Tuesday, July 15, 2008

More Florida thoughts




I feel like I am still recovering from our trip in Florida.  I am really glad that we went the first week that I am on break, so that Emily and I have time to get back to our "schedule."  She has been fighting me on every nap.  I think that mainly has to do with the fact that she pretty much only took one per day while on vacation and being the mean mom that I am, I am making her take two.  I know she is tired, she'll put her face down on the floor and close her eyes in the midst of play time, but SCREAMS when I put her in her crib.  Anyway, I think we still have some adjusting to do.  

That wasn't the point of this blog.  I wanted to talk about my Grandma Sewell.  I feel like I have to write about it so it will hopefully not consume me as much.  Maybe you read it on my sister's blog that we visited my Grandma's home during our vacation.  This was extremely hard for me.  I was ~32 weeks pregnant when my Grandma passed away and I made the hard decision not to go to the funeral, so I hadn't walked on that soil since 2003 when Brian and I visited her during our honeymoon.  My dad grew up in that home, which meant that every time we went to Florida, we would make a visit out to his parents' home.  I don't know why we did it, but we always took a picture outside their door every time we left.  (As a kid, it felt like every time, but maybe it wasn't every visit.)  It was really somber taking a picture, holding Emily, in front of their home, but not having my grandma or my grandpa there.  The grass was really overgrown so we didn't take pictures in our "normal" spot.  We took them on the sidewalk.  I told my dad that I wanted to brave the grass and take a picture---so we walked up to the front and then boom---all the tears came rushing down my face.  I won't show you 
the picture that we took there---mainly because I don't have it, it's on my dad's camera.  It was official, this was the last time I was going to walk on that soil.  I am still dealing with it---I guess I just wish I had that time to give a proper goodbye.  

6 comments:

Stephanie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stephanie said...

I just found your blog...your little girl is adorable!!!How old is she now?

Lyn said...

Very, very sweet. What a nice post.

Missarrie said...

Although our memories bring tears; they are filled with joy too. Thank you for sharing.

Don said...

Jen, I'm reading this from Caracas, Venezuela. I haven't really looked at any blogs until today--I have had a nasty virus going around down here. (Doing better now, thankfully!)

ANYWAY, when I saw you and Grandma as I scrolled down your posts, I nearly lost it. I feel your pain. I knew it would be tough for you, not having had the opportunity for the "closure" of the memorial service. (I was a poor college freshman when my dad's mother passed away. In fact, I was doing a weekend trip in Virginia when I got the news, so there was no way I could make arrangements to get there. I'd never flown before, so didn't have a clue how to book a flight, even if I could have afforded one.) Whatever one's reasons, it's hard not to be there to say your good-byes.

Love you much!
Dad

Dawn Coleman said...

Isn't it interesting how places can hold so much emotion for us? I'm glad you got to visit there, even if it was hard. Glad you guys had a good trip and hopefully we can catch up with you soon!