This picture taken in 1990 is from one of the last times that this many of our generation were together.  I'm not sure why Ginny seems to be hiding in the back! Pictured, Kim Gillespie, Judy Eaton, Nancy DeWeese, Ginny, Mike Hobson and Cindy Keller.  5 other cousins were part of "our generation"--Shirley Lockhart, John West, Pris Catlin, Robin Johnson and Mike Rishell.  

Where's your coat?!! Said the big sister.

Virginia Leigh (Ginny) West, I love you.

Best friends and so much more.

What a couple of crazy kids.

Ginny and Don made a trip from San Diego one Thanksgiving to see mom. This was after Dad had passed away.

Here she is holding hands (sorta) and connecting with an Orca.

Ginny with mom and dad. She and mom were so much alike. It was very hard on her when mom passed away. Mom's birthday was November 4th, and Ginny's was November 3rd. Mom died a few days before Thanksgiving and Ginny died November 25th. They were both born and both died in the month of November.

Ginny and the giant tree.

So here's a picture of Ginny taking a picture. You can add artistic and creative to her list of gifts.

Now here she is giving a very relaxed monkey a massage.

I think she's playing poker here - and it looks like she's doing good!!

Like I said, she was always up for anything.

Here she is loving on a horse. When I look at this pic, I can feel the connection.

This is an interesting outfit, but I can't figure out what she is supposed to be!

Ginny loved to cook, as do I. But it seemed like with her, it was instinctual, whereas I have had to read a lot of recipes and burned a lot of food in the process. She was really a great cook, and believed in healthy eating. Lucky were the men in her life!

I don't know where she got all that money, but I'd be smiling too.

Oh good grief. I never once in my life saw Ginny made up like this! But I guess we all wanted a "glamour" shot in those days. Ginny rarely wore a lot of make-up. She didn't need to.

What a great picture. She is wearing one of my mother's necklaces that she got after mom passed away.

Now here she is with a sled dog. I think they're both lovin' it.

Shouldn't she have on a bigger coat? It looks so cold! Where's your coat???

Few things made Ginny happier than singing. When she was in high school, I remember her coming home from school, ploping down on the piano bench, and pounding the keys and singing her heart out. I told her then that she should pursue a career in Broadway musicals.

Okay, so here she is kissing a seal.

Ginny was so confident that she would try anything. Looks like she was having great fun here.

Just before Ginny passed away, I came across a video of Israel Kamkawiwo'ole singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It touched me profoundly and I didn't know why. IZ was a Hawaiian singer who died very young from obesity. The story is that one night he called his record producer and told him that he HAD to record this song NOW. The producer did, and the result is the best version of Over the Rainbow I have ever heard.  In the video, it shows the ceremony where they scattered his ashes into the ocean. Then I came across this picture of Ginny and I knew. That's where she is now, somewhere over the rainbow.

She grew into such a beautiful woman. She was the only person I know who looked just as good wearing glasses as she did not wearing them.

I don't know if this was intended, but it looks like Old Faithful is spewing out of Ginny's head. And it looks like she's not happy about it.

When I saw this picture, my protective instinct went into overdrive. WHY IS SHE SITTING SO CLOSE TO THE EDGE!!!!

I think this was at Yellowstone. Or Yosemite. She looks so happy and content.

I had no idea that Ginny had this kind of balance. I bet her shoes were just outside of the picture. See what I mean about the perm?

Leave it to Ginny. How the heck did she find a sweatshirt the same color as the tulips?

What a setting, and what a million dollar smile.

Ginny in a quiet mood, which was rare. Her mind was always going a mile a minute. Her IQ was at the genius level. I so enjoyed working on projects with her - she was so quick-thinking and creative. When I was in my 40's I went back to college and took algebra. The professor was on of those that "got" math instinctively, but couldn't explain it to anyone else. Ginny came to my rescue, and because she was so good at explaining it, algebra became one of my favorite things. Loved those equations. Loved Ginny's mind. 

Yes, that is Aaron all grown up. This was his high school graduation in San Diego. He looks like my brother in this picture. Not only did he inherit Ginny's formidable intelligence, he was a superior athlete as well.

This was one of Ginny's favorite pictures with Aaron. Nicely done!

Ginny loved animals. Here she is showing Aaron how to be gentle with the kitty. There will be a test at the end of this memorial to see if you can name all the animals she is with in these photos. This is the first, a cat.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Ginny and Aaron together.

This is Aaron with his feet in Ginny's overalls. Looks like someone was a baseball fan.

This is Aaron on the day he was born. I don't know why, but I never expected Ginny to have children. But she was thrilled when Aaron came along. I should have known, as she was much more than just a teacher to many of her students. At the time of her accident, she had many students that still kept in touch with her.

There are few memories that I have of Ginny that are as poignant as her high school graduation. The ceremony was held on the football field, with all the kids standing on the bleachers. After the ceremony, they all ran off the field throwing their hats up in the air. I watched Ginny running, her hair flowing behind her, her legs getting tangled up in her gown as she ran, laughing and so ready to get out into the big, wide world. I got a lump in my throat the size of a softball, and soon the tears came. It was the first of many times that I wanted so badly to protect her, but knew I could not. I knew the world would hurt her, and I couldn't bear it. 

 At the time this happened, I could not figure out what the heck the "Eastern Star" actually was, and why was Ginny the queen of it? I still don't know. This, by the way, is the only time I ever saw Ginny wearing a tiara. 

Here are the West siblings. John on the left, Ginny in the middle, and me on the end. I was the oldest, John the middle child, and Ginny was the spoiled rotten baby.

Here's that impish grin again. I believe this was her Camp Fire Girl outfit. Or was it the Brownies? Don't you just love the shoes? Anyone else remember wearing saddle oxfords?

Ginny really looks like her dad in this pic. I was never able to figure out why mom insisted on giving both us girls permanents. I bet Ginny hated this one. Oddly enough, we both tried permanents as adult women. Didn't work then, either.

This is how I remember Ginny. This picture captures her essence perfectly. She is four years old here. Her oneriness is clearly showing!