i'm not sure i'm going to keep this blog much longer. i may do it for personal things from time to time, but honestly, i'm just so indecisive about it right now. i liked having a place to store memories and fun times, yet how much information that i share on here is too much? also, i've really been noticing that a few people i know (nobody linked from my blog, so no worries, friends!!) blog about experiences in a way that confuses me. i know there are 3 sides to each story: your side, someone else's side, and the truth, but with a few of these updates they post, it just boggles my mind. i have been there with them in that moment in time, and what they blog about is completely different and imho, totally incorrect!! that just makes me grumpy, and not want to blog anymore. it's just odd that you could have such a totally inaccurate post about what happened, as if things are perfect in your life. i'm not saying i am, or other people are. i just don't think it's healthy to pretend like your experiences are without fault or to portray things as constantly fun and wonderful. of course i have a specific incident in mind, and it drives me wild that i have such a different view on what transpired. oh well, c'est la vie.

i am pretty sure that i'm starting up a separate blog in a bit, and i'm not going to have it connected to me/netters in any way. you'll see once i've started!! for now, i may post things here...and i may not. on that note, i want to share a few memories with you, as it is my sad duty to report that my grandfather has passed away. he was my last grandparent, and it feels like the end of an era...the torch being passed...etc etc.

*one of the first memories i have of my grandpa was him taking my brother and i to the park and out to lunch. we'd get to ride in his big ol' plush car to burger king, which was one of his favorite spots. this was a real treat for erik and i, because we almost never went out for fast food. i remember we'd split a medium fries, and fight over who got to keep the fries container after, because it smelled sooooo good!! no joke, we'd keep it in our room for like a day so our room smelled like french fries!!

*my grandpa loved family get togethers. one of the first times i met my aunt's future husband, we were on the beach at aptos. i remember grandpa typing up "shrimp on the barbie" stickers for the cups to get us all ready for a fun bbq!!

*he was incredibly thoughtful, too. my aunt was living in santa cruz, and i remember he bought one of the first car/cell phones for her, so she'd be able to call if there was a problem. that thing was huuuge, and i loved getting to use it even if it did have the worst reception along hwy 17.

*he used to clip coupons he thought my mom could use. i remember we'd drink loooots of cranberry juice cause grandpa had clipped coupons for juice that week!!

*my grandpa was very caring always thinking of presents for people, and how he could make people feel more welcome and comfortable.

*he loved these hilarious southern/dirt poor humor calendars that came out each year. they were "poor ol' george" calendars and he would always hand them out to friends and family. he also liked having pens made up with different sayings on them. he would carry around a few each time he went out and about, and hand them to strangers. people could always use a pen, and i liked seeing their faces light up as they got such a simple yet thoughtful gift.

*he would do anything for chocolate.

*one thing we didn't have in common was his love for british humour. i didn't get it, but i would watch Are You Being Served with him. one thing that we did have in common was our love for drinks as cold as you could make them!! we loooooved ice cold soda or water. it could be in the fridge, served with ice, and not be cold enough!!

*in addition to great christmas presents for us grandkids, he made sure to do things like donate to charity in our name. i liked knowing that there were goats donated in my name to heifer international!!

*he always thanked us when we called to see how he was. even if it was just a quick update, he always remembered to say thank you to us, and that stuck with me.

*my grandpa and my other grandpa share the same first name. it's always been a favorite of mine, and one that we passed down with my own son. my grandpa liked to tease that my son was named after HIM, and not my other grandpa. also funny that my hubby shares the same name...but grandpa was adamant that my son was named after him. :)

*we all witnessed a very pretty sunset last night. when my first grandparent passed away (my other grandfather), i was 7 years old. i didn't know he had passed away, but i remember being at my neighbor's house, and watching the sun setting that evening. my mom came home and told me the sad news, but then asked if i had seen the sunset. we both had witnessed such a beautiful one, separately, and always kept that memory with us. last night, i watched the sun setting with my daddy, and we noticed a very bright gold color, and nothing else. gold of course was the school color of the university my gramps went to, and i think that was his way of telling us that he was happy where he was, and everything was all right.