Family Gathering

I always grew up loving family gatherings--I think it is something I got from Grandpa. My grandpa loved nothing so much as being able to get together with his brothers and sisters and their families.

Of course I wish the circumstances that brought us all together this weekend in Vernon had been better--but I still I still appreciated getting to spend time with so much of the family.











The day started very early for us--we left Mesa at 4:30am. The trip was un eventful except for the stretch of road where Aunt Shirley accidentally turned the headlights off in the middle of a dark stretch of road and started asking my dad in the passenger seat how to turn them back on--we were in a rental car that no one was familiar with. But we figured it out after a good couple of miles of the lights going on when Aunt Shirley held the lights on with her left hand. Yes we did finally figure it out--but it did become our favorite joke to retell as we travelled.

We got to see the Upper Ranch before the services started. It was so beautiful and green--it has apparently rained more up there then it had the last time I had been up there. The smell of the pine trees and all the grass was amazing. And it was so peaceful looking.

The services were beautifully done. Marla, Judy, and Nikki gave wonderful talks. Marla ended her talk by mentioning that my grandpa had met Marie in heaven and told her he would take care of her until JT joined her again. And that sounded so much like something my grandpa would say and do that I cried--and I can't even blame it on the pregnancy because I saw others in my family were equally touched by the words.

Some of the family got together after the family lunch to tell family stories. I know that this meeting was recorded and I want to go on record as saying I want a copy of the recording. I have heard it was an amazing experience.