time. They including Admiral C. Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet First Admiral and who signed for the US when Japan surrendered on the USS Missouri.



Afterwards, we had a reception and took lots of pictures. I don't think that a picture of all four of us had been taken since my college graduation.

Then and Now

<

Yes I'm still a blinker. This is me and my brother, Little Ricky

A little knowledge...

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I was trying to customize this page. I flipped out a few minutes ago when the whole blog was blank! I panicked and called Mrs. Goofy. Who goes shopping at 8:30pm?? That's ok. I finally got the pictures, text and my old format back. Whew. I think that I will quit while I'm (almost) ahead.

Cousins and Traditions

One nice thing about going back to Denver, was to see extended family. This is me and Lainie, my cousin. She and I are only a year apart. Whenever we got together we would talk non stop and share secrets. Before going home, our parents would always line us up back to back to see which was taller. Yes, I'm still taller, even without heels. I took off my heels and bent my knees for this picture.

Catch Up

The Saturday that I learned of my dad's passing...I was with Cletus and Buddy. Their was a day of fishing for special needs kids. It was really cool. These kids teamed up with a fisherman and his boat for a day on Lake Guntersville. Danny was Buddy's guide and he wants to fish professionally. We could not have been paired with a nicer guy. Of course, it rained buckets and the fishing was delayed. But Buddy just had the best time ever. The sponsors gave Buddy a fishing pole, a supplied tackle box, a life vest, a trophy plaque and a bag full of goodies. Buddy's smile says it all!

I'm Back...sort of

Hi all. Sorry for the interruption. I have been completely out of sorts. It is going to take awhile, I fear. Yesterday, I forgot my pin for the debit card. I'm usually so good with numbers...I am an accountant after all. I know that grief affects people differently. Mine seems to be slowly losing my mind. If men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti...my spaghetti feels hopelessly tangled and about 15 feet high. Yes, there is a lot on my plate right now. The message that our pastor spoke about this morning really spoke to me. He asked how we respond to the adversity that comes into our life. For me, some days are better than others...

Upside Down

My world went upside down with the trip to Colorado. I did not recognize my Dad in the care facility. He had obvious and not so obvious changes...but I was slow to see the bigger picture. A week after I left town, he died peacefully in his sleep. I'm glad I got to see him one last time, even though the man I saw was not how I remembered. I know he thought that he would have more time. I guess we all think that we have more time. Time truly is a thief. I'm flying out for the memorial service. Probably will journal the old fashioned way and type up the best when I get back. I keep waking up in the middle of the night hoping that it has all been a bad dream...needless to say, I have not been sleeping much.