Dear Aunt Diane

My Aunt Diane (my mother's sister) passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer. She will be missed. She was a strong personality and left many impressions on our lives.

I can't help but think of some of my favorite Di moments. Like when she went out on the town with me and my friends when I was in my early 20's - I'll spare you the specifics but know that she made us all look like amatures at the bar and had my Mom on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

There was the time that I was in DC on business and she drove up from Maryland to stay with me at my fancy hotel. I met her in the lobby and she was carrying a huge black garbage bag full of her things. She looked like a homeless person. She just shrugged her shoulders and said she couldn't find her suitcase. She never did care what anyone else thought. I of course was mortified as we walked through the lobby to the elevators.

A couple of years ago when I was pregnant with Veda we were all visiting my Grandfather in North Carolina. We were staying at a hotel where we discovered they had an ant infestation and they had recently sprayed the hotel rooms. Di went crazy on the staff and demanded to talk to the extermination company herself. She would not stop until she made it clear that spraying a hotel room where a pregnant woman would be sleeping was unacceptable. This was of course no surprise to us... we were glad to have her do our dirty work because I can guarantee you my parents would have just let it go without much fuss. Instead we got a discount on our rooms and a basket of goodies sent to our room (which the ants enjoyed very much;).

My wedding. I was in my room getting ready for the big event when Diane stormed to report that she overheard some girls at the pool saying they were going to "crash" the wedding. She was ready to call security and have them thrown off the property. Of course my response was "the more the merrier" but she was eager for some drama so I don't think she was satisfied with my response;)

For those of us who knew and love her there is no end to the stories and moments that made her turly unique and one of a kind. She was also a very generous and loyal (to her family and close friends) woman. I know she is at peace and looking after us. She told me last week that she would "meet" the new baby before we would and she would look after her. I'm sure they are getting aquainted right now;)