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Post by vickry on May 27, 2005 14:22:24 GMT -5
Hi there, Diane!
I miss you. I wish you lived in Colorado so we could see each other often. I just reached in my purse to get my keys and pulled out Patti's house keys instead. I don't know why I'm carrying them around. Sigh!
The trip home was uneventful, if you can call a caravan of four vehicles trying to stay together and communicating with my husband via telepathy uneventul. (Think harder, think harder!)
I agree about Patti not wanting to be at rest. She was never at rest on this side, even when sleeping! I used to accuse her of flouncing. Whenever we would have to share a bed growing up, she wouldn't just roll over, she would basically, clear the bed in a small jump, i.e., flounce!
We will all (me, my husband Tom, daughter Rebekah, and grandkids Nora and Gene, as well as Call, Sharon and probably Aunt Becca) will be coming back to Houston some time in the future (most likely this summer) to bury Patti's ashes in her funeral plot at Woodlawn. When I know the dates, I'll let you know so you and anyother scubies who wish to can be there.
I plan on staying for a while, will write when I can.
love and hugs,
Vickry
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Post by SpringSummers on May 27, 2005 14:50:58 GMT -5
Hi there, Diane! I miss you. I wish you lived in Colorado so we could see each other often. I just reached in my purse to get my keys and pulled out Patti's house keys instead. I don't know why I'm carrying them around. Sigh! The trip home was uneventful, if you can call a caravan of four vehicles trying to stay together and communicating with my husband via telepathy uneventul. (Think harder, think harder!) I see the sense of humor runs in the family. Thanks for sharing this tidbit about Patti. FYI - I'm asking around a bit in the Instant Messages (IMs) to try to get some ideas on who the charms belong to. I see you signed up as a member, so that will allow people to IM you with their full names and addresses. If I can get to feeling a little more secure about my "guesses," I'll try to coordinate getting the info to you.
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Post by Queen E on May 27, 2005 15:10:37 GMT -5
Dear Rae and everyone, I brought those charms I found in today. They are: a little trophy/loving cup thingy, an Illinois charm, a Georgia charm, a Tennessee charm, an Indiana charm, and a little skyscraper/building thingy. If anyone thinks they know who they were for, please let me know. Oh, and thanks for the welcome, Lola. I feel like I know many of you, already. Vickry I'm thinking this is either staff-related, or it's yearbook-related; maybe both? Trophy: Not sure, maybe Rob? Not only did he work on the yearbook, but Patti beta-ed his fanfiction. Illinois charm: Perhaps for Karen or me? Those are the only two people on the board from Illinois. Georgia: I don't think anyone on the board is from Georgia. Perhaps a Ray Charles fan? Or Georgia peaches? I'm flummoxed. Sorry. Tennessee: Gotta be Sue. Indiana: Perhaps Havoc? Skyscraper: No idea. I don't know if I was much help; sorry Vickry!
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Post by SpringSummers on May 27, 2005 15:15:38 GMT -5
Dear Rae and everyone, I brought those charms I found in today. They are: a little trophy/loving cup thingy, an Illinois charm, a Georgia charm, a Tennessee charm, an Indiana charm, and a little skyscraper/building thingy. If anyone thinks they know who they were for, please let me know. Oh, and thanks for the welcome, Lola. I feel like I know many of you, already. Vickry I'm thinking this is either staff-related, or it's yearbook-related; maybe both? Trophy: Not sure, maybe Rob? Not only did he work on the yearbook, but Patti beta-ed his fanfiction. Illinois charm: Perhaps for Karen or me? Those are the only two people on the board from Illinois. Georgia: I don't think anyone on the board is from Georgia. Perhaps a Ray Charles fan? Or Georgia peaches? I'm flummoxed. Sorry. Tennessee: Gotta be Sue. Indiana: Perhaps Havoc? Skyscraper: No idea. I don't know if I was much help; sorry Vickry! This is helpful, because Karen already got a charm, but you haven't, so it must be you. I'm guessing Patti was waiting to get different charms she'd ordered or was going to order, and was going to send them out all together. Trophy - Rob is a good guess if he hasn't gotten anything. She seemed to be trying to get everyone who had worked on the Yearbook or made other contributions during the year, and she wouldn't have forgotten Rob. I'll check with him to see if he has received anything. Georgia - Man, that's a puzzler. I'll think on that some more.
