We did fly out to Ohio two days after my surgery (the surgeons had okayed it, but told me it was going to be painful). The TSA agents (the ones who put you through the metal detectors) were wonderful going there; they patted me down, and didn't even make me get out of the wheelchair. We flew out late (around 9 pm) on AirTran, and by the time we got to the gate, most of the restaurants were closed. Auntie Anne's took pity on me in the wheelchair when we asked them if they were open and they told us no; they handed me a bag with 3 Cinnamon Sugar pretzels in it for free! That's 10 dollars worth of free Auntie Anne's! Needless to say, my friend Jackie was a little jealous.
We had made sure to pack my ice packs (you know, those really nice ones that the hospital gives you, the ones that ice goes in that don't leak, the ones with the strings?), and got a cup of ice to fill it up with before we got on the plane. I turned on the stim before we got on the plane (I can play with it after the pilot clears electronic devices, but didn't want to), and took a pain med. The airline got us on the plane before anyone else, which was really nice, because I needed that extra time to get situated. We took a pillow, and stuck that behind me. Brian and I had the aisle and middle seat, and he was afraid of the window person having to step over me and all, which would be really uncomfy for me. The girl initially told us she wanted the window seat, but when we explained why, she was really understanding. In fact, she asked me a bunch of questions to tell her boyfriend, who was in med school, about.
We landed, and Mark (father in law) picked us three up. By the time we got to Grandma June's it was after Midnight, and I was exhausted and in a lot of pain. Mark gave us Grandma June's bedroom (normally he sleeps there and we sleep upstairs in the queen bed), and Brian got me settled in and all. The next day, Betsy (Brian's great Aunt; she married his grandpa's brother) flew in. This lady is awesome. I love her to bits; she so like me. Carl, her husband, did his time in the Air Force. Betsy told us because of the expense of flying in for the funeral, she didn't think she would be able to come out for the wedding. It occurred to me yesterday, though, that because of Carl's time in the Air Force, she can fly stand by on any USAF flight for free- and Dover Air Force Base is right here. I think I may have Mark contact her and propose that to her, because I would really love to see her again.
The funeral was on Friday. We got there at 10 am, and the viewing started at 11 am with the funeral and burial after. The boys, Mark, and Betsy had prepared a photo collage for everyone to look at, and Diane, Betsy's daughter, wrote a very nice piece about Grandma June; several friends and family members sent some very pretty floral arrangements. People trickled in throughout, including Grandma Mickey and Grandpa Pete; it was awesome to see them and talk to them. The funeral, while short, was hard on the family (especially Bill, Grandma June's boyfriend and partner in crime; they were truly in love, and that was why the family chose to keep her out there instead of bringing her out here. We just couldn't do that to Bill). Brian brought Grandma June's invitation to the wedding with him, and when we went up before they closed the casket, "presented" it to her. I tear up just thinking about it. I am so lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful, caring, sweet fiance/soon to be husband. The funeral home was very accommodating to me, which was helpful.
We drove to the burial, which was short and sweet. The residents do the weirdest thing out there. Not only do people coming the same direction as you stop to let the procession go by, but the other side of the road, which is technically cleared to go, stops as well. It was weird, yet nice to see respect for those mourning.
After the burial, we went to a Home Country Buffet type place, where we met some more of Brian's family. Jan and Judy, and Sanford and Carolyn are cousins of Mark's through Grandma June. It was great to get to meet some of the family on Mark's side, since he is an only child. Sanford and Carolyn even lived in northern Delaware for a bit, and it was neat to be able to talk to them about it!
Saturday was spent recouping and recovering for me; the rest of the family went to work clearing out the downstairs closets, as well as trying to go through the basement. We found a whole bunch of stuff that was trash, but in the midst of it all, found several gorgeous quilts. They had been done by Grandma Lauderbach (Grandma June's mom), and were all hand stitched. There were 6 in all; 3 were completely done, 2 just needed batting and backing, and 1 was stripes that needed to be sewn together, batted and backed. We estimate they were finished in the 1930s-1940s- a true family heirloom. They were breathtaking to see. We just have to figure out how to get the mildew smell (they don't look horrible, just smell it) out.
Sunday we flew back; we were dropped off at the Dayton Airport around 5 am; Alan and Mark drove back. We got into BWI around 8:30 am, and my mom came and picked us up. All in all, the trip went well, and we were glad to be able to go out to say goodbye for now.
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