"Lancey-Pants" & "Gma Yantz"

Death is not something I've truly dealt with often. I appreciated how at the funeral Mark encouraged everyone to share one good memory of Lance with someone. It felt too painful to do that day, but I've been thinking of some of my favorites since then. 

Most of my memories are of growing up together/school age. Jeremy already covered lots of em so I'll try not to duplicate.

Going to visit cousins & grandparents was always a huge highlight. Getting together at the state park lodge was bliss!

 I have awesome aunts & uncles on both sides who've invested in their nieces & nephews.  I remember going to the park pool with cousins, tasting sour ropes & getting whistled at by the life guards for running.

There was the year of the amazing straw maze in the old barn-tunnels & cool turns- thinking of which makes me feel a little claustrophobic in my old age. 

Sleepovers with junk food & lots of Contra & Mario, followed by a good jump on the trampoline.

There was the supper where Uncle C told Lance his food smelled funny (or something like that), and when Lance leaned forward to smell it C tapped the back of his head, so he had supper all over his face. We howled with laughter! The crowning moment came later when Lance sneezed and cottage cheese came out his nose.

A bday party where Gpa & Gma P came as a surprise and brought Great Gma P & cousins. Lance was a master at eye-crossing, pic below was a classic example. 

He also had an impressive "Home Alone" face where he did his best Macauly Culkin impression.

Once Gpa & Gma had a big shindig at their place, and we grandkids hid in the bushes & sprayed unsuspecting guests with water guns on the way in the house. Most of the victims were good sports. Lance saw one older lady coming & suggested I spray her. GULLIBLE I was! I think it was Lance's Great Grandma G. and let's just say she wasn't a fan of water guns to the face : )  She snatched my gun with surprising wiry strength & turned it on me, then marched into the house complaining to Gma Rose about "your grandkids sprayed me with water, and I had just cleaned my glasses this morning!"

A couple years ago Gpa had the idea for Mom to teach CPR after family thanksgiving dinner. (He had witnessed a choking & wanted everyone to be prepared) Picture the whole extended family with their rears in the air, practicing compressions. Never mind, don't picture that : )  Whew, it was getting tedious, and after we were done practicing, Lance asked mom (in all seriousness, not sarcastic) what we were all thinking..."So are we Red Cross certified now?"

Last one. Lance had a "math nerd" phase when he was younger. Every family holiday for a couple years he would ask me what I was learning in math class, just to make sure he was keeping up. The conversation would usually end with him saying "...and my teacher says what we're doing is practically algebra!" He was really looking forward to algebra : )

And then there's "Grandma Yantz", a sweet Great great Gma to my kids. 

I remember how she & Gpa would stop by our old country house when we were kids, and surprise us with sweet rolls. 

When I was at her house, we would often pick raspberries in the backyard & play with Ellis & MaryAnne, the cats.

Gma had lots of gifts that she'd received from Gpa and we would talk about where they came from & what the occasion was. My vintage stove : ) was one she'd received for an anniversary, I blogged about it here. 

She was not a complainer & had a good attitude, even when most of her siblings, friends, and her spouse passed on before her. A dead-on shot, she took out a hawk who was pestering her birds at the feeder. She later claimed she was just trying to "give it a little scare"! Shooting birds in suburbia, makes me smile : ) 

I remember when I got engaged & told a friend my good news before it was publicly announced. She hurried home to tell her husband, who already knew! What?! Apparently he heard it from his room-mate, who heard it from his parents, who had called him at college when they heard from their across-the-street neighbor Gma L, who had "spilled the beans" in her words! She just had to tell someone the great news!

So much love in our family-I'm so thankful. And so grateful that we have Jesus, the mighty grave-conqueror who has beaten death for those who love Him.