Celebration of Life...

My dad grew up in Axtell, Kansas & moved to Shelbyville, IL around 1970 to attend Radio Broadcasting School.  He met my mom & the rest is history.  His family & friends have all remained in Kansas & we have visited regularly my entire life.  Tatum & I would visit for a week or so every summer & made wonderful memories.  Something you may find a bit strange is that my grandparents owned & lived in a funeral home.  The house was quite large (3 stories) and my grandparents lived on the 2nd & 3rd floors.  This is also where my dad lived his entire childhood.  It is a gorgeous place. (You will see it, below, in the dead of winter with lots of snow surrounding it.) My grandma Twyla died a few years ago.  My grandpa Bill recently passed away the end of June.  Within 24 hours my grandpa's brother-in-law aka my dad's Uncle Gale passed away, too. Reddington & I followed Craig, Tatum, Maddix, & Ava out to Kansas for a 3 day visit.  Although we know it was meant to be, it was hard to stomach not one, but two funerals in the same day for two beloved family members.  We miss them both so much! We are not near as close to our cousins, Jason & Scott, & Uncle Trav as we'd like to be.  I guess that's what 7 hours between us has done over the years.  We have a great time when we are together.  They have 4 kids between the two of them so it is fun for all of the 2nd Cousins to be together.  Of course, we wished the circumstances were different. 

{Back Row- Dad, Uncle Trav, Cousin Jason, Craig, Cousin Scott, Scott's Wife, Annalise, Me}

{Middle Row- Mom, Lana, Ava, Scott's Youngest, Reddington}

{Front Row- Jana, Maddix, Scott's Oldest, Jayden, Tatum}

 {Salem Lutheran Church}

{Salem Lutheran Church}

{Landreth-Popkess Funeral Home- Winter}

We do have LOTS more recent photos of all of us with my grandparents.  I have had the photo above up in my home for years.  This was on a Sunday at church when my grandparents came to visit.  I am smiling/laughing as a baby.  Excuse the poor quality of a 'picture of a picture'  :)

We love you & miss you all!

Grandma Twyla

Grandpa Bill

(Great) Uncle Gale

R.I.P.