Some readers may have noticed crickets on the blog and my social media accounts the last couple of weeks. I’ve been trying to get it together after the sudden loss of my beloved grandma and my online life took a backseat to what was going on in real life, (which is how it should be).
The last couple weeks have been a mixture of tears and laughter, lots of hugs, and even celebrations. I come from a close extended family and the only time we all get together seems to be for weddings and funerals.
DEATH
We were all brought together to celebrate the life of my grandma. The strong emotions from all her grand kids is a testament to how much love she showed us and how much love we had for her.
It was nice to have my family close by to help get through this hard time. We watched a video from a family reunion years ago, went through photos, and told stories. Grandma would have loved seeing us all gathered around the living room laughing and enjoying being together.
LIFE
My baby shower had been pre-planned for the weekend that my grandma’s funeral was on. I originally wanted to cancel, but my family felt Grandma would have liked to see us celebrate my little miracle, celebrate life. This meant that many extended family members were able to attend who never could have made the trip otherwise.
The shower kept with the woodland theme that I’m decorating the baby’s room in and my sisters spent a lot of time planning the decor.
I was just so happy to bring together my loved ones to be happy and to celebrate this new life coming into our family.
FAMILY
I say this often when I talk about life, but family really is all that matters at the end of the day. I’ve been fortunate to be close with all my siblings and my mother. My grandparents were a second set of parents, and my aunts and cousins have always played an important role in my life.
What’s the secret? In my family we don’t hold grudges. If we are angry with one another, we say it, have it out, and then move on and forgive each other. Nobody is in agreement 100% of the time and I find a lot of family rifts are because people refuse to let go of their anger and move on.
The day before the funeral, Ryan and I took my extended family to the Magrath Curling Club to teach them this very Canadian sport. All my family are Canadian citizens but over the years moved south and are now scattered through Washington, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, and even New York.
Everyone had so much fun! That’s the beauty of curling, it may look boring to an outsider but it’s actually a lot of fun to play. We taught everyone the basics of sweeping and throwing and then I put on my PE teacher hat and split everyone up into teams.
There were a lot of falls, cheers, a sword fight, and a lot of laughter. Everyone (but my cousin Steve) said they absolutely loved it. My sisters are even going to look into curling options in Seattle! Ryan and I went around and helped everyone understand the basics before letting them play their game and off they went!
PREPPING FOR BABY
After the shower, we got into baby prep mode- BIG TIME! My sister painted an amazing mountain mural on the wall. We decorated his room, set up the crib, and I put all the gifts from the shower away. I’ll do a nursery reveal when it’s all done.
My aunts also took me out and bought me a jogging stroller/infant carrier/car seat combo so I’ll be ready to hit the pavement as soon as I recover.
The only thing left to do is carpet our old hardwood floor. It’s starting to splinter and we get slivers in our feet all the time. I want to get that covered up so I can put the baby down on the floor and not worry about it.
As for me, I’m still feeling good. I get sore if I sleep on one side for too long so I’ve had to start moving more in my sleep but otherwise I’m feeling good. I still hit hot yoga once a week and am able to keep up with my modifications throughout class. The baby is moving around constantly and surprising me with the strength of his little kicks.
SUBBING
I’m also working away at substitute teaching. Working about 4 days a week which is amazing. I’ve been all over Lethbridge and done all different grades and subjects. The September job postings are coming out soon and I’m hoping I will be able to find the perfect job for next school year.
Phew! This is a long life update! But now you’re filled in on what’s going on and why I haven’t been hitting the mountains or posting a lot about workouts.
The moral of the story? Love and family are the centre of life- always put those first!
