dianegclark

Hannah had an extra day off which is unusual so I moved my Monday clients and left Friday morning for Denver, just Wilson and I. I was worried how he would do but he did amazing! He sat in the back seat like a human, occasionally curled up and napped, once put his little face so he could see out the back window, and once laid his head on the arm rest for a nap. We stopped three times for him to go potty and other than hating the western Kansas wind, he did great! I listened to a workshop for continuing ed credit on nutrition and mental health. The ride went fast.

Kent went out of town this weekend so it is just us girls and our doodles. Wilson and Oscar are so excited to be together. It is non stop ridiculous wrestling, inside or outside. This morning they got completely covered in mud. Sierra, the husky, does not like Wilson so keeping her separate is a bit of a challenge.

Hannah got a concussion at work on Thursday morning so we had to take it easy. So the first evening, both of us tired, we wrote in our journals and I worked on my book on Hannah’s back patio. Then we went over to Whole Foods (we need one in Manhattan!) and got groceries for the weekend and fresh hot food from their buffet. Yum! We ate on the back patio then curled up in the guest bed and watched Gray’s Anatomy with the dogs. (See a cute video of Wilson watching TV on his TikTok channel).

Saturday we got up and ate breakfast outside then got ready and went to Target to get a bunch of things we don’t need. The red circle gets us every time. It was a cool city Target, however, it was above a parking garage. When we left, Hannah sent the cart down a cart escalator. I have never seen such a thing. I bought sunglasses and a sweatshirt dress and a shirt and cheetah print leggings all on clearance. Hannah bought bras and undies and a fan for work and some new couch pillows and a throw.

Next came luxurious naps and a game of ping pong on the back deck. Oh, I also mowed her front yard just for kicks.

Later Saturday, we cut down a big bush in Hannah’s yard as they are making an egress window. They are remodeling their basement to make a master suite and big walk in closet/kid room.

Saturday night we made whole food pizza and again curled up this time to watch a movie, “Pink Skies Ahead” which was very good. Before the movie, we drove to a really cool ice cream place and got giant ice cream cones. Mine was salted caramel peanut butter. Whoever thought to put all those together was genius!

Sunday we went for a short walk in the neighborhood by a creek and sat outside quite a bit. More ping pong outdoors and I cut up some of the branches from the bush to put them in the compost. We went downtown near where Hannah works and got mani/pedi’s next. Then we made collages from magazines. We gotta do art when we are together.

Again we curled up and watched TV in the guest room bed. We watched four episodes of a Netflix series, Trying, also good.

The drive home was good other than Wilson getting me up too early then being too cuddly in bed to get any sleep. Why does it seem like the way home from Colorado is so much longer than the way there? It’s gotta be adding back in the hour and then the long western Kansas stretch. Wilson was a perfect car rider.

What an amazing emotional exhausting weekend.

The entire Gaeddert and Clark immediate families converged on North Newton this weekend to help Leah and Dave move into a new house. I was overwhelmed to near tears almost the entire time.

The house sits on a quiet cul de sac that bumps up to woods and a walking trail in back. It has a pillared front porch, and a large garage that opens to the back, downstairs, and to a mud/laundry room. The front door has large windows on each side and above and opens to a foyer. The living room is large and light with high ceilings, large floor to ceiling windows and a fire place. It opens into the dining room large enough for a table for 8, with sliders and two floor to ceiling windows on a slant. The dining room opens into a modern kitchen with tons of storage and a large island.

Also upstairs is the boy’s room that will have French doors and eventually be an office, Eleanor’s room, and a bathroom. The master bedroom, also on the main level, is huge. It has a giant walk in closet, big floor to ceiling windows and a slider that leads onto the back deck. The master bath is huge. It has a full shower, a big jacuzzi tub with steps and a double vanity. All of the bedrooms have plush white carpeting and the livingroom, dining room and kitchen have light shiny wood floors.

Downstairs there is a large room with built in shelving, a bathroom and guest room then a giant unfinished work room that is actually four rooms, plenty of room for Lavender and Clover.

The back yard is mostly taken up by a large wood deck complete with a porch swing.

I arrived Friday at the old house and watched the kids while Leah and Dave had their appointment to close on the house. I was joined by Hannah and Joel. Scott came later. Dave’s brother Joel came to help move and later Aaron and his girlfriend and Dave’s parents came. At one point, Joel and Joel were carrying in a large piece of furniture and Emmet said, “The two Joels.”

