rain pours.

"Be careful what you set your heart on, for it will surely become yours." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Out of my funk....and in a hurry, too.

Several life-changing events have happened over the past few days. Not life-changing to the point of completely altering my entire existence, but drastic enough to completely turn my plans upside-down.

I learned two nights ago that my grandma Pattie passed away. She and her husband, Bud, are not my biological grandparents, but I've known them for as long as I can remember, and they have been even more supportive than my own grandparents at times. Bud was a coworker of my dad's when we lived in the Fort Worth, Texas area. As small as I was (we moved to Minnesota when I was five), I remember vividly weekend afternoons spent at their house, picking flowers in their beautiful backyard, coloring in the books under the coffee table, admiring Pattie's ornamental prism collection hanging in the window, and chasing Maude the cat (who hated me.) I haven't seen them since my last visit to Fort Worth...over ten years ago. Even so, without fail, I would receive a card every Christmas and birthday, and a phone call every few months. Though I didn't see Bud and Pattie, I can clearly recognize their voices, and can still hear them calling me "Sweetheart."
Calling Bud that night was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Whenever we spoke on the phone, they would each be on a separate phone so they could talk to me at the same time. It seemed so empty without Pattie's happy, subtle drawl. Though I don't get to see them, my life feels empty and hollow without her.

Next week Thursday, my family and I (Charlie included!) are going to Fort Worth for a few days, to see Bud, and probably my Uncle Lewis. Though it's under such awful circumstances, it's been a very long time since I've seen my old home, and I'm looking forward to seeing my family.

On top of losing my grandma, I was offered and accepted a position as a marching band/percussion technician at Brookings High School. Basically, I will have charge over a section of the band, helping learn drills. Starting on the eighth of August, I will drop to part-time at Walmart, and spend the majority of my weekdays at the high school, helping with band camp. I am really excited about this opportunity, since we didn't have a marching band at GSL, and it will be awesome to get to experience high school marching season, even if I'm not in uniform. On top of Jacks games with the Pride on Saturdays, I get to spend Friday nights at Coughlin-Alumni with the Bobcats, plus competitions and parades. I love everything about marching season, so I'm excited beyond belief that my season gets to start a whole month early.

I suppose this is what happens when a person complains about a stagnant lifestyle. It's been a crazy few days of emotional confusion, but everything has a reason.