I’m not sure how to address or describe the past four weeks, other than to say they were terrible, then great, and hopefully now calmer.

Rob’s grandmother passed away on May 11. She was lucid right up until her last week; she was completely unresponsive for her last few days. They were bad. Very bad. I’ve seen that look and heard those sounds before with my grandparents, and was hoping Rob and his family wouldn’t have to see or hear her that way. Sometimes it’s just not up to us, though.

After she passed, Rob and I bounced to and from work, our home, Rob’s parents’ house in CT, and Greenport, Long Island, where Rob’s grandfather lives and where Rob’s grandmother’s memorial service was held. Most of that week is a blur for us both; it was our last week at work before we went to China so we were trying to manage that pressure, our grief, and trying to get ready to go.

Rob’s grandmother’s service was on Saturday, and it was good to see everyone come out for it — family and friends. Rob and I stayed until Saturday evening, then drove home. We ran a ton of errands on Sunday, got packed, and left for the airport by 8:00 Monday morning, hoping we had everything with us and having no idea what we were doing!

We had a great two weeks in China with Matt and Maureen (THANKS, GUYS!) — I’m not going to write it all up here, as I’d be here for days. Let’s just say China is a beautiful country, the people are very friendly, and I’d highly encourage everyone to go. :)

So now we’re back, and hopefully everything will simmer down a bit — I could use some boredom. :)