Our Gpa

My Grandpa passed away last Monday, Nov. 16th at 3:35pm. He was an amazing man.

Below is a copy of the remembrance that gave at his funeral. It was hard to get through, but it was something that I felt I needed to do and I am glad I did it.

My Remembrance:

I am going to preface this by apologizing for the blubbering that I am sure will occur once I get started. So in advance, I am sorry, but I am sure you all understand.

I am having trouble finding the words to describe the wonderful man that is our grandfather. And those who know me, know that being at a loss for words is not something that happens to me a lot. I guess what I am struggling the most with is that nothing sounds good enough. Kind, generous, caring, smart, loyal are all great words to describe a great man, and he was and they do… but they seem small. And there was nothing small about Grandpa. Everything he did, he did BIG. He gave BIG of his time and resources, loved BIG his family and friends. He laughed BIG with his wit and sense of humor. Lived BIG with his profession and free time and even though he came from a family of 4, he and Grandma created a BIG family that is still growing.

Grandpa was a doer. He taught me how to show the people around me that I loved them. He always put his family first. Everything he did was for us. I had the pleasure of working for him and my Dad at Mid City and not only was our family prevalent in what he was doing there… but he also spread that philosophy to all his employees. Family comes first. That has been instilled in our way of life for as long as I can remember. I’ve never understood people who didn’t want to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is nothing better than my family. I love the familiarity, the warmth, the comfort and at the heart of that are our grandparents. They taught our parents the values that have been ingrained in all of us. Family first, everything else comes second.

To say that our Gpa was a generous man is a complete understatement. I’ve always said that he would give us the shirt off his back if we would take it. He’d even insist 3 or 4 times if we refused. He was not satisfied unless he felt he did everything he could to help. And he normally got his way. It was very hard to say No to Gpa.

Grandpa has always encouraged us to follow our dreams. To pursue anything. Any time one of us would go over to see our grandparents and tell them what was going on in our lives, Grandpa would always say, “Well, what if we did this…” and he would sit with us and work out a plan as to how we would make our dreams happen. Always with his help and guidance.

He was the most giving person I have ever known. I think if you look up the word “unconditional” in the dictionary you will see a picture of our Grandpa. No matter what, love and acceptance is what he always gave.

He had the best sense of humor. You could always count on Gpa to have some witty comment to brighten your day. He loved to laugh and smile. Whenever you would call and ask if Grandma was around he’d say “No, she’s a square but I’ll see if she’s here.” Even with his illness, he never lost his humor or charm.

When I think about our Gpa I will remember his love for:

Ice cream (always had room for ice cream because it filled in the cracks), any music with a beat (old or new), cruising (he and Gma went on 50 cruises!), pepper (he would open the shaker and pour it all over his meal), good wine, fine dining, Mid City, lakes and oceans, chocolate, electronics, Coca-cola, chicken tenders at seafood restaurants, generous tipping, cars, traveling, and especially his family, his friends, Grandma, & their dog, Missie.

So Grandpa, as you said to Sarah on her wedding day, “You’re super duper!” We love you so much. And while we are sad you are gone, we are happy that you are well again, cruising around on the best ship you’ve ever been on. We miss you, but we will never forget all that you have taught us. To hope with all our hearts, to love unconditionally, to give generously, to dream big, and to always put family first.

And I know he is smiling down on us saying, "Ya did good." A world without Grandpa, not sure I am ready for it.

Big Brother

My cousin Josh has totally got me hooked on Big Brother. It's like a train wreck... I can't look away. I have 2 favorites on the show... Jordan & Jeff. They are the ONLY ones who are completely trustworthy & true to their words.
The "Big Guns" in the house are gunning for Jeff because in the very first episode he consoled someone who "they" decided should be evicted from the house. This person in turn put a plan in motion to get Jeff's closest friend evicted instead of her... and everyone who voted with Jeff has gone home except for Jordan. ANYWAY... "They" think that he is a threat to their alliance... blah blah blah.

They have given America a vote that is really critical to keeping them in the game... if he won, Jeff would be able to save himself & get rid of "them"... ANYWAY here is the link to vote.....

VOTE FOR JEFF!!

