Saying Goodbye Again

Today I am saying goodbye to my grandpa.  My Grandpa Dearden passed away yesterday, September 17, after a long battle with prostate cancer.  He was 89.  I know that he is at peace now and out of pain, but that doesn't stop those of us left behind from missing him terribly.  He was such a great man.  He and my grandmother went on 2 missions.  They served in the Phillipines and in Illinois.  They worked at the Ogden Temple for many years.  During their time there, they did sealings.  My grandpa performed the sealing when Randy and I went thru the temple.  He had such a wonderful testimony of the gospel and I know that he is with our Heavenly Father and he is watching over his great family.  I know that he will be a guiding angel for me and my family for the rest of our lives.
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Grandma and Grandpa have 5 kids...Cathy (& Mel), Kent (& Rhonda), my dad Craig (& Sheryl), Gaylen (& DeeAnn) and Paul (& ReNae).  They have 36 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren (if my numbers are correct).  I have to admit that this time has been one of sadness and happiness.  We have been gathering at Grandma's house over the past week and it has been nice to see all of the family.  My cousin Kristi flew back from Washington.  I miss all of the times that we get together as a family. 
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I remember Thanksgivings at Grandma's when we would set up tables that ran the length of the basement and we still didn't have enough room, so the adults would go upstairs and eat in the living room. I remember going upstairs to sit with the adults because the kids were too noisy.  I may have been a kid, but I didn't like hanging out with the kids.  What can I say....I have always been old. 
Christmas was the same.  We would pack ourselves in Grandma's little house and play present games.  We would all bring a white elephant gift and then we would sit in a circle and pass the gifts around.  By the end of the game everyone would be fighting for the orange sticks or the chocolate covered cherries.  Grandpa would sit back and shake his head.  I know that he was thinking we were crazy.
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I will miss him very much.  I love you Grandpa!!

(I am posting this at work, so I will post pictures when I get home.)

Saying Goodbye

Today I said my final goodbye to my dear friend of 23 years.  Tracie was a very big part of my life for a very long time.  She was like a sister to me.
We met in the 7th grade in music class.  She was sitting next to me and some how we just started talking.  From that moment on we were inseparable.  We have done just about everything together.  I have so many memories of our times together and I hope no one minds if I share just a few.
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Tracie and I shared the same birthday.  In high school we celebrated our birthday by sluffing school and going to Salt Lake to stay at a hotel.  We would spend the whole weekend shopping, swimming, eating out, and watching movies.  Even after I got married, we tried to celebrate our birthday together.  The year we turned 23, Tracie took Randy and I to Wendover.  She came home with $50 that she won on the quarter machine.
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We worked at Fred Meyer together during our senior year of high school.  We had so much fun!  I remember one day we both played hooky from work and took my dad to a movie, mini-golfing and to lunch for his 41st birthday.  We thought that we were being so sneaky but we were lucky that we didn't get fired.
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After Alex was born, Randy and I went to Las Vegas for a week.  We asked Tracie if she would like to come with us.  We had a BALL!!  We walked the strip and took Tracie to Hoover Dam.  The funniest part of that vacation was when we went to Hoover Dam.  We took the tour where you get to go down inside and while you are on the tour they ask where everyone is from.  They got to us and we told them Utah.  Shortly after that we were walking down one of the tunnels and a lady tapped me on the shoulder.  She wanted to know if we were polygamists.  I guess she figured that since it was Randy, Tracie and me with a baby in a stroller and we were from Utah, that being polygamists was the logical situation.  We couldn't help but laugh. 
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We went to Vegas again with Tracie when Alex was 4 and Preston was 3.  It was another trip that I will never forget.  We took Tracie to the Venetian Hotel.  Randy and Alex wanted to go on the gondola ride.  I was pregnant with Connor and didn't want to go on a boat ride.  While Tracie, Alex, and Randy rode the gondola, I sat and watched the "statues".  They are dressed all in white and their faces are painted white also.  They are actually real people that pose.  When everyone got off the ride, I told Tracie to go stand by a statue so I could take a picture.  She stood next to a male "statue" and while I was taking the picture, the man reached over and wrapped his arm around Tracie.  She screamed so loud it echoed off the walls!  It was the best time!
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I will never be able to write down all the wonderful memories that I had with my friend.  I will never forget her and I will miss her everyday.  My kids were like her own and they loved her very much.  She gave them everything she could and I know that their lives have been enriched for having known her.

I love you Tracie and I know that you are at peace and living with our Heavenly Father.  You are my guardian angel and I know that you will watch over my family and keep us safe and loved.