Family outing

My mother, my sister and I turned today into a day to pamper ourselves, enjoy each other's company and remember Dad.

The day started with a trip to the cemetery. The headstone was finally in, and none of us had seen it yet. Mom brought some of their special recipe Manhattan mix to christen the stone.

The cemetery where Dad is buried is small and old. It has headstones dating to the late 1820s, during which time the area was still officially Indian territory. It's in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and has so much more character than any of the large cemeteries where my grandparents are buried. I couldn't be happier with the choice. What makes it even better is my sister's in-laws have a large collection of plots there.

Hoping we were done shedding tears for the day, we moved on to a local spa for pedicures, manicures and makeup sessions. After lunch along the Fox River and an afternoon spent shopping, the three of us met up with my husband and my sister's family for dinner and a toast to Dad.

Whenever someone asked us what the occasion was, our reply was that it was just a girls/ladies/women's day out. No one needed to know the particulars but us.

All in all, it was a nice family day. Too bad the occasion sucked.