We spent Friday tag teaming the kids and carrying boxes while the guys moved the bigger items. Hannah and I took all three kids to Hesston to the Airbnb to play for the afternoon. We thought we’d reserved it for two nights but made a mistake so ended up staying at the kids’ the second night which was fun anyway.

Pizza and beer night one, and homemade curry with wine night two, Mojo’s coffee and cinnamon rolls every morning. Lots of playing, the boys loved soccer in the house, sliding around on their new slick floors, and Eleanor crawled and pushed her walker thing. We got tons of unpacking and putting away accomplished but the kid’s messes almost caught up to the progress. I got to spend over an hour just Eleanor and I, a first. She watched me and imitated me and crawled around, surprised when I followed her crawling. We discovered a birds nest in the bush just outside her bedroom window.

It is so rare that we get to spend time with the five of us and even rarer that we get to spend time with the Gaedderts, so even though it was for a tiring purpose, it was such a treat.

I couldn’t be happier for the kids. Their tiny house held lots of memories but this house is perfect for them and much needed and deserved.

I used to send Christmas cards out in the snail mail every year with a Christmas letter to update friends and family on all of our going’s on and the years’ happenings. This was before social media where everyone pretty much knows everything people are up to. But this year, I want to write a Christmas letter anyway. I’l write it as a blog post then send it out on social media and by email. Who knows if anyone will read it.

Scott turned the big 6-0 this year. He is talking about but has no plans for retiring from being Director of Emergency Management for USD 475 because he is constantly starting new projects and adding staff. His department has been dealing with covid the last two years and added grant money and staff to help. Though the building of the new high school, complete with the huge security system is complete, there are always security and safety projects going that Scott wants to see to completion.

Scott had both knees replaced this year, partial replacements. Both surgeries went well and set him up to be able to play with the pup and grandkids.

We got Wilson, a golden doodle, one year ago. He has grown into a giant animal and is starting to calm down after tons and tons of training at home and at Mutt school. The plan is for him to be a therapy dog at Diane’s practice, the coffee shop, and at Homestead. He is a joyful addition to our household.

We lost our Shih Tzu Rex in March 2020 and recently also lost our Sheltie Diego suddenly and sadly.

Scott and I just took a well needed and earned two week vacation to Hawaii that was amazing. We played in the ocean, snorkeled, rode mopeds and went on a catamaran. It was the vacation of a lifetime.

The kids are all doing well. Hannah, now 33, is 25 weeks pregnant with their first. She works four days a week as a Physical Therapist at Denver Hospital in the trauma unit. Her husband, Kent, is an aerospace engineer working on various amazing projects like a plane that goes to space. They own a home in central Denver and have two dogs, a husky, Sierra, and Oscar the labradoodle who is two weeks older than Wilson.

Leah, 30, and her husband Dave, three kids, and 7 year old German short hair pup Moose, purchased a beautiful home this year in North Newton, finally moving out of their 800 square foot home. Dave continues to work in his successful business of software and app development and also works in his brother’s graphic art/interactive museum display business. The three boys also co own a health food deli/store/bakery/event space in downtown Newton for which Leah does the social media. Leah still dabbles with her business Lavender and Clover and is influential on social media. Emmet, 5 1/2, attends preschool and is very into vacuums. Henry, 3 1/2, also attends preschool and is into all flying things. Eleanor is now 14 months. All three kids are absolutely adorable and have a blast playing together in their new house and large yard.

Joel, 29, moved back to KC from LA a little over a year ago. He and his girlfriend, Kayla, and their 2 inside and 2 outside cats, recently purchased a house near Westport in the Hyde park area. It is a beautiful older home that they are fixing up. Joel continues to work in video game production at The Game Band. His game Blaseball continues to do very well. Kayla works as a publisher at Random house. Both Joel and Kayla work from home offices. It is awesome to have them near.

Diane’s practice, Ethos Therapy and Life Coaching, has been open over a year now. She added a yoga instructor this year along with Shari’s massage services and Dave’s Life Coaching. A new therapist will be join the practice soonish.

Diane’s book She’s On Her Own continues to sell as does the Midwest Meets Manhattan music though efforts to promote both have screeched to a halt. Diane continues to write so who knows if another book will result in the future.