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Post by vickry on May 27, 2005 15:47:47 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone!
I'll check back in on Monday. I have to go play family
Vickry
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Post by William the Bloody on May 28, 2005 13:59:28 GMT -5
Hi, Vickry. Always nice to hear from you. My ideas on the charms: Tennesse - likely for Sue. Indiana - might be havoc - Vlad is from Indiana, but I know she sent a motorcycle charm to Vlad. But havoc is also from Indiana, and a contributor to the site, doing the Battlestar Reviews - so I can imagine Patti wanting to send him something. Illinois- well, Karen is in Illinois, but Karen already got a charm . . . so I'm thinking Erin. Georgia - I have no ideas on that one. Skyscraper - Could this be Shan? Seems like Patti sent things to those who contributed to the Yearbook or otherwise contributed to the site the past year. If Shan hasn't gotten anything yet, it could surely be Shan, since she's involved with a construction office. Let's let a few more people weigh in with their ideas, and then maybe we can find a way to get the names and addresses to you. OKay, here's what I know: Spring is "right." *winks* Of course we ALL knew htat one. Seriously, Patti ordered those all a few weeks before she passed. She and I were working on S'fest stuff, and while we were looking at sites for lanyards and badge making supplies, she stumbled onto the charms. I received in the mail, much like Spring, (Done by Vickry, I believe. *hug*) a tiny silver motorcycle that bears much resemblance to the new one that I jsut purchased earlier this year. It was her thanks for me helping on the Yearbook. as to the rest of hte charms: Tennesse - Pretty sure it was for Sue for her efforts all year on the VM reviews Indiana - Havoc for writing his BSG reviews Illinois- Erin. For being Erin *wink* Seriously, for her assistance on the Yearbook Georgia - I have no ideas on that one. Skyscraper - This was for the person who travelled the farthest to S'cubiefest, I believe. I know we discussed a "prize" charm for that and it makes sense. Trophy - This was also for S'cubiefest and was to go to the winner of the trivia contest, I think. I received my charm last Saturday in the mail. I had completely forgotten about her ordering them a month or two ago. Seeing the card with her handwriting and hte little jokes she made in it choked me up all over again. The stamp was cancelled by the post office with a little slogan that said: Greetings from far, far away. Little did htey know just how far away that she really was by then. *sigh* Thank you Vickry for sending that along. It will always be a reminder to me of Patti. Not that I don;t have others, but this one seemed to sort of be her talking to me from the otherside, letting me know that she will always be there looking out for me. *takes a breath* Anyway, going back to "Georgia," the only thing I can think of at all is maybe it was for Rob for his Yearbook assistance. At the time, he was very enthused about the Ray Charles movie. Mind you, this is only a guess... I honestly can't figure it out either. It might have some connection that only she made. On a related note: In Patti's mail, there should have been 5 mugs that we ordered from an online site. We had them made up with the soulful spike society logo on both sides. A pair were for her and a pair were for me and the single one was to be the prize for the big winner of the Graphic Content picture contest this year.(Minimum order allowed was 4 mugs.) We weren't sure of the quality and how it would turn out, so they were to be "a test run." If they were decent we were going to make them available to purchase to the rest of the board. The cost for our minimum order was 17-18 dollars a mug. As the order increased the price went down. I think we were looking at something like 15 bucks a mug for members if we sold at least two dozen or so. If those ever turned up, I would appreciate the two that are mine being forwarded along to me and also the single one that is for hte contest, so it could be awarded when I start it. The contest finals have been delayed for a couple weeks now. I, of course, will be happy to pay for postage. Vlad
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Post by Wendy on May 28, 2005 14:54:18 GMT -5
