My mom waited till she was home to call me and my sister about 7:30 am, to give us the news.  I am not sure how my mom is handling my brother.  If she is going to call his base stateside to get a hold of his commander over in Iraq or how she is going to do it.  This is the first time my brother has been overseas while in the military when a grandparent passed.  Plus he is on the front line in Baghdad and he won't be allowed to come home since the military doesn't consider Granny "immediate family" or she didn't raise him.  It doesn't matter that we saw her anywhere to 3 to 4 times a week.  Oh well.  She has started her journey and he can still speak to her now and will visit her grave site when he is home.

I am busy doing the last few loads of laundry to finish packing the kids and myself up.  Randy is off getting me some travel money, gasing up the truck, checking the oil and air pressure in the tires.  It will be a cramped 12 hour ride home in the little truck but we are making it up.  It will be a sad and joyous Thanksgiving this year.

All the grandchildren minus my brother of course, will make their respected drives or flights in from across the states.  All my great uncles minsu my great uncle Arlen, who passed earlier this year, will do the same.  My grandmother's various cousin's and 1 of her 2 remaining sister in law's will be there.  Many friends through out her life time will be there.  The family is quite large and various family members from my dad's side will also arrive from their respected states because both families knew each other and grew  up with each other and intermarried in respective family branches. 

Grandma is predominate Irish with a tad bit of German in her......we won't do the tradational 7 day wake but my dad said the partying has begun.  My uncle Gene and my mom live with in a half mile of each other and ppl have started to arrive.  My two youngest uncle's are with the body at the funeral home since they no longer live in Walthill but 45 minutes from home.  Accroding to my aunt Gloria, they will stay with the body till my mom and uncle Gene give the okay for the family to take over the funeral home and church.  A few of my cousin's that still live in the town, have already called the bars and gave them the heads up.  And food is starting to pull in.  My mom has already had to turn down a few of the cousin's from staying the house.......she has my sister and her family coming up tonight and staying till after the funeral on Tuesday.  My family, minus Randy is pulling in late tonight or early early tomorrow morning, my brother's wife isn't bothering coming, but my mom is putting up one other cousin and his family.  My uncle Gene is able to pick up the slack since all three of his kids live in the immeditae area and the rest of the various family will be spread across South Sioux and Sioux City in hotels.

When the kids and I pull in tonight, my mom will take the kids and put them to bed and I will take the last shift of being with the body with who ever else is there.  Since my siblings, and one other set of cousin's and I were the ones constantly around Grandma we are only taking a total of 1 shift each with the body.  So we can help our parents finish off the funeral arrengements.  We might already have to move the Mass from Walthill to Winnebago.  See Grandma worked for the IHS Hospital for a good part of her life and many of the older tribal members and various families that know the family will also show up.  You add various large indian families to our rather large family and Walthill's Catholic Church might not fit us all.  The Bago Catholic Church might.........doubtful! 

Anyway..........it is time to get my last load of laundry going and to replace the candles that went out last night to help light granny's way.