Diane continues her weekly involvement with Homestead ministries as support group leader. A second Homestead chapter opened this year in Salina.

The coffee shop, Brother’s Coffee, has been open more than a year now and is doing well. Dave manages the shop and Scott and Diane have taken more of a supportive, hands off role as of late. We have partnered with several local businesses including Therapie, added a food truck, and have started having music some evenings.

The “rents” are all doing well. We continue to miss Scott’s mom Julie and Diane’s brother Dave, both taken far too soon over the last two years. Scott’s Dad Larry and Step Mom Joanna sold their farm and moved to a condo but continue to spend time at Lake Wabaunsee. Diane’s Dad and Step mom Jean are on almost constant lock down at Aberdeen Village due to covid. Diane’s Dad continues to struggle with his health but turned 93 in November and is hanging in there. Diane’s Mom continues to live independently here in town and turns 91 in January. Her hearing and vision are failing and she added some part time live in help but overall, she does very well and it is a blessing to have her here and so close to us.

2020 and 2021 have continued to bring both challenges and blessings to the Clark family as it has for everyone. We hope and pray that 2022 is filled with good things for all.

Love,

Diane and Scott, and Wilson

Hannah, Kent, and baby June came to Manhattan to stay with us for five days to go to a wedding. It was a chaotic whirlwind, full of laughter great times and precious memories.

They arrived from Denver on Thursday evening. We enjoyed AJ’s Pizza and garlic knots and Crumbl cookies at home. Of course Junie didn’t stay awake very long.

Friday morning Hannah and I went on a shopping adventure to find her some short white cowboy boots to wear to the wedding. We looked at two or three stores downtown, including a brand new consignment shop that I had such a good time in and want to go back to. I bought green American Eagles jeans and two amazing pairs of shoes. We drove out looking for a boot store I’ve been to before couldn’t find it then zipped around a few stores in the mall not finding anything. Later in the day without me while I napped, she and Scott and Kent went out to the Western store north of town and found a beautiful pair of boots that she loved.

Friday late afternoon we went to a pre-wedding reception while Kent watched baby June at the house. We ate amazing burritos from the Fridas food truck on the back deck and played some ping pong in the livingroom.

June warmed up slow to both Scott and I as she seems to want to be touching one of her parents at all times. She did have a brief moments of playing with toys on the floor with me. On Saturday I got to take care of her all day I changed her diapers and we played with toys had lunch, napped together twice, played some more and then snuggled all afternoon watching TV. I tried to take a bath with her which she did not like and so she cuddled with Scott who came to the rescue. Junie slept in my bed that night and made cute sounds. In the morning she cuddled and pet Wilson with me and then cuddled on my chest for 30 minutes I loved it.

On Sunday, Father’s Day, we all went to Lake Wabaunsee to spend the day with Larry and Joanna. Joel and Kayla and Leah’s entire family and mom also joined us there. We swam off the dock, floated in the water, ate great food and had wonderful conversations and took pictures. It was wonderful Father’s Day for all.

Monday morning Hannah and I got up and put Junie in the stroller and walked to Aggieville to go to my office, the coffee shop, and the Dusty bookshelf. We both bought books. I bought children’s books to keep at the house for all the grandkids.

Monday evening after Scott and Hannah cooked dinner, we took June to her first ever trip to the pool for the twilight swim. At first she hated it and cried and signaled all done and then with just Kent warmed up to the kid’s pool and seemed to really enjoy it.

Every evening after putting the kids to bed enjoying a meal together, we gathered in the living room and watched a Netflix series called silo.

It’s always sad when we say goodbye after great visits.

We love zipping to Denver whenever we can. Wilson loves to ride in the car and this time he sat with his paws and face between us up front. We listened to an audio book and ate candy and junk both ways.

Junie was all about Papa this weekend although she did say Grandma once and also called Scott Grandma once lol. She has a mind of her own but we got to watch her a couple times and she warmed up. She loves her Mama and Dada though. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She talks when she wants to, mostly one word but a few short sentences. When her childcare worker at the gym said “Hola, June,” she didn’t hesitate and answered, “Hola.” She also said “Open, closed” about a book and says “ok” a lot. She’s freaking adorable and fun. Girl loves to eat.

We went to the park a couple times, a couple easy hikes (one by a creek and it was cold, one in Boulder and it was warm. We had breakfast burritos at Bonfire Burritos in Boulder and shopped at goodwill there and had coffee. we made delicious dinners at the house. Hannah and I made our traditional Target run.