Hi there, Diane! I miss you. I wish you lived in Colorado so we could see each other often. I just reached in my purse to get my keys and pulled out Patti's house keys instead. I don't know why I'm carrying them around. Sigh! The trip home was uneventful, if you can call a caravan of four vehicles trying to stay together and communicating with my husband via telepathy uneventul. (Think harder, think harder!) I agree about Patti not wanting to be at rest. She was never at rest on this side, even when sleeping! I used to accuse her of flouncing. Whenever we would have to share a bed growing up, she wouldn't just roll over, she would basically, clear the bed in a small jump, i.e., flounce! We will all (me, my husband Tom, daughter Rebekah, and grandkids Nora and Gene, as well as Call, Sharon and probably Aunt Becca) will be coming back to Houston some time in the future (most likely this summer) to bury Patti's ashes in her funeral plot at Woodlawn. When I know the dates, I'll let you know so you and anyother scubies who wish to can be there. I plan on staying for a while, will write when I can. love and hugs, Vickry Vickry, thanks for sharing that memory of Patti with us. Flouncing...I like that. I'm adding that to my list of new words I've learned. I never met Patti in person, but I want you to know what an honor it was to know her here. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Patti. She was truly a warm and kind and generous lady and will be forever missed. We were all blessed to know Patti and will never forget her. Welcome to the S'cubie board, Vickry. I hope you will continue to stop by and chat when you have the chance. Wendy
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Post by Holly on May 29, 2005 12:15:21 GMT -5
Hello All. I am writing to thank all of you for putting forth the effort needed to find us, Patti's family, and for being so supportive as together we mourn. You see, my father is the man you tracked down, Patti's brother, Cal. Neither of us can thank you enough for the tireless efforts you put forth in this matter. It has meant a great deal.
Patti was my favorite Aunt and I will miss her dearly. She and I shared a love of literature that dates back to my early childhood. She taught me the absolute magic that is created when a story is well told. Words woven into grand tales by master smiths keep us young. Patti understood this better than anyone I've ever met.
Boundless energy and an admirable inabilty to give up were her gifts. She was as multifaceted a person as I've ever met and one of her legacies is in this gathering place, with all of you.
It's a place for those who read between the lines and share a love of stories fantastic and all I can think is, "That is so like Patti," to find something worth appreciating and then do everything she could to help keep it a haven for the like-minded, or perhaps that should read "Spike-minded." Lastly, there is comfort in the knowledge that you all repaid her gift in kind. It gives me a sense of steadiness that has made her passing easier.
I know she valued every single one of you and on behalf of our entire family, thank you. Patti always did have good taste.
Much Love,
Holly
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Post by Onjel on May 29, 2005 12:21:33 GMT -5
Hello All. I am writing to thank all of you for putting forth the effort needed to find us, Patti's family, and for being so supportive as together we mourn. You see, my father is the man you tracked down, Patti's brother, Cal. Neither of us can thank you enough for the tireless efforts you put forth in this matter. It has meant a great deal. Patti was my favorite Aunt and I will miss her dearly. She and I shared a love of literature that dates back to my early childhood. She taught me the absolute magic that is created when a story is well told. Words woven into grand tales by master smiths keep us young. Patti understood this better than anyone I've ever met. Boundless energy and an admirable inabilty to give up were her gifts. She was as multifaceted a person as I've ever met and one of her legacies is in this gathering place, with all of you. It's a place for those who read between the lines and share a love of stories fantastic and all I can think is, "That is so like Patti," to find something worth appreciating and then do everything she could to help keep it a haven for the like-minded, or perhaps that should read "Spike-minded." Lastly, there is comfort in the knowledge that you all repaid her gift in kind. It gives me a sense of steadiness that has made her passing easier. I know she valued every single one of you and on behalf of our entire family, thank you. Patti always did have good taste. Much Love, Holly Thank you for sharing your love of Patti and your thoughts with us, Holly. Patti was a remarkable, kind and generous woman and she is much missed.
