Mystery Solved!

Well, our family tree mystery has finally been solved! Are you surprised, mom?!

Yesterday, I FINALLY got the email we've been waiting for...our long lost memorial tree plaque for my grandparents was finally found! Yippee!

Ok, so let me back up a bit. Remember last October when I posted pics (see one above) of the amazingly beautiful red maple tree planted in honor of my Grandma and Grandpa Fergie on the trail near our house. It had already taken 6 mos for the tree to simply be planted...and at that point we were told the plaque was not yet ready and would placed at a "later date". Little did we all know how long that "later date" would be (almost 10 mos later)! Many months went by and I heard nothing so I started emailing/hounding our poor urban forest guy. He's been great about corresponding, but it was obvious from the get-go that there was some confusion going on. Lately I've been emailing/calling him weekly and before our NC vacation he told me he thought the plaque had been placed at the wrong tree cuz he remembered the plaque inscription and it being made. Ok...great...at least the plaque was made, but now we had to find it and it could be anywhere in the city of Bloomy (Kev even offered to drive around on his bike (in his "spare time") and see if he could solve the mystery!). We laughed initially at this...and my mom and I smiled thinking of the humor of it all and how my grandparents were probably smiling down from heaven and laughing as well at their little lost plaque escapade.

Anyway....long story short, but the plaque was found yesterday...and lo and behold it's probably been right under our noses all along! I laughed when I saw where it was placed....only a few hundred feet from our real tree and under a different red maple. I know I've driven by it a few dozen times at least and probably parked near it too and never noticed it (and from the looks of it, it's been there for awhile)....go figure...

So, the mystery has been solved and today the plaque is to be moved to the correct location nestled under our lovely red maple (that is now green in the summer). I'm so excited that this little dilemma has been solved and I hope my mom is too! The plaque came out great, I think, and it says perfectly what we all thought and loved about my grandparents. They were loved deeply and will be remembered always for that love and the smiles and laughter that they brought us all! Thinking of you always, grandma and grandpa, and missing you!