We loved some family time, the last before they grow by one when George comes in May.

I don’t write except for big events now apparently. We went on a much needed, well deserved vacation to Maui. We went with Vicky and Eric whom we’d gone with before, and their friends, Clint and Julie whom we’d never met. We stayed in 5b which is where we stayed with Hannah and Kent when we’d taken the whole family.

The flights there went well. It’s a couple hours to Phoenix then 5 plus to Maui. Scott and I watched movies and I did jigsaw on my iPad and also read from kindle on my phone. We got there at about 3:30. We rented a wagoneer, big enough for six adults and all our luggage. Cramming in the groceries we’d stopped at Costco for was tricky but it worked.

The roads to west Maui from the airport were familiar to me now. It was always exciting to see the ocean, then super sad to see the pictures of the lives lost in Lahaina. We could tell there had been more building along the road through Lahaina.

Pulling into Maui Sands felt like home. My home away from home. We put our luggage outside our rooms that weren’t ready, dug out some shorts to replace long pants and then gathered by the pool. We ate snacks and drank cocktails while we waited. We were pretty exhausted.

After we finally got to go into our rooms and unpack a little, we all walked over to The Fish Market to grab food. I had fish and chips and the fish of the day was Ahi. Vicki and Eric walked down to the bbq place. We all met up on the lanai at 5b. This is where we met nightly for cocktails and snacks. I bought the premixed Mai tai I always get when there and two big bags of toffee and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Yum. We all turned in early the first night. I loved sleeping with the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the sea wall.

The next morning, I stumbled out to the kitchen and Vicki had already walked to Times grocery store for creamer then stood in line at Papi’s cinnamon rolls and made coffee. The cinnamon rolls were huge and the best I’d eaten in my entire life. We sat in our shorts and t shirts with no shoes or socks and watched for whales.

The whales were abundant on this trip. We saw many each time we glanced out. We’d see either a blow spout or a tail coming out or the fins. One time sitting right there on the lanai, we watched a whale go right up to a kayak then circle it. What a life changing thing for those people!

That first morning we spent sitting on the lounge chairs reading. The boys decided to go for a walk so we went with. We ended up walking all the way to whaler’s village and back! Six miles!

That night we walked to the food trucks after our sunset cocktails. I bought the grandgirls some flower barrettes from a gift stand. I ordered a burger and truffle Parmesan fries. I was a bit intoxicated. A couple nights we sat in the lanai after dinner and played a dice game, Farkle. We laughed quite a bit.

One of the afternoons, we went on a sunset cruise. We parked at Whaler’s village and the catamaran picked us up from the beach there. That was tricky. We drank and whale watched and ate an amazing gourmet dinner. They took pictures of us. We saw tons of whale fins and blow spouts. Then when I was standing at the back of the boat with the photographer next to me, a whale stuck his whole head out of the water and then his tail. It was the best whale sighting I’d ever had.

The next day we went to Kapalua Bay beach. I wanted to snorkel so I walked down past where the waves were breaking but I could still stand. I wanted to test my face mask so I stuck my face in the water. And right there was a sea turtle! A baby! The babies are still pretty big. He was coming toward me so I kept moving back. We aren’t allowed to be that close to them so I kept moving and he kept coming. It was so cool.

We ate pizza at Dolly’s and shopped nearby and walked home through the neighborhoods. We sat on another nearby beach, Pohaku Park and drank and read all day, just us girls.

We went with Trilogy on a snorkel sail. It was windy and rough but we did attempt to snorkel. I’d been in about three minutes when I came out to adjust my mask and drank a bunch of water so I got out. I spent time on the bridge chatting with Captain Nick and he let me drive the boat. Then they put the sails up which was super cool. Nick told me he lost his house in Lahaina and everything in it in the fire. He said the money to rebuild is just not coming through. We saw the Banyan Tree and chatted with a security guard who said he was the Lahaina Ambassador and we were welcome there. He said we brought positive energy and asked us to pray for the last souls he believed were still wandering there.

We drove one day to South Maui Gardens. I wasn’t a fan of the drive but was pleasantly surprised by the garden. We saw a giant turtle and exotic birds and got to hold them. Scott and I ate shaved ice. It was good, mango, but not as good as the pineapple shave ice in the strip mall closer to us.

