Family emergency

The girls & I will be making an emergency trip to CA for a little while. My grandfather passed away this past Saturday. We're leaving Wednesday evening. That's also Sarah's birthday, but Jeff and I have decided to celebrate when we get back. We're going to be in CA for about a week and a half. So, it's crunch time for me to try & get everything ready before we leave. There's a list a mile long of stuff that I need to get finished. Laundry, house, packing, food (so Jeff doesn't end up eating HotPockets for a week). And on top of it all, Emma's coughing up a storm & I think Sarah has the croup. Yay! Nothing can ever be simple for my family.
So, I've been on the phone this morning, trying to change appointments & figure out how I'm going to get Emma's Kindergarden Round-Up re-scheduled. While I know that my family would know I was thinking about them from out here, I felt I really should be there in person. My grandfather's health hasn't been good for a long time, but this was still a shock. He was always smiling when I saw him. He loved seeing the girls last summer. We were able to get a picture of 5 generations: my grannie, my grandpa, my mom, me & the girls. It's somewhere on my mom's computer. I'm going to get it printed out so I can put it up on our wall. I feel bad for my grannie. She's lost 2 of her 3 children, plus 2 husbands. And my poor Great-aunt Reba has lost her father, her husband & her 2 brothers. It sucks to get old & have everyone you love pass away. But, you have memories and those can be very comforting.
On a positive note, I'll be able to see my cousin Keith, whom I haven't seen since my wedding, I don't think. He was in the Air Force for 4-5 years and stationed in Missouri or Illinois (can't remember). Plus, my mom said that my grandmother's family is also going to be there. I've NEVER met them. I wish I could see these people under better circumstances, but I know we're coming together to celebrate a loved one, and that's ok.
I'm going to miss you grandpa.