Difficult to find the words to convey how sad our family has been this last week at the passing away of our beloved Grandpa. He passed away on Sunday, August 17th in the morning and we've thought of little else since then. We look forward to being able to celebrate and honor his life this coming up weekend at Forest Lawn with extended family. Evelyn will sing, Blake and I will speak and Stacy will conduct. We are all so grateful that he wasn't in tremendous drawn out pain or suffering. We are grateful that we were able to spend the week so recently in Colorado Springs at the Broadmoor where he had always wanted to stay. We are grateful for the wonderful father and grandfather he always was and all of the lessons he taught us and memories we hold dear. One memory that brings me to tears as I write this, is the fact that Grandpa loved reading this blog. He was my family's biggest supporter and fan. He loved hearing what we were involved in and doing in our lives, he loved cheering us on and always made sure to text and tell me so. It's hard to write this knowing that he won't be reading. But I hope my children and future grandchildren understand how loved he was and how grateful we were to have him in our lives. As we write his eulogy and memories/life lessons, I will make sure to include these thoughts here.
I will keep this record short and simple. Kids went back to school- Anna in 8th and Grant in 10th. Grant looks forward so much to driving on his own and he's an excellent driver so far. He is taking Chemistry, Math, Spanish 6, AP HUG, and English- so he has more homework than he ever has before. He and Blake took a beautiful surf trip to El Salvador for a few days this past month-- his 9th grade trip. Grant is loving seminary, surfing and soccer.
In 8th grade, Anna enjoys being a WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) leader and is SO good at it. She is playing tennis, dancing and works as a dance assistant one day a week. She is organized and responsible and happy and full of energy. She loves going to the beach and spending every minute she can with friends. She taught the YW lesson last month and did such a beautiful job- on "stand in holy places." She babysits Sophie for hours and is a great example at Young Women's. We put together vision boards last month and Anna's was so cute. This month Anna (and all of us) had to say goodbye to Olivia and Grace Judd. Not easy to do as they are the kindest and most fun friends. Anna was so sad but grateful for their examples of faith.
Ev has spent a few weeks here with us as she has a break in semesters and she has been having a wonderful time country dancing, playing with the pets, visiting Disneyland with Reha and even hosting a friend (Katie) down from nursing school in Utah. She is doing so well in nursing and works hard every day! She is super excited to have her cousin Katie up at BYU this fall. She loves visiting her friend Lily in Idaho. So proud of her.
Dane has had a good month. He started Miramar and spend time thrifting and hanging out with Kenzie. He is looking for a job in the mental health care field to build his resume. He works very hard in school so far and takes diligent care of his physical health. He is feeling better and better each day and we are so grateful for his progress.
We had an incredible week beach camping with friends at San Elijo Beach in Encinitas. Really fun for Grant and Anna- fishing, surfing, swimming, boogie boarding, staying up super late and making up dance routines. Yes, even Grant made up a dance routine with the boys. We loved every minute and are so grateful for this yearly tradition.
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Work has been busy- I'm trying to create a 3 part Executive Functioning series to offer teens in the evenings at Transcend Behavioral Health. We are putting together a booth for a wellness fair next month and lots of marketing meetings! Enjoyed celebrating Ashley and Mindi's birthdays- with hikes, and dinners/lunch out. Celebrating Joe's birthday with a backyard kibachi grill! First date night Blake and I had been on in months. We threw Junior's birthday party in our backyard with the pool and he had the best time. Loved throwing a baby shower for Suzy Jorgenson who is due any MINUTE and helping with Cassidy's wedding open house. Cathy came to visit and had an unfortunately LONG stay at Rady's with Cade due to an unknown allergic reaction! It was so scary but he's finally back to good health.
This month, and particularly this past week has been quiet as our entire family has reflected on our love for Grandpa and the importance of eternal families. When something like this happens- it's hard not to pause and remember what life is really all about.
