Retelling the Weekend: A Funeral, Family, and Delayed Flights

Tonight you'll find me sitting quite tiredly on the couch. Zzzzzzz.

I traveled to Tennessee for my grandmother's funeral over the weekend. It was a sweet time of visiting with family and a sad time of mourning those missing from the gathering. While I certainly am sad my grandmother passed away, I sometimes wondered if my tears were more for my parents who weren't there. It's times like that when the pain of who's missing feels stronger.

After the graveside service on Monday morning, family and friends enjoyed a meal together. This is the third time in four years I have gathered in this room for a memorial meal, being there only 9 months ago for my mother's burial. Sigh. I've buried my father, my mother, and my grandmother. Surely, I've reached my funeral quota for awhile.

Below are pics from the luncheon:

This is the best shot I got of all my first cousins on my father's side. This is a feat!

These are the flowers sent in Anna Zane's name:

My twin and I. If I was told once, I was told a gazillion times that I looked like my Aunt Charlotte (which I will NEVER complain about; she's a pretty lady!). I was really surprised when I talked to her over lunch and learned she was getting the same comments!

Special thanks also to my dear, dear friend Lori, who drove all the way from Nashville before dawn to attend the burial service with me. It meant so very much. When I said goodbye to Lori that afternoon, I traveled for a quick visit with my aunt and uncle (mom's brother) before I got on the plane. As I got in my car to leave their house, I received a text that my plane had been further delayed. 

Long story . . . very long story short, my 6:20 p.m. plane arrived in Knoxville at 12:40 a.m., and I was not on it. The agents thought--as did I--that the flight was going to be cancelled. Even though it ended up taking off around 1 in the morning, I wouldn't have enjoyed getting home at 3 a.m. just to drive 30 minutes to my house. Now my direct flight was a layover in Chicago with a 55 minute turn around time in which I had to go from gate H to gate K. Of course, on Tuesday, my Knoxville plane arrived 30 minutes late, leaving me roughly 20 minutes to make my connecting flight. Bryan, who saw that my flight was late into Chicago, called the airline while I was en route. They told him I'd never make my connecting flight so he rebooked me on a later flight. When I landed in Chicago and jogged to my gate, arriving just in time, the agent said my boarding pass was no good now. Sigh.

BUT he put me as #3 out of 26 on the standby list, and I MADE THE FLIGHT! Whew. Home at last. Talk about an emotional weekend.

Here's my aunt and uncle who saved me, and allowed me to stay the night on Monday. We had a great visit!

I'm ever so thankful that I attended the weekend events, but I am ever so glad to come home to my dearest man and sweetest girl. (Kudos to Bryan. He had roses, creme brulee, a chocolate bar, and ice cream waiting on me at home. AND we went out for dinner!)

My Mamaw: Zella Christine

Yesterday, I lost my grandmother; Mamaw White passed away at an impressive 90-years-old. I'm now somewhere in the midst of travel and child care arrangements and processing the loss.

Mamaw was the only grandparent I knew in my adult years. My other grandparents passed away before I turned 21. She washed my clothes in college and fed me enough meals to feed a country. I have fond memories from childhood of going to the basement freezer to pick out a treat (ice cream, of course). I enjoyed her taking me to KFC, playing paper dolls, looking through photo albums, napping on her couch. And will always appreciate how she embraced my husband and daughter.

I miss her.

Her passing also marks a new chapter of life for me. I have no living parent or grandparent. Those who, perhaps, cared the most about your birth, your life are no longer here on this earth. This is a really odd concept to wrap around my mind. Yet, I have a sneaky suspicion God will be as faithful to me in this as He has in every other area of life. He's cool like that.

You can read my grandmother's obituary here. If you wish to express condolences to my family, you may direct those to:

Mynatt Funeral Home
mynattfh.com
4131 E. Emory Road
Knoxville, TN 37938

The visitation will be at the funeral home Sunday from 5-8 p.m. with the funeral beginning at 8 p.m. The graveside service will be Monday at 11 a.m.

Anna-isms #4

It's officially Texas summertime. We hit the ol' triple digits this week. Often, when we get into the car, Anna says, "Mom, turn on the heater." She's a little confused. She's also told me, "My feet are hot. I need socks."

Yesterday, Anna played with a baby doll for 1.5 hours. This is a never-before-feat for her. It was darling and sad. Darling because it was so cute. Sad because she acted so old, like a little girl. Where's my BABY? Anyway, I got quite the startle when about 30 minutes into the play, I hear her calling the doll "my sister." Um, excuse me? Does she know something we don't?

Anna pats her hair and says, "My hair growing pretty."

She's always (ALWAYS) wanting Ms. Lisa, Bryan, or me to "close your eyes" so she can say, "surprise!"

While she doesn't like to eat cake or cookies, she bakes batch after batch in the bathtub. I've never pretended to eat so much purple cake . . . .

