I'll post a picture of Cody, because she makes me so happy.

I am really, really exhausted....

Thanks BT, for all the condolences, it means a lot, and I told my mom, too :) The service was really beautiful. My family has a lot of incredible musicians, and two of my cousins are actually professional musicians, so the whole funeral was centered around music- which was exactly how grandpa would've wanted it. At one point, they allowed people to share memories of grandpa, and it was great to hear everyone's fun and touching memories of him- he was a character! One fond story is when he walked on the handrail of a railroad bridge at Letchworth park. The bridge is about 500-600 feet above a gigantic gorge. Then, he did a head stand in the middle, on a pole.... all to impress my Grandma :) After the ceremony, we went to the cemetery, where he had a military burial, they played taps, and then presented the American flag. It was really moving, and grandpa would've thought it was cool :) Everyone also showed their extreme gratification and love towards my mom, who has now had to not only watch both her parents die slowly, and make critical decisions these past 10 years, but she had grandpa live at our house for over 2 years while his mind was declining- which caused a lot of stress for her. She's also had two of her three brothers die prematurely and suddenly. God apparently hates her, which is stupid, because she's probably the nicest person you could ever meet- for real. I'm not religious, but she is, and God BETTER have the friggin' sweetest nook carved out for her- lots of good books, chocolate galore with no consequences, John Wayne movies, and people to talk to for her afterlife, or else I'm finding that SOB, and make him hook her up. If not, then life is just an awfully cruel joke and my mom got the raw deal. Although it was sad to be home for a funeral, it was still nice to see my family, and I even went fishing with my mom and dad- I caught two large mouth bass! Cody-bear even came fishing, and she LOVED it. That part was fun.

Things are OK back at home. Everyone is celebrating Grandpa's life, and happy that he is in a place where Alzheimer's can't have his brain anymore. It is nice to see my family, too, since I haven't seen a lot of these people in a while. Service is today. He was a dad, a husband, a firefighter, a musician, an athlete, a golfer, and a WWII veteran, who will be missed by his family, friends and community.

My grandfather passed yesterday :( He has been battling alzheimer's for a long time, so this was not unexpected, but still sad. He was a big part of my life as a kid, since my mom was very close to her parents- we were always visiting, or camping together, or going on 'drives'- in particular, I remember the Montezuma 'wildlife refuge'....a big field with birds...hehe, such a grandparent thing to do :) It's especially hard for my mom, because now both her parents are gone, and she has had to watch them go over a period of years. I don't think a week goes by where she doesn't remind me that I am allowed to use any means necessary, when it's her time :) Anyways, we're headed to Rochester tonight, and so I got one of my longer rides done because we can't bring the bikes. At least I'm looking forward to seeing my family, it's been a while, so hopefully the whole weekend won't be too sad.