May 18

It was a beautiful day of celebrating my grandma and her legacy.

My mom, brothers, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew were all there, of course, but so were nearly all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, save my cousin Tom's son Gage, and my cousin Derek's wife and their two young sons.

The service at the church --where my grandma was a longtime member and where I spent my early years-- was lovely; my mom gave the primary remembrance, while a handful of friends and relatives --including yours truly-- also ventured to the mic to share stories. Common threads that ran through all of our tales was how fully and how well grandma loved people, and how much she loved Jesus. She was an amazing inspiration to so many, and although I've always enjoyed being her granddaughter, I felt particularly fortunate and blessed to have known her as well as I did while I listened to --and in some cases, nodded along with-- the stories shared.

Following the service, we drove under rainy skies to the Ag Center, where the caterers were busily setting up chafing dishes for the reception lunch of lasagna, pizza, ziti, and meatballs. It wasn't a full house, per se, but it was fun to catch up with my cousins, and it was fun to take zany selfies. A grateful shout out to my sister-in-law Reaya for having her photographer-friend come to take some family shots. They're gorgeous and I'm thankful that we'll have them as mementos.

Promptly at three, we loaded up the cars with the photo memorabilia and the leftover food and headed out, bound for grandma's house. While we were there, the majority of us took the time to chat even more (while the kids enjoyed the pool table in the basement). There was something special for me about standing in that kitchen I know so well, spending time with people who'd shared that very same space with me 30 (and truthfully, almost closer to 40) years ago.

As we departed to head to dinner at Bobby's house, my cousin Kristen and I made plans for the groups --her branch of the family and mine-- to meet up at Jimmie Cone, so that's what we did. Despite the cooler temps and the threat of rain, most of us enjoyed ice cream (black raspberry with rainbow jimmies for the win!) and even more conversation. From there we said our goodbyes to the Plegge clan and returned to Bobby's house to finish the game they'd started earlier in the evening.

So yes, it was a beautiful day of celebration and remembrance. And I am once again so thankful for my grandma and for her profound impact on my life.