Yesterday morning we attended the funeral of one of Dan’s uncles. He passed away in his sleep during the very early morning hours of July 26th. He was only 55… I met him a few times, and usually saw him 1-2 times each year. I always liked him, and I will definitely miss him.
We took Alyssa with us to the funeral. It wasn’t our original plans, but my mom wasn’t feeling up to watching her and Ryan, and Dan’s sisters wanted to take Alyssa for a sleepover after the funeral, so it made the most sense in terms of driving to bring her with us. She was really good. I had taken her to Target on Monday evening to purchase something black (I found this simple and functional black dress in her size, thank goodness!), and while we were there I explained as best as I could that we would be going to a funeral, and that it was for Daddy’s uncle, who died and went to heaven, just like Grandpop (my grandfather; he died on June 11th, 2009) and Merlin (my brother’s cat; he passed away in February) did, and that a funeral gave us a chance to say goodbye.
She was SO good. She brought along two Barbie dolls and a little Barbie-sized horse, and when she wasn’t standing quietly with us, she was sitting in the grass next to where we were standing, playing with her toys. She only started to complain — in a whisper — toward the end of the service, and I can’t say I blame her. It was HOT. The sun was blazing, its heat-blasting rays glinting off of the chrome trim of our nearby parked vehicles, the humidity was high, there was barely a breeze, and the sweat was dripping off of all of us. But other than that, she was perfect.
I love Alyssa’s personality, even though it already has and will continue to cause friction in certain aspects. She is very sure of herself and independent, and trustworthy. She reminds me of how I was as a child… and if that continues to be the case, god help us! 
My name is Jenn, and I'm 27 years old. I'm happily married to my best friend and soulmate, Daniel. Together we have a seven year old daughter named 
Name: Alyssa
Name: Ryan
First of all, I love your daughters name. Not sure if I told you that before.
You are very lucky to have a child to do so well at something like that. I can barly stand still long enough for a funeral or wedding (or anything else that makes me be still and quite). lol