For Grandpa

For Grandpa

A year ago today I lost the only grandpa I knew.
His name was Gordon Crichton and he was 78.
He was married to his sweetheart Sue Bonnie Hilgers
And together they raised three boys and a girl.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and 4 in the morning
When my mother got the call we had been dreading.
Grandma called and told us that he finally passed,
And asked us to come over right away.

She came into my room, woke me up from my slumber
And told me the bad news about Grandpa.
She gave me the choice to stay home or go with her,
So together we went to comfort my Grandma.

We got into the car and started driving towards the hospital
For that’s where my mom believed him to be.
It wasn’t till we were searching around the ER for him
When mom remembered Grandma called from home, not there.

Back in the car we went, and raced to her house.
The cops that were waiting with grandma got a little worried
After we told them about our wrong stop and threatened to give
a speeding ticket if we were the family over 20 minutes away.

That small little humor helped my grandma on a day of sorrow
And now that we were there, the cops left us alone.
The daughter from 20 minutes away showed up soon after
Bringing along my cousin Dane to keep me strong.

As the morning dragged on, the rest of the family showed up
And soon enough Grandpa was carried away from the house.
I was amazed that I never saw a tear drop in Grandma’s eyes
And wondered how she could keep staying so strong.

We spent the rest of the morning remembering the great times.
The kids remembered the homemade popcorn he’d make
And how he would fix everything around the house with duck tape
And the days pitching batting practice to the Minnesota Twins.

The grandkids remembered all those homemade malts,
And driving trucks up and down Grandpa’s back.
All the years he played “Santa” at Christmas time
And walking down to see the trains at the railroad track.

So as I remember him this day, and every other day too,
I am thankful for the many years I did get to be with him.
I miss my Grandfather more than I could ever say
But I know that I will see him again in heaven someday.

Family Tradition

Family Tradition

Popcorn, Popcorn-
Oh how you mean to me.
You’re not just another food,
Left on the shelf in the pantry.
You’re the dinner of choice
When we’ve had an early dinner.
You’re the munching of choice,
While watching my favorite movie.
I love the way you sound
When you make your first pop.
And when you start filling the pan,
You make my taste buds water up.
For your salty taste makes me smile
And appreciate every kernel that pops.
You let me and my grandpa
Share a special bond.
Making you each and every 4th of July
For all the visitors that come.
Now that he is gone,
We still continue on the tradition.
So popcorn you’re not just another food,
But more of a family tradition.

By the Passing Creek

By the Passing Creek

I went on a hike today
Up a mountain in Logan Utah.
The trees filled with so much color
Spread across the land in awe.

As we started on the uneven path
Made up of colorful fallen leaves,
I passed by a slanted gray rock
With just a single yellow leaf.

How special it seemed to me
That this leaf was all alone.
Looked like someone had placed it there
To be discovered by someone unknown.

I stopped and admired the beauty
So simple, yet so rare.
I took a picture of that lonely leaf
To keep in my memory and share.

Finals Time

Classes are done and that means it is finals week here in Winona. The past few weeks have fun flown by and it's hard to believe that some people will be leaving Winona forever. I've had a lot of great times this semester and became close with some really great people. I have also found myself a special someone and things have been going great so far. He will be graduating in just a few days but lucky for me , he is from the cities so I will be able to see him often and I will be coming home enough during the next semester to work so I will see him then as well.

As far as my work load, I'm sure I could have done more stuff this weekend than I have. Friday night I wanted to relax because I had a big project that was due that day that I stayed up late doing. I ended up getting really smashed and my memory of the night is like a cow... spotty. I also realized that I have to adjust to this whole "being taken" thing since I have been single all throughout college up till now. Saturday I spent most of the morning sleeping, then did some errands and such, and then at 2:30 the roommates and I headed over to Valencia to watch Caitlin dance. Watching all my fellow dancers made me miss dance so much and I am excited to be going back to it next semester. The show next semester will be doing a Ballet, Tap and Jazz piece. I hope to make at least the Tap and Jazz and hopefully the Ballet. I don't know what kind of pieces they will be so we will just have to see. The rest of Saturday was spent eating dinner with the roommates that Krista cooked up and nerf gun fights in our living room.

Today, I have done not a lot again. The roommates minus Erin met up with our friend Dan for a Perkins breakfast. Then I got back home and just relaxed under the covers until Ben stopped by to see me and watch the first quarter of the New Orleans/Washington game. After he left, I took a nap while catching glimpses of the game. Very disappointed with the result of the game. Now I am watching the Giants/Cowboys game and writing this, getting in the writing mood to finish up my creative writing portfolio.

Vikings game is tonight. I am very VERY excited to watch it. I absolutely love watching Brett Favre and I feel like we something different every time he plays.

Okay, time to go and finish this portfolio. Have a great week everyone!