We made the drive to Augusta on Friday afternoon and had what really was a great weekend with family, all things considered. The cousins all got to hang out…

Uno was played, of course!

We got a decent family photo…

and we got to recreate some classics!

The kids left their mark in Augusta by carving their initials into a tree in Susu’s yard. Love it.

The service for Susu was lovely. We just did a graveside service and the sun was shining with a nice breeze. There was quite a crowd and it was so nice to hear from people how beloved Susu was.

There is lots of cleaning out to do in her house and while it is a lot of work, it was fun to open drawers and unearth some treasures. One treasure we found was her wedding dress – the dress that she made herself in 1946! Wow! Also, Susu was tiiiiiny! I could get it on – barely – but it wasn’t zipping up!

GJ is carrying the weight of cleaning out the house and working so hard to get it all done. I don’t know how she does it all but I sure am proud of her and wish I could help some more.

Overall it was a nice weekend celebrating the one and only Susu! I think she’d be proud that we even managed to get this crew to pose for a big ole family photo!

We love you Susu!

Yesterday Susu passed away. She was 1 week shy of her 99th birthday and died peacefully in her own bed at home with my mom and uncle beside her. Is it sad that she died on my birthday? Sure. But I think it’s kind of special too. Others might disagree, but I always felt like I was her favorite grandchild and now I share another special bond with her. We already shared October birthdays, but now October 7th gets to be my earthly birthday and her heavenly birthday. Pretty neat.

I love to think of her up in heaven reunited with the Sisters! For a lot of my life, it was always Susu, Dodo, and Ara Nell – what a trio! Then just Susu and Dodo always up for an adventure and a laugh…and a little bickering along the way!

Susu was extra special. Exceedingly pleasant her whole life, you always felt like she was just happy to be there, probably because she was. My favorite memories are of how happy she always was to see me or hear from me. I was always greeted with a giant smile and a “Oh, Steeephie!” I could even feel her smile through the phone. I remember when Maxwell was one month old and my mom and I drove to Arkansas to surprise her. She could not have been happier to see us and this blurry picture is one of my favorites because it’s this smile I remember…

I also remember that as one of the most hellacious road trips of my life because Maxwell did this the entire ride…

But, Susu took care of him and he was happy as could be in her arms. 🙂

Oh, she loved to hold and talk to my babies.

I also loved what a good gift recipient she was. Always meticulous in the unwrapping (don’t tear the paper!), she was just as thrilled with (yet another) sweater set as she was the year we got her a red Cadillac! Well, the Cadillac might have been tops. I don’t know if there is a Christmas I didn’t see her and how I’m going to miss her genuine delight with the gifts!

She got to know all three of my babies and I will always be grateful for that. They know her and will remember her. I think they have inherited some of her artistic talents and can only hope they inherited her genes for a long, healthy life!

Baby Maxwell…

Baby Spencer…

Baby Samantha…

She loved them all so much!

How lucky am I to get to know her for 43 years?

Here’s to 99 years of a life well lived!

We love you, Susu.