e for excitement

I almost ran with the title, "excitement excites me" but I couldn't be confident that anyone would get the reference (Arie, night one) so I went with the other exciting title on my heart. Here are a few exciting things on my horizon that I wanted to share with the e-masses.

Thought this was fitting for opening day. Bosco wants to be justlike Sebastian and I'd say he's ... succeeding.

1. RCJH. Rock Chalk! The Jayhawks are going to the final four this weekend and while I personally didn't attend KU, my parents, Simon's parents, Simon's grandparents, and Simon did (for med school - still counts? I think!) and I grew up listening to my mom telling us to, "wave the wheat" (something Simon told me he doesn't think people say anymore but I'll carry the golden torch, Simon) so - Rock Chalk Jayhawk, bb.

2. Easter! We've gotten accustomed to celebrating major holidays with we, ourself, and us - our nuclear family but love when we get to see extended family. Three of my brothers and my lovely sister-in-law are flying down today and we can't wait. Will I be putting them on Easter egg hunt duty? Absolutely.

3. On another fun note, I'm patiently waiting to get my reports from my 23andMe Health + Ancestry test that I recently sent in to learn a bit more about my specific ancestry and health. The process was pretty simple, I spit in a tube, registered my kit online, and dropped it in the mail. I've been wanting to do a DNA + ancestry test forever and am excited to be working with 23andMe to learn more about Grace M. Patton. The reports take about 6-8 weeks so I'll be following up soon in a future post!

4. The new Fitbit!! I'm a big Fitbit fan - and always like to know the latest and greatest. The new one's getting decent reviews and the big selling point for me is that it's waterproof. Will I bite the bullet? Time will tell. So many puns, so little time.

5. This book! Christy recommended it and she's yet to steer me wrong. I'm about to dig in and I'll let you know how it goes!

Have a blessed Triduum and Happy Easter!!

23andMe sponsors only the portion of this post that pertain to 23andMe. The remaining contents of the blog are not sponsored or endorsed by 23andMe, and are solely the opinions and expressions of yours truly.

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rest in peace, dear Gram

I'm not going to do her or her life justice but I would be remiss not to dedicate a post to my grandma as I get ready to fly up to Moline for her funeral tomorrow. If she was still alive she'd be the first to read this post and then respond via email like she never failed to do every time I blogged. As mentioned in my last post, she suffered a stroke down in New Mexico while visiting my parents a few weeks ago. She's had strokes before but this one was severe and combined with complications from flu and pneumonia she rapidly declined and sadly passed away last week. Despite knowing she wasn't doing well in the weeks leading up to her death, it still felt sudden as she was here less than a month ago making the kids laugh with her riddles and talking about if she had more time in Florida she'd help me refinish our kitchen table. Mentally, she was still sharp as a tack and while I'm grateful she suffered very little, it's hard to believe she's gone.

She left us with loads of wonderful memories and I can't help but do a bit of written reflection looking back on the full life our consummate matriarch led. While I was only around for a fraction of it, her zest for life and fierce loyalty to her family left a lasting impression on everyone she knew and loved. For as long as I can remember she organized a family reunion every summer for anyone that could come. Those summer time visits in the Quad Cities were something my siblings and I looked forward to all year long.

She took her daughters and grandkids on trips galore and loved having visitors. For as rough as the residency years were for us, we were so grateful to be driving distance from her (and Simon's grandpa until he moved!) and the kids loved going to see GG. Gram was the quintessential hostess and set the bar high on that front for future me. No detail was ever forgotten and if we were ever in town near a birthday or holiday she made sure that it was celebrated in proper style. I'm forever grateful that our kids got to see experience the reunions firsthand and the older kids will most certainly remember her in her summertime glory.

Some of Simon and my first memories as a couple were spent in the Quad Cities with his grandpa and my grandma.

We'll forever cherish those special trips and reminisce about them often.

We love and miss you so much, dear Gram. The kids have so many fond memories with you and we feel lucky to have gotten so much quality time with you.

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in like a lion

... that means absolutely nothing here but it sounds like it's ringing true up north -- I hope you're staying safe and extra warm.

I wrote the vast majority of this meaning to publish it last Friday but here we are! Better late than never? I don't know in this case ... but I'm rolling with it.

1. Sebastian wins for most camera shy around here so when he asks me to take a photo of him and his mini me (this photo doesn't do the resemblance justice but just trust a mother) -- I play it cool and only take 345. Restraint, thy name is Grace.

2. Reporting back on the Amazon diapers! Yee haw. I'm giving them 4 out of 5 stars only because they seem to run a tiny bit small compared to other brands but other than that - I'm a fan. They rank rightbehind the Kirkland brand for us (only because of the size thing) and above all the other brands we've tried and I'm happy to have a good alternative to making the trek out to Costco in a pinch.

3. If you're missing the rom-coms of yesteryear, Netflix has a decent one right now. It's not the best of the best but it does the trick if you're in the mood for something light and fun. (But seriously, where have all the rom-coms gone?)

4. OKAY. I'm not even going to try to expound on the extent of my thoughts and feelings on the Bachelor finale but I'm thrilled for Becca and even though people are predicting a snooze of a season ... I'm here for it. Bring back the Higgins and Lowes, please ABC. Please! I loved Robert Mills take on everything on Juliet Litman's podcast and then Courtney over on Reality Steve's podcast too.

4.5 Simon texted me yesterday wondering if I'd heard of a new book out called Bachelor Nation that he'd heard about on NPR to which I had to admit I'd have it pre-ordered for months and was 18% in. It's good, so far. Lots of background and interesting tidbits for you OG Bachelor Nation members like myself.

5. J.Crew Factory dropped their new arrivals for spring yesterday and holy cute chambray pants. The girls lived in these tanks the past few summers and I love the look of these heart tanks as well. Will they probably have to endure matching wardrobes for the foreseeable future? Affirmative. Also, new arrivals usually means the clearance section get

6. I've been SO excited for the Living in Yellow x Gibson line because I've followed Erin's blog and loved her style for years. I trust her judgement and style and love how versatile everything is. Especially the joggers + striped long sleeve shirt. She has no idea who I am and did not ask me to post about it - an obvious disclosure.

7. And finally and most importantly I'm going to be selfish and solicit prayers for my Grandma (GG as my kids call her, or Gram as she has been lovingly referred to here over the years) and most avid blog reader. She suffered a stroke while visiting my parents in New Mexico last week after leaving our house here in Tampa and is also dealing with complications from the flu and pneumonia. She's the toughest swede you'll ever meet so we are so hopeful she'll pull through but any prayers you can spare are so very appreciated. Thank you!! 

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