My extended family is having a reunion this summer that we won't be able to make as literally every week of summer is already called for. However, as a part of that, the family reunion organizers asked for notes and stories about my grandma who passed away.
We had a great memory that we shared, so I thought I'd post it here too:
Living on the East Coast has made our trips back to Utah less frequent (and more difficult). In 2012, there were several family reunions and events that brought us to Utah, but we weren't sure we were going to be able to make it up to Idaho to see Grandma (and Grandpa) Call with the available time we had. Further, given the additional time in the car that that meant imposing on our young children in a too-small sedan, and the additional expense of taking a rental car another several hundred miles out of the way, we told ourselves, "we'll just make it a priority to get up there next time we're out this way."
But, shortly we realized that we didn't know when we'd be out west again and that there was no better time to drive up to Idaho Falls than at that time!
So, starting from where we were, we took some circuitous route through Wyoming and 5 hours later arrived at John Adams Parkway. The toll from a long drive must have been evident because almost as soon as we came in, Grandma took the great-grandkids out to the backyard to play some games. In her 80's, she had apparently been called to serve in the Stake Primary, and had a whole host of games they had just used at a stake activity. According to the memories of our kids, she got out a tea party, a ring toss, a bean bag toss, a lacrosse-type catch game and some game involving a bucket and wet sponge. She showed them how to do it and we played for a little bit, before the over-12 crowd became exhausted and left the under-12's to stay outside and keep playing.
Max commented "She had lots of enthusiasm!"
When it was time for lunch outside on the patio, she gave the children containers and they went out again to the backyard where she showed them how to walk through the rows of plants in the garden and pick the ripe raspberries, green beans, and other vegetables. (Ali remembers that an apple tree had recently fallen in the backyard.) Ali thinks she literally had raspberries for lunch. Max picked an ate a whole onion, which Grandma was surprised at, but reassured him that although his pick was unconventional, that there were probably some great health benefits! Kaitlyn remembers having an almost unlimited supply of popsicles that Grandma gave them after lunch.
When the kids were done eating and had retired to the basement to play with toys and attempt to climb the metal support pole, we enjoyed talking for hours about life and politics and the gospel--all of which Grandma knew more about than all of us together. That evening (at 1AM, according to Alison), we taught the kids how to play "Mormon Bridge" as we sat around the dining room table. The other children had already passed out on the couches downstairs with individual boxes of cereal that Grandma had given them to eat while they watched cartoons.
Although we had to leave first thing the next morning, we had a "sweet breakfast!" according to the children, (which was surely more than we needed), and we were sent on our way with food for the road and hugs and words encouragement as we left.
We all remember taking that trip and we're so glad we did.