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Post by Holly on May 29, 2005 12:31:28 GMT -5
Hi, everyone, this is Vickry, Patti's sister in Colorado. All I can is that I'm overwhelmed by all the love that all of you have shown to Patti and us. I mean, I knew she was special, but I didn't know so many other people did. You made her very happy, Vlad. Love and hug, Diane and everyone. Vickry Kayser Aunt Vickry! So good to see you on this board. I myself just wrote a bit in memory of Patti and in response to the overwhelming love and appreciation the people here have shown. It's really quite astonishing. Like you, I knew Patti was special but I had NO idea so many others had caught on. Of course I got a little wordy with my post but you know me. I'm still trying to figure out how to sign on properly as I, like Patti and your girls, am a big, BIG, Buffy fan and I think I'd like to stay a while. Please give Uncle Tommy the kids hugs for me and I hope I'll see you about. Please let me know if there is anything I can help with alright? Love and Huggles, Holly
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Post by SpringSummers on May 29, 2005 13:11:29 GMT -5
Hello All. I am writing to thank all of you for putting forth the effort needed to find us, Patti's family, and for being so supportive as together we mourn. You see, my father is the man you tracked down, Patti's brother, Cal. Neither of us can thank you enough for the tireless efforts you put forth in this matter. It has meant a great deal. Patti was my favorite Aunt and I will miss her dearly. She and I shared a love of literature that dates back to my early childhood. She taught me the absolute magic that is created when a story is well told. Words woven into grand tales by master smiths keep us young. Patti understood this better than anyone I've ever met. Boundless energy and an admirable inabilty to give up were her gifts. She was as multifaceted a person as I've ever met and one of her legacies is in this gathering place, with all of you. It's a place for those who read between the lines and share a love of stories fantastic and all I can think is, "That is so like Patti," to find something worth appreciating and then do everything she could to help keep it a haven for the like-minded, or perhaps that should read "Spike-minded." Lastly, there is comfort in the knowledge that you all repaid her gift in kind. It gives me a sense of steadiness that has made her passing easier. I know she valued every single one of you and on behalf of our entire family, thank you. Patti always did have good taste. Much Love, Holly Hi, Holly. Thanks so much for stopping by to share this about your aunt. We loved her a lot, I still miss her - but it is nice and comforting to hear from her family, and know how much she was loved and appreciated by her loved ones. Hope you do stick around. If you're a Buffyverse fan, check out our website www.soulfulspike.com. We've got reviews and essays and convention reports - some by Patti . . . she also proof-read and edited probably half of what's on the site. Thanks again for stopping by, Holly.
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Post by hollygnome on May 29, 2005 13:41:28 GMT -5
You know that doesn't surprise me at all. Her proof-reading skills were legendary and her attention to detail, the same. I write books and I regret I never deemed the manuscripts ready for Patti's reading because I have atrocious grammar. This has certainly brought home to me that boldness is a virtue. She had it in spades. Poor grammar notwithstanding I am going to get these scripts polished up post haste lest I miss another irreclaimable opportunity. I will stop by the website as quickly as I can. I've been back-reading the S3 main board and it's nice to see that sense of humor which is unmistakably Patti there. It feels as though she is still present. Thanks for the info.
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Post by Lola m on May 30, 2005 15:50:54 GMT -5
You know that doesn't surprise me at all. Her proof-reading skills were legendary and her attention to detail, the same. I write books and I regret I never deemed the manuscripts ready for Patti's reading because I have atrocious grammar. This has certainly brought home to me that boldness is a virtue. She had it in spades. Poor grammar notwithstanding I am going to get these scripts polished up post haste lest I miss another irreclaimable opportunity. I will stop by the website as quickly as I can. I've been back-reading the S3 main board and it's nice to see that sense of humor which is unmistakably Patti there. It feels as though she is still present. Thanks for the info. So good to see you here, Holly! Your Aunt Patti was a big part of the S3 and is much missed. How fun to meet another Buffy fan from the family. I know she went to the Cleveland Buffy convention with her niece Alys. Did you also share any Buffy adventures with her? Hope you continue to come by and join in the conversation. Lola
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Post by hollygnome on May 31, 2005 10:10:06 GMT -5
I'm afraid I don't get to claim that I ever did. I have four very young children and that has grounded me for a number of years but I had planned on rectifying the situation as soon as they were all in school. We only had three and a half years to go.
I may do something about it later at any rate. There are a few of us fans in the family and I know Patti would just pinch us if we didn't do anything else just because she had other business to attend to.
I plan on keeping up with things here as well. I'm currently on a writing binge so I'm at the computer a lot and I'll be reading up on things here to let my brain uncoil itself from plot-weaving. LOL!
Thanks for the warm welcome.
