goodbye grandma gin

my beautiful grandmother (my dad's mom, virginia) passed away yesterday at 94 years young. she had been in the hospital for the past week after going to the ER because she could not keep any food down. they discovered she had cancer spread through out her bones. they planned to do home hospice, but she deteriorated so quickly that she ended up dying in the hospital. she was so sharp, so independent, and so full of life up until the very end. she loved to shop, and chat, and have her nightly cocktail. she was a staunch republican (something we did not see eye to eye on - haha) and was a devout catholic. she was always a fiercely independent woman, which i greatly admired given that isn't always the norm for women from her era. she lost her husband and two of her four children in the last eight years, which i know was very hard on her. i have not seen her since 2012 when we traveled to new jersey (where she lives) with 1 year old azalea. i'm so glad i have pictures from that trip to look back on. i can't believe she is really gone from this earth, but i hope she is with my dad someway, somehow. she will be greatly missed! rest in peace, grandma.

this picture was taken a few months ago. isn't she fabulous?

the funeral is on monday and while i would love to be there to celebrate her life, it's just not going to be possible. the flights from seattle to nj/ny for this sunday were insanely expensive. thankfully heidi, chad, and sarah will be here this weekend, which will be so fun!