Today is a typical return-from-vacation day: doing laundry, getting groceries, catching up on the mail, etc... the hardest part about today is the shock to the body going from 80 degree temps to highs trying to reach 40 today. Melt snow, melt...
Our trip to Vegas was a success. It was our first time there without Shannon, and of course, that conjures up memories. Shannon and Erin made four trips out there to visit Grandma and Papa, and they created some pretty good memories. Grandma is an expert at spoiling her grandkids. For Erin and Shannon, what happened in Vegas at Grandma's house stayed on Grandma's credit card! Grandma wouldn't have had it any other way...
This first time without Shannon, it was great for Erin to have a friend along. Going to the M& M store or getting a mani/pedi is more fun to do with someone else, and Erin and Emily enjoyed their mix of Grandma and Papa time and some family fun with me and Dan.
We gambled some, golfed some, and took in a show. A Cirque Du Soleil show called Love, which is based on The Beatles music, was a sight to see. That was a highlight for me, Dan, Erin and Emily.
It was good to feel the desert sun on our faces, and it was good to visit and reminisce with my parents. My mom shared with us her "Shannon Box", where she keeps Shannon memories and mementos. Some are sad - obituaries, articles written about her posthumously. And some are happy - photos of Shannon at various stages of development, pictures from earlier Vegas adventures, and a scrapbook thank you from Shannon to Grandma after we took a girl's cross country driving trip. Chronicled in Shannon's handwriting, there's a memory from each place we stopped, including each hotel key. So sweet.
As we looked at the photos, it struck me that if we can remember the memory that goes along with the photo and not think of it in context to what happens later, then it brings happiness. The picture of Shannon at age 3 cutting green beans with Grandma is a happy memory. It makes me and Grandma smile because Shannon was so intent on helping prepare the beans, but she had no intention of eating them! A funny Shannon memory. The fact that she didn't see her 14th birthday shouldn't change that.
So, that's my goal when I look at pictures or think of memories. Remember the feeling I had at that time. Remember the moments, not the eventual endgame.
