We will miss you Gramma Jane

Danny received a phone call early Saturday morning. His grandma had passed away during the night. She went to bed the night before and never woke up. Danny spent the majority of his teenage years living with Gramma Jane, so her passing was very difficult for him.

We spent Saturday washing laundry and preparing for a 12 hour drive to Michigan. We pulled out of our driveway around 6:30 pm on Saturday. The temps were in the high 60's and Taylor was wearing shorts. We were prepared for the colder weather to our North, but as we got further into Michigan, we began to see snow. Just a little at first, but more as we continued to drive.

The trip was uneventful and we arrived in West Branch, MI at 6am Sunday morning. The temperature was now a balmy 14 degrees with around 2 feet of snow on the ground. Poor Taylor still had his shorts on from the night before.

The plan had been for us to drive all night, then get in early and get a motel room so we could get a few hours sleep and freshen up before the family had to meet at the funeral home at 1:00. There were only a handful of rooms in the town, and to our dismay, they were all booked. Yup, every one of them. It seems that West Branch is popular with the snowmobilers, and the snow from the day before had brought everyone out. Every room was full.

Danny took us on a  small tour of the town, and after a quick call to his mom (who lives an hour and a half away) we decided to drop in on Grams sister, Aunt Honey who lives just a few blocks from the funeral home. After giving her a chance to get up and moving, we knocked on her door. We were welcomed into her home with open arms and spent the entire morning visiting with her. Such a sweet lady!

After the meeting at 1, we grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds. Since the service would not take place until Tuesday, We all (Danny's sister, brother and families) made our way to Lake, MI to Dannys parents house for the night. The kids were able to get in a little sledding:

And everyone spent some time catching up and sharing great memories of Gram.

On Monday evening,we all headed back to West Branch. We were able to get 4 rooms at one the local hotels for the next few nights so we would be close and there would be more room for everyone to sleep, shower and change.

The hotel had a very nice indoor pool for the kids. They were able to get some swimming in and lots of cousin bonding time :)

Grams service was very nice. Memories were shared of her sweet, giving ways. Long ago days of camping, holiday pumpkin bread and "speaking her mind". Her solid work ethics and her "colorful vocabulary". But mostly, the love she had of others and especially her family. Gram left an indelible footprint in her families lives and she will be missed dearly.