Holly
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Post by hollygnome on May 31, 2005 10:39:04 GMT -5
I'm still not entirely sure what to say. It's hard to properly express the size of Patti's legacy. I firmly believe we don't have the lasting relationship many of us enjoy without her. That, first and foremost, comes to mind. From a personal standpoint, my role within the site was much easier. I occasionally wrote stories while quietly advising Patti as she went about her far more difficult job. It wasn't possible to make everybody happy all the time - I can't count the amount of times I tried to tell her that- but she always tried. Every time someone IM'ed her with a concern, she treated it as important. I would generally tell her not to worry so much, that most issues between adults will take care of themselves, but she cared so much...there was always something that should be DONE. At times, in all honesty, she probably did a little too much...but it all stemmed from how much she cared about the site and the people who populated it. When it came to my writing, we had the exact opposite function; I obsessed over every little thing. Every little character nuance, lines of dialogue I couldn't get right, lack of reviews (which clearly meant I now suck), how boring I was becoming. She would tell me to relax, that everything was terrific and hurry the hell up and finish the chapter already. In her own endearingly passive-aggressive sort of way. She was truly my biggest fan. I cannot imagine anyone else so willing to give of their time just to read and discuss a fictional story. We would take hours talking about little details within the plot itself. For example, there was a running joke between us about her constant need to google the occasional pop-culture reference I'd throw out. She'd be inordinately proud whenever she got them without help: "I got this one! I got it right away!" she'd say, and I'd always laugh and tell her "good job!" Then there were the times when we chatted of things without any connection to the site itself; occasionally life threw bouts of depression our way. We would lean on each other a great deal in those times, just letting our feelings go. Those were very dark discussions at times (Edgar Allan Poe would read this stuff and slowly back away), but just talking about them makes the burden seem a little lighter. It's remarkable how much a person's emotional walls drop when they're typing something on a screen, as opposed to speaking in person. Patti knew things about me that I wouldn't dream of sharing with any of my close family and friends here, and I'm sure the opposite is also true. I'd privately expressed concern in a recent IM that perhaps I've become cold as I experience life. It's pretty well-known I've lost close friends and family over the last few years...and though Patti's death has been a terrible blow, I haven't really got emotional since that awful night when everyone sensed something bad had happened, but had to wait so long for confirmation. In the last couple of days, I've asked myself whether or not something was wrong. Patti had become as important to me as my in-person friends, yet I wasn't crying over her loss. The ache is there, but the actual expression of emotion was not. I think, perhaps, it could have to do with my own feelings about death in general. I've often said I have all sorts of internal questions regarding the afterlife; I haven't a clue whether or not Patti knows just how strongly people felt about her. She always worried that her position would get in the way of her online friendships...though she wouldn't have given up her job as unofficial Board-Mom for anything. Patti, like all of us, was a sea of contradictions. Every previous time I'd lost someone - a close friend, my father, my sister - they never heard me tell them how important they'd all been to me. In this case, it's different: I think I actually managed to tell Patti how I felt while she was still among us...and for that I'll always be eternally grateful. Maybe my ability to accept things more quickly comes from there. I miss her terribly...but at least she knew I loved her. There are still things that bother me, of course; she adamantly refused to let me spoil her with regard to my fanfic...and there are only two lousy chapters left. No one deserves to know how it ends more than Patti; I wouldn't have come half as far as I have without her support (for the first time in two days, now I AM crying). Hell, I don't know if I can possibly finish it without her sustaining me. If only I hadn't taken so damned long...but you know what? As regrets go, that's a fairly small one in the grand scheme of things. I loved Patti dearly. She loved me. We'd told each other many times. For me, I guess that's enough to get through. Most importantly, I never screw up "its" and "it's" any more in the context of a sentence. If that isn't a worthwhile legacy, what is? So I'll finish this like I finished most of our chats: See ya later, Patti. Sleep well. I just wanted to say that I "get" this. I really do, but I also think Patti is still here in all of us. I say this, oddly enough, because for the first time last night, while writing, I GOT the difference in usage between its and it's. I've always had fits with that one. As I said, I'm the proud owner of atrocious grammar. Thank you so much for sharing that. It really has meant a great deal to me. I always knew her in the function of her little curly-headed niece and so I got to see more the teacher in her than anything else. This glimpse into the lady has been wonderful. Appreciatively, Holly
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