On the way back, we ate at Leona’s. I had beef pot pie and split a chocolate macadamia mini pie with Scott. I wish I’d gotten one just for me. It was amazing. We also loved watching the roosters.

We ate at the fish market and L and L bbq. Ahi fish and chips and teriyaki Hawaiian lunch plate. I bought chocolate and toffee covered macadamia nuts and we killed two large bags of them. We always shop at the ABC store a half clock from us.

And we drank. Mai tai’s, canned cocktails, tequila and orange juices, Kona beer.

On the last day I got stung by something at the pool and had a reaction to it that wasn’t fun. And the long flight home is never fun.

We went to Lander with Hannah and her family late September, early October. It was an amazing time.

We flew into Denver early Saturday morning and picked up a rental van. It was fancy and new. We spent the day with the kids

Sunday we packed up the van and drove everyone to Lander. We stopped on the way to hike at Vedauwoo and had a picnic.

The kids stayed with Dawn and John and we stayed at the little cabin at Grass River Retreat. We loved it.

The next day we went to Sinks Canyon where the river goes below rocks and the highway then comes out on the other side. The trout love it. We fed them then went on a short easy hike through the aspens.

The next day was our hard hike up a mountain to see the waterfalls. It was absolutely breathtaking. We stopped at the top and took turns doing cold plunges and Kent even rode the waterfall down. the kids rock scrambled naked.

We went up to see the kids’ cabin and where they plan to build. It took a half hour through windy curves on a gravel road then everyone piled into the truck for another half mile of four wheeling to get to the cabin. It is very rustic, the sage brush not cleared at all, no electricity or running water. It was too windy to have a campfire as planned.

We had a campfire at the cabin on evening.

We got to interact with so much nature. Deer came up into the yard at the cabin and there were ducks, chickens, dogs, and llamas.

The last day we kayaked at a small lake way up high in the mountains. Didn’t matter how freezing cold it was, the kids got naked and got in the water.

The last night we stayed in a yurt. We went out to eat at a fabulous restaurant downtown for John’s birthday and the rest of the time Dawn fed us lunch and dinner.

I loved every minute.

I haven’t posted in so long! So much has happened!

Our youngest Grandbabies, Otis and George, Leah’s youngest and Hannah’s youngest, both turned 1 this summer.

Leah had knee surgery having injured it playing indoor soccer just before she opened her toy store and had the surgery just before Otis turned one. It’s been a challenge! I tried to go up as much as I could to help. Dave’s Mom has been a rock star!

Emmet turned 9 this summer—can you believe it? And Henry turned 7! In a few weeks Eleanor turns 5! They are the most amazing, loving, smart, creative, fun kids. Love them so much.

Hannah’s Junie turned 3 at the start of the summer and not long after, George turned 1. Hannah still gets to stay home all but 3 days per month. Kent gets Wednesdays off. They have come here three times this year and we go there frequently also! They are both unique, sweet, loving amazing g kids too!

Joel and Kayla got married in October. It was a beautiful, fun, touching ceremony in KC. We go up to KC frequently and we see them at all the birthday parties in Newton. Joel has shifted to doing more game development on his own. Kayla works in publishing in KC.

Mom has been at Foundation Park for two and a half years now. We really like it there. Mom is well taken care of. She’s doing well overall considering she’s 94 and a half. She has had a few falls so uses her walker now and struggles with her memory but not terribly. We go see her every day and even though it can be hard to watch her age, we are grateful for every moment we have with her.

Scott has not retired. He plans to work closer to Medicare age. We play pickleball in the league once a week which is super fun. We take Wilson for a walk almost every day also, our favorite place is the woods behind the high school.

I am still seeing client at Ethos three days a week, 11-5. I am carrying a bit more than I like currently because my buddy Jamie left to move home to South Dakota. She got her dream job—mental health first responder at the police department and she also gets to be a cop! We miss her terribly at Ethos. We still have three other therapists and two Life Coaches (Scott does some). I am hoping to wind down about the time my lease runs out. I will still see clients by telehealth so we have flexibility to travel.

We love to travel. We went to St Lucia in February and are planning. Trip to Wyoming in September and return to Maui in January.

That’s mostly it!

Last Saturday I took off on a little adventure to see all three kids. I even took an entire week off of work!