I know, I'm ridiculous! :)

Now & Then

   I met some of my bestest friends of all time for dinner last night! Our friend Lucy has moved back to Texas for a little bit & we were all SOOO excited to see her! I’ve been searching through old photos trying to find one of us from our younger days (my 13th Bday party). I have a great one of us with our dear friend Lacey who passed away when she was 19:

14 years later… Jenn (Teeny), me (Berta), Lucy (Goose) & Katie (Sam):

Not only did we have a 3 hour dinner at La Madeline.. which was mostly us talking… (we did get free desserts) We also went over to Jenn’s storage unit because she so graciously gave Kev & me a huge comfy chair that she no longer needed. WE LOVE IT! It was a team effort, but we got it into Kev’s car. It took all 4 of us to load… and 1 strong Kevin to unload and carry it in the house.

The moving crew:

I am not completey sure why we took this picture… but it seems I see a little bit of evil. :)

The chair in it’s new home! Kev brought it in, I vacuumed it & Kev spent the rest of the Ranger’s game hanging out in our new comfy chair. THANKS TEENY!!!

Murphy brought his toy up on the bed this morning... It's a little worse for the wear. It was a snowman, with a hat & so on.. anyway. He let go of it & where it fell looked like it was falling off the bed & trying to hold on....
I thought it was so funny!

Don't worry Friend, I'll save you!
yah, I staged this one... couldn't resist!

Ember's Bridal Portraits

My cousin Ember asked me to take her bridal portraits a few weeks back. Obviously I couldn't post them until after her wedding. :) We took them at the Canals in Las Colinas. They turned out so beautiful. It was such a comedy of errors day though! My camera was messing up.. I would get her just as I wanted her and then my camera would not focus. It was really frustrating & it was so HOT that day. We only stayed out for about 45 minutes. She was such a trooper!! Here are a few of my favorites...

*Em had wallets of this one for everyone*

You were such a beautiful bride, Embo jo! I was so honored to be a part your day! LOVE YOU

Our family

SO CUTE!

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Ember & Josh Altimus' Wedding Weekend!

*taken by: Sara Rozzell

Last weekend was absolutely fabulous! Last weekend, my cousin Ember, married the love of her life, Josh. They are so adorable together! She was probably the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. (but I may be a little bias) I'm so happy and I was so honored to stand up next to them as they said their vows. My cousin, Sarah, performed the ceremony & that made it even more special.

I did my best not to blubber through the whole ceremony, but when Ember came down the aisle with tears in her eyes... there was nothing I could do. Then I saw her husband had tears in his eyes too.. It was hard to hold my bouquet, her bouquet, and keep my make-up looking good as these ridiculous tears threaten to stream down my face !! :)

It was a perfect day.

Here are some pictures from this weekend:
*NOTE: once the photographer arrived, I stopped taking pictures. Most of my pictures are of the day before and then us getting ready day of. The pictures taken by others are stated as such.*

Her Bridesmaid Luncheon was given by my mother at Neiman Marcus' Zodiac Room Downtown. Followed by a complimentary make up session for her entire bridal party.

Ember making introductions:

My SUPER cousin Zanna Grace & her Aunt Stevie:

The beautiful Bride & our Grandma:

My stunning cousin Stevie...
The Bride & her Matron-of-Honor

Getting ready to rehearse at the church:

Ring Bearer & Flower Girl:
Mother of the Bride & my little brother:

Ember & her bridesmaids:

The rehearsal dinner was so much fun! Ember had her videographer put together at video montage with pictures of them growing up and their relationship. I loved it! The way he did it was really cool and the music was perfect. He had them each individually growing up.. then all of their friends and family... and then pictures of their relationship. Did I mention I loved it?

Lola with the Bride & Groom

Em & ALT taking it all in:

WEDDING DAY!

Peeking at the boys getting their pictures taken:
*taken by: Sara Rozzell

Em first started seeing ALT about 4 months before I went to France. We could all tell that they were meant for one another. While I was in Paris we went to Disneyland. I saw this pin there. It is of Ariel (Belle was sold out) in her Bridal Gown. I thought it was so cute. My family is a DISNEY family, so I bought it for Ember for her wedding day. I held on to it until her last shower when I gave it to her... so about 3 years. I told her this story and said if she wanted, we could pin it to the underside of her dress and it could be her "something Disney"... & that's exactly what she did.

