rita josephine donegan

My grandma passed away on Wednesday night. It is very hard and I can't really explain the way I feel -- I have never lost someone that was so special to me and that I loved so much before. But I know that she is in a good place right now. I know that she is looking down from heaven and loving us just as much as ever. I miss you, Grandma, and I will always love you... more!!

saying good bye

I went to say good bye to my grandma in North Dakota. My mom, dad and I took the long (26 hours!!) train ride back last week. It was a beautiful ride and due to all the flooding, we practically had the whole train to ourselves. We even had our own private wine and cheese tasting in the sleeper car. It was a pretty special ride and a nice way to prepare for what was ahead.

It was a trip I will hold dear to my heart forever. My grandma is living in a nursing home where they take absolutely amazing care of her. The nurses and their assistants are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met, so caring and patient, and they have such a great sense of humor, which my grandma just loves. They have a ‘happy hour’ at the nursing home and we went to listen to the music and have a glass of wine, we watched the news, talked, and learned new stories about my grandma’s amazing life. There were always visitors coming and going and the phone was always ringing. My grandma is such a social person and has so many great friends. I am so thankful for my grandma and thankful I was able to say good bye. She has lived a great life and holds a special place in so many people’s hearts.

The town that my grandparents live in is facing the worst floods they have in years. The whole time we were there, people were filling sand bags to place around their homes and businesses to protect them from the water. It was a site I have only seen on the news. I talked to some kids who had been let out of school to help fill sand bags, they were pretty scared for their families and working hard to protect everything they have.

easter

We spent Easter at Gram and Papa’s this year were had a very yummy brunch and celebrated Alec’s birthday.

wii, basketball, and a photoshoot

I got to spend some time with my second cousin, Hayden, a couple weeks ago. He lives in Spokane, with his mom and dad (my cousin Christopher), so I don’t get to see him as often as I would like. Hayden was visiting his grandma (my aunt Terry) so I stopped by to say hi. He taught me wii bowling, we played a few games of koosh basketball and took 123 pictures!! Hayden is a great model. We had so much fun and I am excited for him to come back – hopefully this summer – for another visit.