She loves to play hide-and-seek. She loves to be startled (laughs so hard after she jumps). She likes TV more than I like to admit. And she adores watering the garden/flowers while wearing her princess skirt along with the occasional twirl.

Sigh. I adore her, heater-sister-pretty-surprise-cake-princess Anna.

And here's a bonus: I blogged again for Fort Worth Moms Blog today: fortworthmomsblog.com.

It's all about how I've tackled the toddler tantrums. Yes, yes, that sweetie does stomp her feet, yell, and cry a few tantrum tears now and then.

Short Films by Anna Zane

It's been AGES since I uploaded videos. Please, oh please, accept my apologies! But at last, here's some Anna Zane cuteness to start off your weekend on a happy note.

For Sale AGAIN!

I might as well open a store . . . teehee.

We have a Serta Perfect Sleeper Cushion Firm Eurotop, Fairmont, queen mattress and box springs for sale. It's only about 3 years old. When we moved back into our house, we purchased a new bedroom suite so we don't need this mattress set anymore. We're asking $200 OBO.

Adoption and More Adoption: Writing Up a Storm

Yesterday, my second post went live on Fort Worth Moms Blog: http://fortworthmomsblog.com/2013/06/12/dfw-adoption-agencies-the-fab-four/. 

It's all about the four main adoption agencies in the metroplex. While our area boasts MANY agencies and lawyers who can make adoption a reality, these four are the oldest and most well established in the area.

I also covered some of the questions most helpful to the hubs and me when we were considering which adoption agency to choose.

And along adoption lines, I happened across this fantastic post from a father whose educating the masses on what is not okay to say to an adoptive family: http://www.danoah.com/2010/09/how-much-did-your-kid-cost.html. If only I had written this . . . haha.

JHF Construction

Forever and ever (well, as long as the hubs and I are alive), 2012 will always be remembered as (drum roll, please) the year of the remodel.

From January when the architect plans were delivered to the move out in June until December when we moved back, there was nary a moment when our minds--heck, our lives--weren't consumed with the remodel. We added a second story, gutted the kitchen, changed so much. There wasn't a room in the house that didn't succumb to the hammer or paint brush. Pick this. Choose that. Rethink. Redo. Renovate.

Now, you might expect this to be the part where I whine about how long it took or explain the depths of insanity I experienced. But that is not the case, my friends.

Honestly, we have our architects (more on those delightful gents in another post) and the wonderful crew from JHF Construction to thank for the smooth process. People have asked and asked about our contractor, so here's a blog post for the curious.

Why do we ADORE JHF Construction? It's like this:

• Attention to detail. From the first meeting, Mark Hickman (the on-site supervisor) provided a professional, thorough bid for our project. This detail-oriented focus carried on during the length of the project.
• On-site supervision. Many of the other companies who bid our project did not provide an on-site supervisor. This was a big deal to us. Mark was there day in, day out overseeing all the sub-contractors and the progress. That kept the project on track and kept mistakes to a minimum.
• Integrity. Never once did we feel slighted or cheated or overcharged. And never once did we feel the quality of work was less than excellent, detailed, and thoughtful of our wishes and vision. Y'all that's worth every penny we paid.
• On time. On budget. Do I need to say anything else?
• Experienced. Becky Hickman (the owner) and Mark know their stuff. They are not just administrators; they know how to do the work so that makes them above-par bosses. They know when something isn't done correctly. They can instruct others on the best way to approach something. Over and over again, I saw Mark redirect the subs to a better, more sound, more efficient way to tackle a problem. Friends, that made us feel so confident in the work being done. (Not to mention, Mark does the trim and tile work himself--and a few other jobs. His resume of management, higher degrees, and lumber training in Alaska [yes, you read that right] and carpentry training in New England impressed us soooo much.)
• Available. As stated before, Mark was on-site, meaning he was here when we had questions or needed something. He and Becky searched and searched for the best deals on many fixtures and materials. Becky traveled with me all over the metroplex picking out tiles and counters and tubs. Both quickly returned calls and emails. And both were gracious and forgiving when I had a "small" breakdown over the crown molding and baseboards (completely my fault. so embarrassing).
• Genuine. Mark and Becky are genuine and kind-hearted. 
• Rangers. The both cheer for the Texas Rangers. I mean, what else could you ask for in a contractor?

When we dove into the process, I totally expected to hate it. I'd heard all the horror stories; in fact, I have a few of my own from previous, smaller construction jobs we've done. I was so surprised--and pleasantly so--to find a group of people committed to making our house a home as much as we were. 

So, if you are itching to tear up your house--whether one wall, one room, or the whole dern thing--call JHF. (They do projects of all sizes.) You will not be sorry. I can't recommend them enough.

Here's the number for JHF Construction: 817-366-5518.