I started out at Joel’s in KC. It was a beautiful day for a hike so we did! We walked all along Hyde Park near his home, all the way to The Nelson Art Gallery, and ended at a coffee shop in Westport where we had a great chat.

I left Joel’s to head to my friend Ginger’s house in Roeland Park. Lexie got back ended on the way which pissed me off but she didn’t sustain any damage so after getting out in the middle of traffic on 39th street to check, I told the other driver, who had NOT gotten out of her car, all was well. She said “sorry”.

I toured Ginger’s house which we realized I had never seen and she’s loved there 20 years! Ginger and I drove to Leavenworth where we looked at some places I’d lived then went to our mini reunion. It was good to see people and a few others attended as well. We met in the coolest barn!

We drove back to Ginger’s where I spent the night and we chatted briefly in the morning.

I headed back to Joel’s and he and Kayla and I went Mildred’s, a cool breakfast place in Kcks.

I left KC to return home to pack.

Monday morning early, Wilson and I headed to Denver.

Kent was out of town so I hung out all week with Hannah and Junie. I loved every minute.

We went on three hikes, painted, shopped, did two cold plunges, some Forest Bathing, walks, ate and watched good tv.

I left Denver on Friday and drove what seemed like forever to Leah’s in North newton. Scott and Dave were there having gone to Wichita to taste coffee and they took Wilson home with them. We had dinner and I stayed the night. The kids and I played with blocks went on a snail hunt and I taught them a few kickboxing moves.

I had such an amazing week and a half and I love my family so much

It was only two months ago that I drove by Foundation Park after meeting a friend at Colbert Hills for a drink. Mom had been talking about feeling lonely and wanting to check out retirement communities again. Se we made an appointment to visit.

I loved it right away. The staff was so friendly, the facilities beautiful, the family style patient centered approach perfect. A little dog greeted us at the door. They said Mom could take her piano. There appeared to be potential friends there, a swat resident in the kitchen doing dishes. Mom seemed to love it too.

Then she set her mind against it. Hard. She was convinced the rooms were too small. She wanted to look at all the options. She stopped listening to me and I stopped listening to her. Meanwhile, she got more afraid at home, wobblier on her feet, less able to retain and process information. She started making random calls with her phone.

I did make some calls to other places which just convinced me more that this was the right decision. Slowly, she came around. In just 6 weeks time, she wanted to from hard no to “I think I’ll love being pampered here.”

The entire process of transitioning to assisted living has gone smoothly but was still incredibly stressful. first it was deciding what furniture to take, what would fit in the room. Then it was filing the insurance claim to see if it was even financially feasible. Calls and forms and visits to the doctor for assessments, writing out mom’s limitations. The stress took its toll and she began slipping even more, lost the ability to text.

The came the process of sorting out all of her belongings, seeing what I wanted to keep and what the kids and grandkids wanted. I reconnected with Glenn to see what he wanted. It was so hard to see all the memories and know we couldn’t keep it all. Even though she had downsized when she moved to Manhattan 7 years ago, there was so much junk mixed in the precious memories and keepsakes, antiques that had been on the family for generations, photos galore, all of Lee’s belongings, his momentous and photos. It was dainting. The house became a shambles.

The moving day went fairly smoothly. The piano went first the day before. The furniture we had chosen fit nicely in the room. Settling I was hard for her. She couldn’t see and couldn’t remember where things were. Her stress made her demanding of all of us. We all did the best we could with the staff reassuring us.

She’s been there two weeks now. She continues to demand but it’s because she can’t remember what or who she’s asked until we made a list. She can find things now. She has adjusted her schedule some but also insisted on some things which is fine.

It’s not perfect. Most of the residents are below her in functioning so she’s much safer and well taken care of, she says she’s still lonely. She’s eating better so she has more energy which makes her bored. Her vision is really going so it’s hard to enjoy the things she did before like words with friends. She is making friends despite the challenges.

We go see her daily. The estate sale happens soon so she’s having to accept that we can’t run to the house to grab things she thinks of anymore. Going to the house is so hard. It’s a total wreck. It would devastate her and I have to tell her no, she can’t make another run there. I had to make so many hard decisions about what to keep and what to toss. It’s hard for me not to grab more and more when I’m there.

The kids came up and each were able to take quite a few things that meant something to them. I gathered a ton of precious things for Glenn. He said that meant so much to him. We grabbed the genealogy stories and the old photo albums. We have yet to go through all her old paperwork and her computer.