#2678 not a great week

I haven't written this week because, frankly, it hasn't been a great week.

Early in the week, my (ex) brother-in-law unexpectedly passed away. His name was Tom, and he was divorced from MT's sister. Even though they were divorced, they were still friendly with each other. Tom even let his ex-wife and her boyfriend live in his house. Can't get much friendlier than that, am I right? Tom also often came to family gatherings at my mother-in-law's house. He was always part of the family. He taught MT everything about concrete when MT worked for him for a few years when we lived in Pocatello. He definitely had an impact on our family. 

Rest in peace, Tom.

His son, my nephew Chris, flew to SLC from his home in Seattle on Tuesday and stayed the night at our house. The next day, MT drove Chris to Pocatello. Chris is the executor of his dad's estate, so I'm sure he has his work cut out for him. Chris said he expects the funeral to be next weekend.

On Thursday, I went to the office. I was feeling fine, but then my computer screen and all the lights seemed extremely bright. My right eye started to twitch and I got a ginormous headache. It sounded like everyone was yelling. I had to put on my sunglasses to look at my computer. I lasted a couple of hours, then I had to come home. I had a migraine. Fortunately, I don't get them very often, but when I do, the only remedy is to take out my contacts, get in bed, and pull the blankets up over my head to block out light and sound. By around 4:30, I started to feel kind of like myself again, although it still felt like there was a spike in my right eye. Brutal. Friday I was fine, and I'm fine now, too.

This morning, my mom texted to let me know that her cousin Ferran passed away yesterday. Ferran lived in Barcelona, so I obviously didn't see him often or know him very well. I do have very fond memories of our last meeting, though. When Mom, Lizzie, and I went to Barcelona in 2015, Ferran met us for lunch at a glorious old restaurant in the Gothic Quarter called Can Culleretes. He showed up looking like a dapper gentleman and I was absolutely charmed.

He brought my mom flowers! Look at him! So handsome! 

He didn't speak much English, but he wasn't really all that interested in talking to me or Lizzie, anyway. He and my mom were close growing up, and they had some catching up to do. 

When we returned to the city after a few days at the beach, Ferran and his wife, Merce, invited us to their home for lunch. Merce made an incredible paella that was absolutely delicious. Their daughter Gloria joined us for lunch that day. 

Then, if I remember right, Ferran drove Lizzie and I up to Parc Guell, which was very kind of him. 

Rest in peace, Ferran.