Happy New Year! It’s me again. It's amazing to think we are already ¼ of the way through 2019! Time sure does fly. Well, let's jump right in and relive the 1st quarter of this new year.
Unfortunately, January started off with some sad news. My grandma on my mom's side passed away on the 3rd. Although we felt happy that all of us had been able to spend time with her at Christmas and over New Years, we were still sad to have to say goodbye.
For the next week, preparations were made for the funeral. It was decided that the funeral would occur on the 11th. This was a slight bummer for me as that was my birthday, but they needed to set it on a day that was possible for everyone in the family to make it. It just meant the day would be bittersweet.
We headed up for the viewing on the 10th and were able to spend time with multiple family members we hadn't seen in a while. My Grandma Beach kindly allowed us to sleep at her place as my grandpa had a lot of visitors at his place already. We spent the night talking with her a bit and then got a few hours of sleep. I didn't get that much sleep as the twins didn't do well sleeping away from home, but I got what I could.
The next morning, we got dressed and headed to the funeral. We enjoyed the reminiscing and storytelling. The grand kids all sang a special version of I Am a Child of God, and then we drove over to the cemetery. It was a bit chilly and overcast so we had to bundle up a bit. Before leaving, all the grand kids and kids got to take a flower as a memento of the day. We then loaded up and headed to the luncheon. We again enjoyed reminiscing and remembering while enjoying all of the lovely flowers that had been provided.
Finally, we headed over to Grandpa Thorsted's house and spent some time with just immediate family laughing, playing games, and starting to help Grandpa go through her things. We knew it would be a long process, but we figured we would get a bit of a start while most of us were there. My family also made sure to sing Happy Birthday to my cousin and I. Although we were with family for a sad occasion, it was still a comfort to enjoy time together.
About 2 ½ weeks later, we gathered together as family again (from both Ryan's side and mine), this time to celebrate the twins. It was their blessing day. Due to the number of missionaries leaving, the shortened Sunday schedule, and the distance most of our family would have to travel, we opted to bless the babies after church rather than during the meeting. However, in keeping with tradition I sang a song before the blessing. We had a lot of family come and support us in this event. And the best part is that they didn't even cry! So I actually got to hear what was said this time. That was a nice change.
Afterward, we gathered at our home on the next block and enjoyed lunch together. We decided to have a potluck to help have enough food, so thankfully that wasn't an issue. We enjoyed spending a little bit more time with our parents before they left the next morning to return to California and Virginia respectively.
As fate would have it, however, my parents weren't going to be gone long. This was because a few days after the blessings, my grandma on my dad's side started having bad breathing problems. They took her into the hospital where she later died. She passed away on the 24th-3 weeks to the day of my Grandma Thorsted. Boy, was this month turning into a doozy!!!
Again, funeral plans began to be put in place, and the funeral was set for the 1st of February. Guess what else is on that day? Yep, another birthday. This time, my husband Ryan's. Oi.
My parents flew back in, and funeral round 2 began. We spent the night at the viewing, and then slept over at my Uncle Rob's house. Thankfully, the twins did a little better this time around with the sleeping, but it was still a long night.
The next morning, we went over to the funeral home to have the funeral. My aunt had informed me that it was my grandma's desire for me to share a few thoughts, so I spent some time trying to condense my memories of my grandma's life in a way I could share them in an organized way. It was a little hard because of all the wonderful times that came to mind, but I was able to share my thoughts and hoped it brought some good memories to others that came to the funeral.
We then drove to the cemetery and bid our final farewells where we each placed a flower on her grave with our thoughts about her. Another luncheon of reminiscing and laughing followed. We all made predictions about what she did first when she made it to the other side. Most of us figured the first thing was finding Grandpa, who she had lived without for almost 8 yrs. I'm sure she was really excited to see him again.
As this time we had a deadline to get the home emptied as there was now no one living there, we gathered at her home following the luncheon and started making sure everything would be removed in time for the landlord to take the key. Over the next few weeks, people came and took away their stuff until the home was empty. It was a bit difficult to see the home empty when it had been so warm and full of life just a few weeks before. I will definitely miss both of my grandmas, and hope that there won't be another funeral for a long time.
The month finished up with a trip to the museum of ancient life. As the kids had done a reading challenge program and had been granted free tickets, we figured it would be a fun opportunity to take advantage of. We saw lots of fun dinosaur skeletons, putting puzzles together, and for the kids, playing in the sand and water that they had there to teach about how dinosaurs got buried under sand as rivers eroded the surface of the land. They loved that part best of all.
March started off with a fun event as we got to attend the wedding of my younger brother Nate and his fiancé Vicky. We spent the morning in Ogden. While I got to go inside the temple, Ryan watched the kiddos. Afterward, we headed to the church building for a pizza lunch and prep for the dinner. I was able to help my mom chop up veggies and fruits so that we were ready to go. It was a lot of work, but good that we were able to help be prepared for dinner. We then went home for the night.
The next weekend, Ryan was able to take Enna to Disney on Ice. Although it took her a while to warm up to the ice skating, she eventually loved it. Especially when her favorite Disney princess (Moana) came on. She came home and told me all about seeing Elsa, Moana, and Maui on the ice. I think that she enjoyed it a bunch.
