10 Years Ago Today – Remembering My Eulogy for Grandma Hammond

A cousin’s Facebook post reminded me that today marks ten years since my Grandma Hammond passed away.

It’s hard to believe how quickly time has flown!

I had the great privilege of delivering her eulogy and although I know some family members were a bit uneasy about the fact that I didn’t do a very typical eulogy which included at least one somewhat risque anecdote, I feel like I did her spirit proud.

Music Monday – “Saw her eyes in the rear-view mirror/Girls in the back, trunks full of beer”

Southern Comfort” – The Orwells

Music Monday – “You and me go fishing in the dark/Lying on our backs and counting the stars”

Gone fishing for a week. Expect minimal blogging…

Saturday Snap – “Saturday Steak”

One trick I picked up about bbqing steak is to finish them by propping them up on their sides.

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Yum!

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A Few Random Thoughts on Pace’s Final Day of Grade One

  • At the beginning of the year, the teacher said that any kid who read 300 books would get a prize at the end of the year.  Pace ended up reading around 400 books (and probably more that we didn’t always remember to write in his reading log), got a pretty cool “Thunder Maker” toy as his prize and came in second behind a girl who read over 500 books.  He was cool with this as he pointed out “First the worst, second the best.”  Can’t argue with that logic.  I’m cool with it too as it reminded me of one classmate who always beat me in any English-related contest – I went on to be a librarian but she went on to be a PhD English prof so again, “First the worst, second the best!” 😉
  • With that much reading, it’s been amazing to see his reading, writing and comprehension explode through the year.  A highlight was when we left him reading in his bed the other night and he told Shea, “Hey mom!  I can read without talking out loud now!”
  • His teacher told us Pace didn’t get in trouble, not even once, all year.  Funny – that brought back a still vivid memory of one specific time I got in trouble when I was in Grade One which was fairly rare for myself too.
  • Pace has a much more diverse school experience than I ever had and he’ll be all the better for it – lots of First Nations classmates and neighbours, new immigrants from everywhere from the former Yugoslavia to Pakistan to various African countries and more.
  • With Shea being on maternity leave, she was able to help out as a volunteer on many occasions, pick up Pace from school regularly and Sasha even got a few previews of her future school!
  • One difference with my new job is that I have some evening and weekend work.  The good thing about that is I have occasional Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays off when I can pick Pace up from school.  Nothing more exciting than hearing the bell ring and watching the kids charge out the door plus the look on Pace’s face when I’m there to pick him up.
  • I think Shea and I are really excited for summer holidays too – two whole months without needing to have nightly rushes to make lunches, do homework, sign agenda books, do any required paperwork, etc.

After One Year As a Parent, One Thing is Certain…

(full comic available here and worth the click)

Snow in Regina in June?

Sure looks like it…

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Music Monday – “I got no car and it’s breaking my heart/But I’ve found a driver and that’s a start”

Drive My Car” – Beatles

Media Habits of The Class of 2014

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