Grandma's House

My grandma moved into a nursing home, memory unit care center, last April 2011.  A year later, she's doing great, but as such, her sons have decided to sell her home.  Its been a bit strange and sad for me as she's still alive and yet we have gone through all of her personal items and then also just finished a estate sale, and her home will soon be up for sale.

We were able to go through and find items of rememberance and that was the best part for me.  My grandma made SO MANY ceramics.  Seriously, 100 boxes full in her garage and then a couple bedrooms and shelf units full.  So I was able to bring some home (finally just repackaged this week!) including: Santas, a winter house collection, halloween haunted sets, some easter decor, and some odds and ends, including her microwave (yay, ours was on the way out).  Honestly it was really hard leaving her home for the last time before the sale because I just want to remember it how it was.  I know it's just a home, but to me there are so many memories there.  The most prevelant being my many visits to see Grandma over the summers by myself or from college at BYU, etc.  We've been buds and loved chatting about whatever was on our minds.  We also made ceramice together during those summers, watched her garden all the time, flew to AZ together every holiday, etc etc.  I think I'd like to claim "closest granddaughter" title :)  Especially as I realized that the other grandkids just weren't close by or something but it was really just her sons who went through all of her belonings with us.  I guess I'm just more sentimental or something.

And the good thing, I can still go chat with Grandma Ginny anytime.  She's not all here, doesn't know who I am, but she does have her spunk and is actually happy in her new place.  So, it makes for a good visit to grab a coke down the hall or chat about whatever she's been doing (over and over).  Fact: I really haven't dealt with death in my family or friends too much yet.  I have such a hard time just saying goodbye to someone leaving the state, etc, I know when someone actually leaves this life, it will impact me a lot.  There will be a hole where they were.  I don't like thinking about that stuff at all.  I do know there's a better place that we'll all be going and they'll be waiting for us to join them - but the day to day will be different and it will be a growing experience I'm sure.  Not looking forward to it, just saying.

Here are some pictures taken before the estate sale.  (I do have to ask my future self to try not and let this happen when its my turn to leave this life... I hope as I get older that I just continue to get rid of more and more and if there's keepsakes I can pass them on to my kids or grandkids while I'm still alive, making it less difficult to get rid of all the nick-nacks.  David told me this and I thought it was a good suggestion.)  We had to stop by the house during the sale and man that wasn't fun.  I didn't even go inside because it just bothered me to have random and "odd" (for real) people coming in and poking around.  It just seemed like a violation to her life and hobbies and all that she made for herself.  I know people have to do it, and they had to do it because what else can you do with those items when no one wants them?  But, it was hard to watch for me.

Anyway, here's Grandma's house :)

Her street and driving this is what we'd see.

My favorite kitchen and green chairs that as kids we'd always stick our fingers into the backs.

The room I usually stayed in (above)

And these are only a few of the Santas and ceramics, didn't want to go crazy with all the pictures we took, but I have a CD full....