ticking items off the to-do list

It's strange how you can automatically put emotion aside as you "take care of business". Yesterday, Dad and I went to the Salt Lake Cemetery and wandered around looking at empty spaces in the midst of pioneers, WWI veterans, members of the Mormon Battalion, people born in the 1700's in England... we were fascinated just looking at the dates and epitaphs and the amazing history of the city that is up there. We had a map and kept track of spots we liked and recorded the information of the tombstones so Dad can go to the cemetery office and see if spots are actually available. If someone bought a plot but hasn't made contact with the cemetery for at least 40 years, they put it back on the market.

When we first got out of the car, Dad said, "So, remember that you're going to have to come here at least a couple times a year, so think about where you want to come visit." I don't think either of us looked at each other right then. It's so hard to imagine having my mom's name on a headstone in a cemetery.

We found what we think is an amazing spot-- right behind one of the original Mormon Pioneers, Sarah Decker, with a great view of the SL Valley and the Utah Capitol. It's just off one of the main "roads" with trees, nice grass and across from the Chinese section (there is actually a Chinese section). When we got there, it just felt right.

That was interesting-- walking around, scouting around, there were some places that just felt weird or not quite right. A couple that seemed nice, but when we found this other place, it just felt like the right spot.

After we found our spot, we drove around to where President Hinckley and his wife are, behind David O. McKay, Melvin J. Ballard, John A. Widtsoe, and other well known names in LDS History. If I have to go to a cemetery, at least it's a nice place to go and will make for interesting outings.

We also visited a Monument store to get an idea about the cost, procedure etc. for getting a headstone. The guy was super nice and helpful and really patient as we asked simple questions and did lots of thinking. Dad apologized for a question he asked (about fonts or something) and the guy said, "Well this isn't a normal thing people do a lot, unless you're me." It's so true. I mean, how often are you really in the need of a headstone. We found some colors Dad likes and styles and things.

Then, we had to go tell Grandma. Dad wanted to tell her in person, so he took fresh veggies from his garden to ease the blow. After hearing the news that the time is really short, she sat there, stunned, and started to cry. I'm a cry baby because of her, I'm sure! We talked about it, she asked how each of us is doing, etc. It's so weird to think that my dad's mom is still here but his 12 year old son is losing his mom.

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Mom's "make a wish" is to have a nice family portrait done with everyone, so after Laurel gets here on Monday, we'll get that done. Hopefully, Mom will still look ok since her yellowish- jaundiced tint is now turning into a tan/brown tint. She's in more pain and is starting to get weird headaches. Of course, since they pulled her off TPN, she's not really getting much nutrition, so that's understandable.

She'll make it until everyone is together, but after that...