Back in business

Yup, I've pretty much sucked at blogging lately. Between work being ridiculously busy (as in, day and night) and Christmas coming, things would have slowed down enough but then my Great Uncle Carroll passed away on Thanksgiving (US) and that threw things for a loop. Mom and Dad were good enough to go down to South Carolina and help get things sorted out which meant that things were a little crazy here for awhile.

So, taking the lazy way out I guess...I'm going to post part of an email that I sent to my Great Aunt Louise. I don't think she's been able to read it yet but here are some memories of my Great Uncle Carroll.

One of my favorite memories was on New year's Eve when I went down with Mom and Dad to visit you. You and Mom and Dad all went to bed fairly early but Carroll and I stayed up for quite awhile talking. I remember we talked about everything from science to religion to the differences between Canada and the U.S. Most of the details would probably bore people but I just remember feeling understood.

I also remember when Uncle Carroll taught me to tat. Now, I couldn't tat to save my life before or after that day but he spend a good part of the day showing me how to do it. That was in an earlier trip when I was younger and I remember appreciating the time he took with me.

There was one time a couple of years ago that I called for you and I couldn't help but laugh because I spoke for a little while ("Hi Uncle Carroll, it's Kelley. How are you doing?", the basics) and then he had me hold on without responding and I heard him tell you "Louise, it must be one of your Canadian relatives. She's talking so fast, I can't understand her." I have to say, people have complained before that my sister and I talk too quickly but apparently it's a Canadian thing.

One last memory...this one was in a group. It was the first time we went to visit you two. We played a lot of games and one of them was Jenga. Well now, it's scary getting a group of mathmeticians together and then playing a game like that because I remember Dad and Mom and Carroll all prefacing their moves by: "If the world was flat" or "if this deck was perfectly smooth" or "if I put x amount of pressure on this block in this direction then theoretically it will work". Of course they're all just justifying why the blocks might fall and they might lose but with science as an excuse.