So, I started writing to my grandmother.

Grammy loves to receive mail from her family. She’s also about 80% deaf and the only way to really talk to her short of writing her letters/emails, is to skype together and have her talk to you while you type back to her. I love that the family has made efforts for us to be able to talk to her in place of a phone conversation where she can’t hear us, but I still prefer the written word. When it comes to Grammy, I find e-mails too impersonal because even though she is adjusting to the computer and communicating through the computer, its not something she is completely comfortable with. So I write the old fashioned way, a pen and paper in hand and pouring my thoughts to her onto the paper.

There is something comforting in writing with pen and paper. I enjoy the complete lack of technology in writing a letter.

Growing up, I had a pen-pal. We wrote each other constantly until junior high when life and being a teenager got in the way. But we kept in touch. This past October, I traveled to Toronto to celebrate her wedding. It’s funny, I hadn’t seen her in years (about 18 years in fact), but it was like no time had passed between us. We were old friends and we seamlessly picked up where we left off. So seamlessly, in fact, that both sets of parents commented on it by the end of the trip.

I’ve missed the act of sitting down and writing a letter. There is something so personal in physically writing the words you intend to send to others. To make it readable. To see the emotion in someones handwriting. Plus the benefit of getting something in the mail that isn’t a bill.

No typing.

No e-mail addresses.

It just seems to make sense to write to Grammy. When I write, I feel like I’m still sitting next to her at her kitchen table while poppy snoozes in the living room with the baseball game on, telling her about work and Brownies and talking about the latest book I read or the new craft I started. I miss her so much that this simple act of writing makes it feel like shes still here with me instead of in Ontario.

I hope this is the start of a new pen-pal relationship with Grammy. I think we could both benefit from it. I think she needs someone to talk to and share the transition of her life in Ontario and learning to live without Poppy and I still need my Grammy.

I’ll always need my Grammy.

~~~

It’s been awhile since I’ve taken part in #MicroblogMonday.

Interested? Click on the picture.

You know the drill, click the pic to take part.

Today, I’m in burnout mode and we’re striding towards a finish line that I’m not ready to cross.

It’s been two of the most exhausting weeks of my life.

Two deaths, neither I was truly prepared for.

The funeral for our dear friend’s 26 year old sister just gutted both me and Chris, and if we are being honest, everyone at the funeral. So young. Still so much life left to live. So close to the holidays.

Then my grandfather. He was 88 and he lived a full life. He spent the last 5 years suffering and even though he left us on my birthday, I didn’t really care because he wasn’t suffering anymore. We shared their anniversary with them for the past 5 years and now his death is shared with my birthday. We’ve always been so close, so incredibly close, so it doesn’t really surprise me.

Yesterday, I just finally broke down. I spent most of my day crying. It was the first real day that I didn’t have to jump between things for each of the deceased. I had no rooms to prep for visitors. I had no food to prepare.  I opted not to go to a family event because I just couldn’t get my shit together emotionally. They understood, we all had those days and I was bound to crack under the pressure at some point. I truly grieved for him yesterday. Between tears, my husband sat there and listened to me tell stories and share fond memories of him and I truly needed that.

Today, I made myself do stuff. My Godfather sent food to my parents that wasn’t cold cuts or sandwiches and I greedily took advantage of it. I went to darts. I went to visit with Grammy and my aunts and uncles. We’re all in this state of calm now, its oddly unnerving. No tears, just quiet contemplation. We’re ready for this to end. But now we prepare for Grammy to move to Ontario with my aunt on Friday and I’m sad all over again. I just lost my Poppy, I’m not emotionally prepared to see my Grammy move away now. She’s lived down here all my life and I’m her shopping buddy and she’s been there for everything, I don’t want her to leave me now. When I think of her moving, its like I’m a little girl all over again and I’m just so sad that she’s leaving me. I want to cry and attach myself to her leg and beg her to stay. It’s not like I can call her anytime I want because she’s almost completely deaf at this point. But she made me promise to write her, and I will, the old fashioned way.

But I’ve learned through all of this to not take life for granted. My Poppy lived a full and happy life and I’m going to take my life lessons from him. Enjoy the good parts, don’t let the bad parts get your down, always show your gratitude, its OK to enjoy a nice glass of wine or beer and to take joy the little things, like watching your sports team win. And when your spouse is driving you crazy, it’s OK to take out your hearing aid and smile sneakily.

I miss you something fierce Poppy. I wish I could kiss that forehead and see you smile one more time.

I love you.

Welcome to another round of #MicroBlogMonday. I’ve been so busy for the past couple of months that my blog is turning into a #MicroBlog. Still not sure what it is, or you wanna take part and haven’t worked up the courage yet? Head over Mel’s Blog. Trust me, she won’t mind, she’s really friendly and opening to new peeps.

