Gratitude : week 2

ow, I can't believe I've been too tired to even sit down at my computer. I was actually gonna write this post Tuesday and put myself ahead of the game, but then I started to feel like crapola so it was a no-go. I really hope I'm not getting that grimy virus that seems to be turning into a country-wide thing.
Anywho, I still feel like crap, even though it was a pretty decent week. So here it is - my weekly Gratitude.

Okay first up, I just found this pic from last weekend so I "#latergram[ed] it. I'm grateful for the fact that the littlest things can entertain and inspire me. The ceiling work in NY Penn Station is pretty bo$$.

I'm grateful that I woke up at 5 am for no reason and saw that the sky deserved to be captured. I still can't believe I managed to drag my ass out of bed, but I'm so glad I did. It's perfect and the colors are gorgeous.

I'm grateful that I have friends like blogless Sarah who understand my nerdiness and GoT references, and who also like to tell me they love me out of the blue(and IN CAPS).

I'm grateful that some places still make real calzones that could feed me a whole family for only $8.

Lastly, I'm grateful that brother is here. Some kids he graduated with went wading in the creek near us and out of the three that went in, only one came out. I'm thankful that our community showed instant support and that so many came out to help with the search effort. I'm grateful that they found the boys' bodies so that their families can have some closure. I know that their lives will never be the same. Hopefully this tragedy will continue to show these kids to think before they do something, and that nature is more powerful than we will ever be. I pray that these families find strength for the rough time they are about to face, and that it never happens to anyone else in this town.

I didn't know these boys personally, but they've already touched my life and showed me that there is so much to be grateful for today and every day.

Tell your family and friends that you love them while they are here. "Life is too short."

*RIP Perry Krewson and Dan Tadrzynski*

XO - Monny

Beautiful Life

It's been a few weeks since I last posted. Sadly, my grandmother passed away last weekend. After a long battle with metastatic bone cancer, my Mom-Mom went home to heaven to be with God and Pop-Pop. She fought bravely and her faith never once wavered. She was surrounded by a house filled with family and friends who loved her in her final moments on earth. I miss her more every minute, but I can still feel her with me as I do my daily activities.

Her senior portrait from 1944. She's gorgeous.

Through everything that's happened in the last two weeks, I feel closer to God than ever. During her final week of life, we saw Mom-Mom smile at angels we couldn't see. I feel like that's the closest to heaven I'll ever get while I'm here and it was phenomenal. She was the most incredible woman I've ever been blessed to know and I know she'll continue to watch over me.

 For a long time, Mom-Mom had been telling me that she wanted me to sing Schubert's Ave Maria at her funeral, when she died. I was never prepared to sing it because the thought of her dying was too much to handle. I grew up a lot this month and I told her I'd sing it, but that when the time came, she'd have to help me through it. I don't know how I sang without bursting into tears, but I know she was with me. She gave me the strength I needed to honor her beautiful memory. Everyone said she'd be proud of me and I believe it.

Strawberry Daquiri

Some of the last words my grandmom spoke were,"I had a beautiful life." My goal is to live as she did, appreciating everything I have at any given moment. I hope that in my last moments on earth, whenever they will be, I will be able to say the same thing.

Live life beautifully.

XO - Monnny