Rest In Peace Daddy!

Today we laid my Dad to rest next to his beloved wife, Darlene, at his family gravesite in Shelton.

The weather was beautiful, ordered up especially for Dad. The service was a perfect fit for my Dad, a man of simple tastes, and included some memories provided by each of the 5 kids (mine is below). He was a very loved man!

The service ended with Vince Gill's rendition of Go Rest High on that Mountain, followed by the Military presentation of the United States Flag. It was extremely emotional to be presented with a flag from our nation with their gratitude for his service to our country.

I have shed lots of tears over the last week and am so thankful for the time that I got to spend with my Dad. He will be greatly missed!

Dad's former bosses, Arne Vemo and Rodney Broome, from The Vemo Company, were at the service today, along with Dad's nurse, Virginia, from Dr. Kleeman's office at St. Francis. I know Dad would have appreciated their presence, just as I did.

Thank you to all my family and friends that attended the service today. It is an incredibly long drive, especially considering some of you had never met him. I truly appreciate your taking the time out of your busy schedules to help support me. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am loved! It was evident by all of the caring faces in the crowd this afternoon. It was your love and support that enabled me to make it through today.

Only time moves on to the next scene;

memories remain part of the heart forever.

Dad, you will be in my heart forever. I will look forward to our next Wednesday night dinner, when I join you in Heaven one day!

***********

I remember my Dad as a very strong man; not only his physical strength, but also his strength of character. I always felt safe when I was with him.
Dad and Darlene used to love to dance. When my sister and I were little, we would go to these big ballroom dances held at the Seattle Center. We’d sit and watch them dance for awhile, and then it would be my turn. Since I was young and didn’t know the steps, Dad would pick me up and set me on top of his own feet. He’d do the dancing and I’d go along for the ride. I remember feeling very grown-up, but also very safe and secure.
My Dad could build almost anything and he could fix almost anything. If he couldn’t fix it, he could certainly jimmy-rig it to make it work. The man was a master with a roll of duct tape.
The one thing he couldn’t fix was his broken heart after Darlene died. Although his passing has left a huge void in my life, I take comfort knowing that he is finally happy again, and dancing in Heaven with the love of his life.

In Loving Memory

Oscar W. Lundberg

May 23, 1929

to

August 19, 2007

It's been a really tough week with the passing of my Dad or as I referred to him so often "Daddy". A simple graveside service is being held next Tuesday in Shelton where most of his family and beloved wife are buried.

It's been a really sucky week with lots to do. My friends and family have been great. You really know who you can count on in times like this, and I have an AMAZING network of people in my corner! I have the love and support of a wonderful husband who is helping me as much as he can. My Merrill family has been extremely generous and supportive allowing me to grieve and plan without worrying about work. I have some of the world's most incredible friends who just want to make sure I'm OK and are willing to help out in any way possible. Although I'm going through a really hard phase of life right now, I realize how fortunate I am to have these people in my life.

Last night was Wednesday, and as anyone who has been around me for the last year knows, Wednesday was "dinner with Dad night". In the year since his wife passed away, we've had dinner every week. We probably only missed 6 weeks total all year due to illness or my travel schedule. Having the opportunity this last year to spend quality time with my Dad has been an amazing gift - memories that I will cherish forever.

A note to my Dad (I doubt they have blogs in Heaven, but I'm sure he can see into my heart.)
I loved you Daddy very much and know that you are in a better place, back with Darlene, and finally out of pain. May God keep you in His care and may you eternally rest in peace!

Welcome Lorelai

There's a sucker born every minute and I had my moment today. It's hard to be strong when your two teenage daughters gang up on you to adopt this stray cat.
I wasn't feeling well today and my Dad called and said he wasn't feeling well. We went to his house to check things out. While I was taking care of my dad, the girls were making friends with the stray cat that started hanging around his house about a week ago. Kaitlyn, little miss resourceful, called the two telephone numbers on the cat's tags. After some detective work, she got the name and address of the owner. We drove to their house and Kaitlyn let them know we had found their cat. They didn't seem all that heartbroken that she was missing and offered to let Kaitlyn keep the cat. I said no - twice! I even made her take the cat back to their house. It was so sad. The cat clearly did not like that environment and immediately ran out of the house. We drove off, and Rose and Kaitlyn did not let up and I was weak! Needless to say, we turned around and went back for the cat. Loralei is now living in our laundry room and trying to figure out who we all are and what the heck that little furry barking thing is that we keep calling Bailey. So far, the two have not seen eye-to-eye, but hopefully they will become fast friends, without too much fur flying!
BTW, Tim is not thrilled about this at all!

Vacation Update

We spent last week on beautiful Hayden Lake in Idaho with Tim's family. His parents, Don & Char, Sister Kelli and husband Sean along with 3 1/2 year old Evan, Sister Monica with 3 1/2 year old Kendall and 6 year old Chase joined our crew of 5 for the week in a rental house right on the lake. Unfortunately, his sister Tonya wasn't able to make it at the last minute. Tim and I drove over last Thursday with the boat. After a brief stop in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene for a little work, we headed off to the lake on Friday and Tim's family arrived that night. We had a great week of wakeboarding, poker, an amusement park, go-carts, food and family fun. Rose continued her success on the wakeboard and looked like an old pro. Kaitlyn and Derek improved their skills over last summer and are now giving Rose a run for her money. My brother-in-law Sean was determined to master the wakeboard before week's end - and finally succeeded. Yeah! Even "almost 40" year old Kris conquered that dumb wakeboard and was able to get up and ride the thing. (Hit the link on the word "wakeboard" and watch my 1 minute & 7 second ride!)Truthfully, I was pretty impressed with myself and I think Tim was too. Who knew! The house was beautiful - with enough room for all 13 of us. The only bummer was the 88 stairs we had to climb from the dock on the lake to the house. Thank you to Tim's family for making the trek from Chicago, Michigan and Las Vegas. We love you and hope you come see us again soon!