Grandma Arlene

last week i got some news that no one wants to hear, my grandmother on my fathers side pasted away. Monday was the funeral, so Sunday at 12:30 i went and did her hair. it was interesting doing hair on a deceased person, but i found that it wasn't bad, i mean really, i think that i'm going to look into doing this kinda of thing when i get to California because i was reading that you can make some really good money doing it. everyone thinks that i am crazy, but hey it's me, would that be a change form the normal me?
anyway, at the funeral i learned some things about Arlene that i didn't know before and i found it was really nice to hear about this side of her. all i had herd before was that she was a hard person so have as a mother, so hearing that she LOVED local dinners and LOVED being a local was nice to know. i learned that she liked so sew, coffee, cigarettes, soap operas, circus peanuts, cherry cordials and playing cards. but the thing that i learned about her that i liked the best was that she was very free spirited! in fact she loved to travel and see new places and people. it was nice to know that that, because it made me feel like even though i didn't know her too well i did in fact have a little of her spirit in me to.
my favorite story that was shared was by my Uncle Dan, she is married to my Aunt Carolyn who is my Dad's sister. so he told us this story. it was his birthday so grandma sent him a card in the mail that said something like "don't worry, your present is in the mail" so he got all excited, thinking that is was clear now that he was her favorite son in law if she was preparing something so fantastic like this. but the package didn't come. just more letters, like 20 or so, all saying "don't worry your present is in the mail". by the end he was going CRAZY with excitement to find out what this present could be. finally he gets a call from Carolyn telling him that "it came". so he rushed home, went straight to the package and.... it was a coloring book and crayons! :o)
that's grandma for ya.
my favorite memory of her was this. but apparently i'm the only one of the cousins to remember is, but one Christmas we were all playing downstairs in my aunt Carolyn's basement. i was there along with my cousin Sarah, who has a birthday right around Christmas. well grandma came down and walked right to me and said, "honey i want you to know that i didn't forget your birthday! (my birthday is in June was what i was thinking) and i got you this! (it was a McDonald's toy) i want you to know that i love you! Happy Birthday Sarah!"
oh grandma.
All in all it was a good thing this past Monday, i got to say good bye, see my family to whom i love. take a ridiculously long time picking out a movie then Heidi and i tricked the "grown-ups" to letting us watch it in the room they were all talking in. it's funny no matter how old i get i still feel like i'm 13 when i'm with everyone... :o)