The reception was absolutely breathtaking. Her florist out did herself! It was also the MOST fun! All of a sudden the DJ said there would only be 2 more songs, Kev looked at his watch and it was already 11:45!! The night flew by! We weren't ready for the night to be over, so we went down the street to Boston's and continued the party... :)
*taken by: Sara Rozzell
*taken by: Sara Rozzell
My cousin can totally ROCK the air guitar!
*taken by: Sara Rozzell
*taken by: Gayle Henry

As the Matron-of -Honor, I got to make a speech!! Imagine the speech teacher being excited about that! My main goal was to get through it with out squeaking. I wanted people to be able to understand all the wonderful things I had to say. The night before, I practiced in front of my cousins, Emily & Stevie, and had them crying just sitting in our office. I am proud to say I only had a few moments when I had to pause to hold back the tears... I got through it & I really hope they liked it.
A copy of my toast to the Bride & Groom:

(me & Ember in '97)

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Alyssa and I have known Ember all her life. We are cousins. Our mom’s are sisters, but I have always considered Ember a sister more than a cousin. She was my Maid of Honor and I was so thrilled when she asked me to be hers.

I’ve known that I was going to be giving this toast for quite some time now… 3 and a half years actually. Because when Ember met Josh, we all knew they were meant for one another. It’s a great feeling, knowing that someone you love more than most things in the world has found that person who will love them more than you do.

My mind has been going over all the years that she looked up to me and came to me when she needed advice. We have always been super close. She is the type of person that you don't need to hold back with. She speaks her mind and expects NOTHING less from you. We cheered together... roomed together at camp and eventually lived together the year before I got married. AND I LOVED IT ALL!

I honestly can't believe she's old enough to get married. Sometimes when I look at her, I see the little girl who used to sit on skateboards and ride them down her parent’s driveway with me and her brothers. We actually played Cowboys and Indians. I see the little girl dressed in white lace for her tea party. I see us running together from the lake to the condo out at Possum Kingdom. Staying up late talking... staying with me in my dorm in college and then later in life at my apartment. Driving down to Austin so she and her friends could go without parental supervision. Watching EVERY movie Josh Hartnett ever starred in when she got sick with Mono... including BLOW DRY, which is the worst movie EVER! I remember riding in the car with her when she only had her driver’s permit. Cheering together at Oakridge and competitively and watching her cheer and run the pep rallies... taking pictures of her and her date for Proms, Homecoming, and school dances... Graduation, even her bridal pictures. I helped her settle into her dorm at Baylor and then spent the night at her dorm at TCU. I watched her stumble through a few relationships and was waiting in the wings for whatever she needed knowing that she would find her way. Praying she would find the one man who would love her for her quirks, her fears, her spirit… the one who would treat her like the Princess that she is. I had all the faith in the world that he was out there for her. And then... she met Josh.

When Ember met Josh... I knew he was the one for her. She knew it, he knew it... we all knew it. Everyone who knows them together... knows it. They just mesh so well. The mutual love and respect that they share is out of a fairytale. If there is anyone in the world good enough for my Embo Jo... it's ALT. We are all so lucky to be adding such a great man to our family. To be expanding it even more… And now the Altimus family is stealing Ember away from us for a while to Louisiana. I don’t know what I will do not having you close. I will miss you so much! But I want you to know that I am always here for you… 4 in the morning, I don’t care. And you know that, but I wanted to tell you with all these witnesses that, "That you’ve always been a friend to me", and in words of the great Sara Evans:
“If I had to run, if I had to crawl, if I had to swim 100 rivers, just to climb 1000 walls, always know that I will find a way to get to where you are… there’s no place that far…"

I ended the toast joined by our cousins... and we showed the Altimuses just how much we loved them with the gift of our song! Ember started jumping up and down as soon as she knew what we were doing... "Happy Wedding Day to you".. sung off key, at different levels of loudness, and never at the same pitch, tone or insync... The Demarest Way. :)

I love you Embo Jo ALT!
Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Altimus! What a wonderful night!!
*taken by: Sara Rozzell