flight info...

...finally!

We just got our leave date today.

We fly out of LAX on Tuesday February 6th.

Wow, this is now for real!

We Will Miss You Greatly Grandma!

On the 12th of January my lovely grandmother, on my fathers side, passed away… I was able to fly back to MI for the long weekend. I am so so thankful I was still in the country and able to make it! My family is absolutely amazing!!! 82 of the 104 children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchild from all over the country (9 different states) were able to drop everything and go to Standish, MI for the weekend.


It was overwhelming in a wonderful way! I am so proud to be a part of this family... we get along so well and love each other so much. It makes me think of the "idea of heaven," all loved ones in the mansion with many rooms, everyone being together, the way we love it. We have such a great time being together! I know Grandma and Grandpa were looking down and smiling as we all loved on each other, celebrated their lives, laughed at the great memories and simply as we enjoyed one another’s company!

Grandma and Grandpa did such a wonderful job of loving everyone who came into their lives, something we talked a lot about is how everyone felt like they were their favorite... and we all were! Whether we were born a miller, or married in. I want to be like that... to everyone I come in contact with to treat them like they are the greatest thing that has ever happened... wouldn't this be a wonderful place if everyone valued and appreciated one another like that?

There are so many ways I want to be just like Grandma!

And some silly little ways I am like her already... I save boxes... I do, I can't help it. There my obsession is out. I like boxes… I just never know when I will need one of a certain size. I don't collect food boxes and cut them down to organize things just like Grandma, but I do keep nice boxes, shoeboxes and when I worked at the coffee shop I would save a lot of the merchandise boxes. While I worked there I also discovered I loved order day because I liked to unpack everything and organize the back storage room so it would be of utmost efficiency. I think I got this Tetris-packing skill from Grandma as well. Silly, but handy.

I wish I could say I got her adorable, tiny nose… but no my little sissy Rachel gets that piece of her beauty… I did get her pretty nails though.

Speaking of her beauty…

I will end on one of my favorite stories of Grandma told by my Aunt Mary, her only daughter (I am telling it how I remember it.)

Grandma had asked Aunt Mary to get her dresses to try on for her funeral (which isn’t something you just want to run out and do.) She really wanted to be pretty for us… and she was gorgeous! So, after she got the dress, Grandma tried it on, smoothed out her shape, checked herself out in the mirror, and then turned and checked herself out over her shoulder and said, “Wow, I look cute!”

If I can be that confident about how I look and be able to say, (no matter how I am feeling) “I look cute,” I think that is where true beauty shines through. Plus, I will be happier and more carefree.

So, besides her amazing ability to love, I would also like her cute humor, class, selflessness and her beautiful confidence.

Super Quick Update

I missed my December update… and it is now the middle of January! Wow!
We have been a “little” busy...

I passed my last test and passed my BTSA program and submitted all the paperwork to clear my CA teaching credential.

We packed up our house… all of our things are on the way to Guam. We found renters… an amazing blessing all around, we couldn’t have asked for a better situation.

We visited our family and friends in MI for 3 weeks and said a lot of goodbyes… the most difficult were saying goodbye to fragile grandparents. I wasn't even back in CA for a week when we got the news that Grandma Miller passed away.

The funeral was today and I have a few minutes here in the airport to do a quick post. I will post more about my quick trip home, my fabulous family of 100 and my darling granmother who will be missed incredibly!