Life, the Universe, and Everything

Well now that my parents, Robbie, and Jerry's kids know the news, I figure it's time to let you, my friends, know what is going on in our lives right now.

Jerry and I have talked about it for some time now, and he has asked me to marry him. With everything going on (ie: his divorce and my grandmother dying) we waited to make this general knowledge, but last weekend we told my parents, and this weekend he talked about it with his kids. Also, last week, after much haranguing of the lawyer and after 10 months of waiting, the dork lawyer finally filed the divorce papers. We've been looking for a house to buy and applying for mortgage approvals and such also.

We have a ring picked out for me and mostly paid for, but it's being held hostage until it's all paid off.

There's no set plans, no date, no idea where or anything. It's totally vague right now. We need to make sure the divorce is finalized, we need to find out what kind of mortgage we can get, find a house we want, go through that process. There's a lot of variables.

We're both happy. We get along so well. We want the same sort of things for the future (which I know from experience is so very important). We like the same things, the same books, movies, music. We can talk to each other, good and bad. Every relationship is going to have their problems, but I think that the more the good things matter and grow and add up, the smaller those problems are going to seem, and the less they matter in the grand scheme of things. We may have some unusual problems to deal with, but I think that it doesn't really affect our lives as much as I may have thought at first.

He's always been there for me. He was there for me as a friend during his marriage and my divorce, and I think I was there for him during his marriage's ending. He's been there for me during our growing personal relationship afterward, and that was especially evident during my grandmother's hospitalization and funeral.

And he must be good for me, since according to my doctor, I lost 20 pounds in the last three months.

Grandmother

My grandmother died at 6 AM this morning of complications from double pneumonia, a urinary tract infect, gall stones, and a bowel blockage. She fought very hard and refused to quit. She had been suffering for two weeks.

It will be hard getting used to her not being here. My parents and I have lived with my grandmother for fifteen years (minus the years I was married and not living with them). For the last year and a half I have helped my parents take care of her, watching her while they got some time out, things like that. It's weird to realize that all three of us can actually go out at the same time.

She was a school teacher for 50 years and was always favourably remembered by all her students that came across her after leaving school. She's the only one left of her 7 brothers and 3 sisters. She was 98 years old, and would have been 99 in five months.

The viewing will be Wednesday night from four to eight, and the funeral will be Wednesday at two. I'll be back at work on Monday.

Thanks to everyone that has expressed concern and sympathy.