Family stuff
OK... I got an email from my Dad yesterday. He said that Popeye had passed away. He'd apparently been sick for quite sometime with some strange blood disease. For those of you (probably all of you) who don't know who I am talking about.... Popeye was my "grandfather". I say that with little quotations because technically he's my Dad's stepfather. Dad's real father wanted nothing to do with him after the divorce (Dad doesn't talk about it, EVER) and Grandma "R" remarried. They had a son, my uncle Rich, who is my Dad's half brother. We haven't been close to this side of the family since April and I were VERY little. For more details on why we haven't keot in touch see the cut.
Well, it goes something like this. We used to live in Butte MT when I was in elementary school. Both sets of grandparents live there since that's where my parents grew up and met and got married and all that jazz. We had moved back there when I was VERY little.... about 3 or so I think. Anyways, we lived there to be closer to the grandparents and because my Dad was going back to school to get his second degree. So, we were very close to both sets of grandparents when we were little. Then, Dad got a job back in MN, where April and I had originally been born. So, we moved. We visited often though. Well, time goes by and kids grow up. By this time, my uncle Rich had grown up and married Julie, whom I estimate to be a real underhanded woman. They proceed to have two kids and live in Butte to be near family. So..... here's what went down. Flash forward to my junior year of college. My mother calls me quite upset with my Grandma R. Apparently when I was born, my grandma and my parents had both chipped in and bought me stock in MT Power. My mother had contacted my grandma about getting the paperwork together to sign the account over to me since I was now of age. No problem right? Wrong. She had been convinced by my aunt Julie to take my stock money, at that time amounting to about $15,000, and sign it over into two accounts for my two small cousins, her children. My grandmother and my mother had a HUGE fight over this where grandma called me every name in the book... but the bottom line for her was I was "an ungrateful grandchild who I never see". Well, alrighty then. And I haven't realy spoken to them since then. Sad huh? *sigh* There are relatives on that side fo the family that are just plain nutso. Not sure what to do with all this but, now you'll understand why I'm not attending the services. Not because I didn't love Popeye or that I am mad or bitter about this.... I just don't want to show up and be called names by my grandmother, who has now had several strokes and is not in full possession of her mind. Nor my Aunt Julie, whom I believe had almost everything to do with all that fodder my grandmother spit at my Mom. The rest of my relatives though are all quite nice. Kind of bummed I don't have th money to go either... I could go see my other set of grandparents while I was there. Oh well.
In other family news, my brother apparently contracted H1N1. Goody. He's recovered from it now and is back at work.... but now he says a work colleague of his is coming down with it. So, apparently we aren't out of the woods yet.
Sheesh.
Well, it goes something like this. We used to live in Butte MT when I was in elementary school. Both sets of grandparents live there since that's where my parents grew up and met and got married and all that jazz. We had moved back there when I was VERY little.... about 3 or so I think. Anyways, we lived there to be closer to the grandparents and because my Dad was going back to school to get his second degree. So, we were very close to both sets of grandparents when we were little. Then, Dad got a job back in MN, where April and I had originally been born. So, we moved. We visited often though. Well, time goes by and kids grow up. By this time, my uncle Rich had grown up and married Julie, whom I estimate to be a real underhanded woman. They proceed to have two kids and live in Butte to be near family. So..... here's what went down. Flash forward to my junior year of college. My mother calls me quite upset with my Grandma R. Apparently when I was born, my grandma and my parents had both chipped in and bought me stock in MT Power. My mother had contacted my grandma about getting the paperwork together to sign the account over to me since I was now of age. No problem right? Wrong. She had been convinced by my aunt Julie to take my stock money, at that time amounting to about $15,000, and sign it over into two accounts for my two small cousins, her children. My grandmother and my mother had a HUGE fight over this where grandma called me every name in the book... but the bottom line for her was I was "an ungrateful grandchild who I never see". Well, alrighty then. And I haven't realy spoken to them since then. Sad huh? *sigh* There are relatives on that side fo the family that are just plain nutso. Not sure what to do with all this but, now you'll understand why I'm not attending the services. Not because I didn't love Popeye or that I am mad or bitter about this.... I just don't want to show up and be called names by my grandmother, who has now had several strokes and is not in full possession of her mind. Nor my Aunt Julie, whom I believe had almost everything to do with all that fodder my grandmother spit at my Mom. The rest of my relatives though are all quite nice. Kind of bummed I don't have th money to go either... I could go see my other set of grandparents while I was there. Oh well.
In other family news, my brother apparently contracted H1N1. Goody. He's recovered from it now and is back at work.... but now he says a work colleague of his is coming down with it. So, apparently we aren't out of the woods yet.
Sheesh.