Goodbye Grandpa...

Today grandpa passed away, and while we all knew it was coming, it certainly doesn't make it any easier to swallow. He lived his 86 1/2 years to the very fullest, the vast majority of which he spent with his wife. We are just so thankful to have been able to spend Thanksgiving with him and even more thankful he was able to make it to the wedding. He wanted to make it to the wedding so badly, and as he sat in dialysis an hour before the ceremony was expected to begin, a thunderstorm - punctuated with a down pour of hail - graced us with its presence. And this time, I am not being sarcastic. If it hadn't stormed, we would not have had to move all of the chairs and equipment inside. We would wouldn't have begun 40 minutes late, and subsequently, grandpa would have missed the ceremony. Yes, the storm truly did grace us with its presence as it allowed grandpa to watch us get married from the very front row - inside, of course. :) As we were taking this very picture after the ceremony, grandpa looked at Trevor, patted his shoulder and said, "This is my very best friend." We will remember his resilience, his wit, his fiestyness, his passion for  life, his love for his wife, and of course, his bright blue eyes. Thank you, grandpa, for gracing us with your presence. We love you and already miss you.