~~~

So today is my Momma’s Birthday.

I’m very lucky to have a very close relationship with her. She’s my best friend and I would seriously be lost without her in my life. Yesterday we had a turkey supper and cake with another couple they are friends with. Today the flowers and fruit basket me and my brother ordered for her showed up and tonight at darts, we are surprising her with a cake. Tomorrow, partially in prep for our big trip to Toronto on Thursday, we are both going for a mother/daughter  mani & pedi.

Other than that, I’ve been preparing for the trip. I go to Toronto with mom and dad for a wedding of a dear friend I haven’t seen in 18 years. I’m pretty sure mom has told the world that this will be my first time flying. I’m only mildly embarrassed about it.

I’m almost all packed. Now, its just the last minute things…and my bathing suit. For the life of me, after getting so little use this summer, I can’t find my bathing suit. The hotels we are staying at have full gyms and heated indoor pools, so I plan to take advantage of it.

If only I could find my damn bathing suit.

Have you seen my bathing suit?

Hello everyone and welcome to another #MicroBlogMonday! Don’t know what #MicroBlogMonday is? Head over to Mel’s post and join in on the fun.

Cookies.

If I were to describe this past weekend, it could be summed up in one word: Cookies.

It’s Girl Guide Cookie season. Our mint chocolate Girl Guide cookies arrived. And in true GGC cookie fashion, they arrived hectic, hassled and rushed.

I’m district secretary. The two heads of our district had a training weekend starting Friday and were going to be away for cookie drop off. I get a frantic email from my District Commissioner asking me to fill in for her and accept the cookies at the delivery point. Of course I said yes, because my no option doesn’t seem to work when it comes to Girl Guides and I love helping out. She told me I just had to witness the drop off and sign off.

Sure.

I expected a call mid to late morning. They didn’t call me til 4:30.

I did have to view the delivery and sign for it. But I also had to move all 500 cases of cookies into the room we were storing them in, and call in for help from other leaders.

But we got them all moved. All 500 cases. Then the next day I helped another leader load 300 of those cases into cars to go out to the individual units, including the 55 cases sitting in my kitchen that Rory has claimed as his personal resting place to look down upon the world.

So yeah. Cookies.

All of the cookies.

Seriously. So many cookies.

On a completely unrelated note, does anyone want cookies?

Hey everyone and welcome to another round of #MicroblogMondays. If you want to know more about it, head over to Mel’s Blog to learn all about it.

I don’t know about anywhere else, but around here, my married name is uncommon. I loved when I upgraded from the common McDonald to Batten. I thought it would get easier cause its such a short name. But whenever I call and place an order or go to Starbucks, they simply cannot spell my name right. Case in point:

Boaton? Really?

What’s worse is that I actually spelled my name for them and I always spell my name so that there is no confusion. When I pick things up I usually wear one of my two hoodies that has my last name stitched on the sleeve. And when they can’t fathom that spelling I even break it down (ok think baseball bats and the number 10). The common mistake is always Batton though Starbucks actually spelled it “Beth” once. But this is a new one. And the girl even spelled it back to me.

Do people butcher the spelling of your name?

On a side note, my training weekend was amazing. I learned so much. And a post is coming soon, just as soon as I’m all ready for our first night back to Brownies this Thursday and have some downtime.