The aftermath

Another one of my highlights for the trip, was how we spent our spare time. My Dad has 6 or so boxes full of pictures in the basement, that he doesn't want to be going through himself, but also wants to have them organized. On Monday we went through pictures for hours, right up until we left for the viewing. It was so fun, Melissa and Brittanie saw all sorts of pictures of Marshall and Nate when they were kids, I really enjoyed remembering the memories. I felt truely blessed for the good childhood that I had.
We also found several old pictures of my mom, dad and grandparents that we didn't know we had. I learned so much about myself and my family. I feel like a better person, with a stronger connection to my family as I learned so much about my family history.

After the funeral, we were not just exhausted, but emotionally exhausted as well. We got back to the house and the "girls" couldn't wait to show everyone all of the pictures that we've discovered. We stayed up until long after midnight. With the final lights out somewhere close to 3am. It was very fulfilling to have that time together.

Isaac was the first to go to bed. He had to chew on my bracelet one last time before he went to bed. It was his new favorite toy, I accidentally left it there and I MISS IT!

We also found some of Laura's artwork before her heart attack. I had forgotten just how talented she really was. Now I know where Luke get's it from. They are wrapped in plastic wrap so you have to look past that, but they are amazing. The picture of the guy on the bike are done with chalk, the horse racing is painted with oil paints and the picture below is done with pencil.

The later it got, the goofier we got. It was good to blow off some steam.

I will be forever greatful for this weekend that I was able to spend with all of my family.