Weekly Wrap-up for June 23, 2013: On Grandfathers, Babies, Organization, and Books.

Today marks 10 years since my paternal grandfather passed away after a battle with cancer. It was just a couple weeks after my high school graduation, so the time period has always remained fresh in my memory. Many of my pictures from my senior high school events-prom, graduation, my graduation party-all show my grandfather's slow deterioration.

I never knew my maternal grandfather. He passed away before I was born, so my Grandpa Fred was something pretty special. He was a great man, and we all loved him dearly. I think about him, and my Grandmother Kay (who passed away a couple years after he did) regularly. I wonder what they would think of where I am now.

Matt and I were talking about Grandpa this morning. Matt was lucky enough to know my Grandpa (we've been together almost 11 years), so he has some memories. He was at the funeral with me and shared those thoughts and memories. And he agreed, it doesn't feel like it's been 10 years.

But to bring things full circle, my cousin Kate had her second son this morning-Sawyer James. James was my grandfather's middle name, so it was a touching tribute to him. My brother and his wife gave their daughter Zoey the middle name of "Kay" in memory of my grandmother. I love that we can honor our relatives in such a way. And little Sawyer made today a much more special day.

Switching gears...

I've been out of school for a week, and I haven't been all that productive. :) I got sick on the last day of school (what I thought was a cold-turned out to be a sinus infection and a double ear infection), and I'm still fighting it off. It settled in my chest, so I have an icky cough that just won't go away. So, all the cleaning and organizing I wanted to bust out in my first week off just plain didn't happen.

I did make a huge list of all the things I want to get done this summer. A lot of the list includes cleaning and organizing. I've gotten to the point where I just don't see why we have so much STUFF. Our apartment isn't super tiny, but it also isn't big. But we have too much crap everywhere! Our storage unit in the basement is pretty full (although, most of that is Matt's...I have no idea what's down there...), so that definitely needs to be cleaned out this summer. I'm at the point where if we haven't used or needed something in the almost 3 years we've been living here....why do we have it? I'm ready to dump, donate, and rediscover.

Today's agenda includes scrubbing down the bathroom and starting to go through the closet out here in the living room. We don't really use our closet all that much...and it's a big one! So I want to dig through and see if there is anything in there worth keeping, or if I can toss whatever I find in the dark corners. :)

I'm also planning on settling in with On the Road. I started it last night and while I am only 20 or so pages in...I'm not a fan of the style. At all. Perhaps it will grow on me, but I'm kind of doubting it!

I have finished a number of books in the last couple of weeks, so it seems my reading has picked up again. Granted, much of what I've been reading is light and fluffy, but I'm craving some classics. For example, right now I really want some Steinbeck, and I've been eying The Grapes of Wrath all morning. We'll see what happens. But, I do have plans to start reviewing and talking about books in more detail....starting with Stephen King's Under the Dome. I flew through all 1100 pages this past week. It was the first big King novel I've read, and I was definitely a fan!

Anyway, those are my plans for this week. I'm excited to be blogging again, even if it has taken me a lot longer to write this post than I remember...I've lost the writing touch! I hope you all have an excellent week!