I'm back and unfortunately am exhausted both physically and emotionally. Friday through Sunday I went to a writer's retreat in Oregon that was absolutely awesome. Tuesday-Thursday, as you may recall, I had planned a trip to Chicago to see my uncle who was quite ill. Unfortunately, on my way back home from Oregon on Sunday I learned that Uncle Ted had passed away. Monday was a rather crazy day of organizing, washing clothes, trying to get stuff in order in able to hop back on a plane. Tuesday was a challenge as well. I arrived at Midway Airport in Chicago and drove 1 hour and 45 minutes to Woodstock, IL where the wake was taking place. I squeezed in at 7:15 (only minutes after my brother, who flew into O'Hare) and was there for the eulogies. Tuesday night I stayed with my Aunt Sue and Uncle Rick and Aunt Sue and I stayed up late into the night having a heart to heart. Wednesday morning was the visitation and the funeral mass. Following that we went to the Polish Legion of American Veterans' hall (Uncle Ted had been an active member) and had a big party in Uncle Ted's memory. I know it seems strange to go from a funeral to singing karaoke, but it was exactly what Uncle Ted would have wanted. The next day I headed back out, a 4.5 hour plane right back on Southwest (no stops, thank god), arriving exhausted last night.
Today we went to stained glass and had our critiques--mine went well. I'll write more on that later. For now I'm taking another nap and attempting to recover from a pretty crappy week.
Posted by Shelby at October 21, 2005 04:10 PMShelby, my condolences on your loss. The karaoke sounds like a wonderful tribute.
Where in Oregon was your conference? Hope to hear more about that!
Posted by: Tori at October 24, 2005 02:40 PM