A week or so later, we went to the doctor for the twins' latest round of vaccinations. It was pretty routine, but it was funny because Enna asked the nurse if she was the “pain doctor”. She laughed and said that she was unfortunately more or less true. She then stated that she would use that as her mantra for the rest of the day. Enna is definitely a great big sister.
Well, that about rounds it out. We'll see you next quarter in the Blackburner
Unfortunately, January started off with some sad news. My grandma on my mom's side passed away on the 3rd. Although we felt happy that all of us had been able to spend time with her at Christmas and over New Years, we were still sad to have to say goodbye.
For the next week, preparations were made for the funeral. It was decided that the funeral would occur on the 11th. This was a slight bummer for me as that was my birthday, but they needed to set it on a day that was possible for everyone in the family to make it. It just meant the day would be bittersweet.
We headed up for the viewing on the 10th and were able to spend time with multiple family members we hadn't seen in a while. My Grandma Beach kindly allowed us to sleep at her place as my grandpa had a lot of visitors at his place already. We spent the night talking with her a bit and then got a few hours of sleep. I didn't get that much sleep as the twins didn't do well sleeping away from home, but I got what I could.
The next morning, we got dressed and headed to the funeral. We enjoyed the reminiscing and storytelling. The grand kids all sang a special version of I Am a Child of God, and then we drove over to the cemetery. It was a bit chilly and overcast so we had to bundle up a bit. Before leaving, all the grand kids and kids got to take a flower as a memento of the day. We then loaded up and headed to the luncheon. We again enjoyed reminiscing and remembering while enjoying all of the lovely flowers that had been provided.
Finally, we headed over to Grandpa Thorsted's house and spent some time with just immediate family laughing, playing games, and starting to help Grandpa go through her things. We knew it would be a long process, but we figured we would get a bit of a start while most of us were there. My family also made sure to sing Happy Birthday to my cousin and I. Although we were with family for a sad occasion, it was still a comfort to enjoy time together.
About 2 ½ weeks later, we gathered together as family again (from both Ryan's side and mine), this time to celebrate the twins. It was their blessing day. Due to the number of missionaries leaving, the shortened Sunday schedule, and the distance most of our family would have to travel, we opted to bless the babies after church rather than during the meeting. However, in keeping with tradition I sang a song before the blessing. We had a lot of family come and support us in this event. And the best part is that they didn't even cry! So I actually got to hear what was said this time. That was a nice change.
Afterward, we gathered at our home on the next block and enjoyed lunch together. We decided to have a potluck to help have enough food, so thankfully that wasn't an issue. We enjoyed spending a little bit more time with our parents before they left the next morning to return to California and Virginia respectively.
As fate would have it, however, my parents weren't going to be gone long. This was because a few days after the blessings, my grandma on my dad's side started having bad breathing problems. They took her into the hospital where she later died. She passed away on the 24th-3 weeks to the day of my Grandma Thorsted. Boy, was this month turning into a doozy!!!
Again, funeral plans began to be put in place, and the funeral was set for the 1st of February. Guess what else is on that day? Yep, another birthday. This time, my husband Ryan's. Oi.
My parents flew back in, and funeral round 2 began. We spent the night at the viewing, and then slept over at my Uncle Rob's house. Thankfully, the twins did a little better this time around with the sleeping, but it was still a long night.
The next morning, we went over to the funeral home to have the funeral. My aunt had informed me that it was my grandma's desire for me to share a few thoughts, so I spent some time trying to condense my memories of my grandma's life in a way I could share them in an organized way. It was a little hard because of all the wonderful times that came to mind, but I was able to share my thoughts and hoped it brought some good memories to others that came to the funeral.
We then drove to the cemetery and bid our final farewells where we each placed a flower on her grave with our thoughts about her. Another luncheon of reminiscing and laughing followed. We all made predictions about what she did first when she made it to the other side. Most of us figured the first thing was finding Grandpa, who she had lived without for almost 8 yrs. I'm sure she was really excited to see him again.
As this time we had a deadline to get the home emptied as there was now no one living there, we gathered at her home following the luncheon and started making sure everything would be removed in time for the landlord to take the key. Over the next few weeks, people came and took away their stuff until the home was empty. It was a bit difficult to see the home empty when it had been so warm and full of life just a few weeks before. I will definitely miss both of my grandmas, and hope that there won't be another funeral for a long time.
The month finished up with a trip to the museum of ancient life. As the kids had done a reading challenge program and had been granted free tickets, we figured it would be a fun opportunity to take advantage of. We saw lots of fun dinosaur skeletons, putting puzzles together, and for the kids, playing in the sand and water that they had there to teach about how dinosaurs got buried under sand as rivers eroded the surface of the land. They loved that part best of all.
March started off with a fun event as we got to attend the wedding of my younger brother Nate and his fiancé Vicky. We spent the morning in Ogden. While I got to go inside the temple, Ryan watched the kiddos. Afterward, we headed to the church building for a pizza lunch and prep for the dinner. I was able to help my mom chop up veggies and fruits so that we were ready to go. It was a lot of work, but good that we were able to help be prepared for dinner. We then went home for the night.
The next weekend, Ryan was able to take Enna to Disney on Ice. Although it took her a while to warm up to the ice skating, she eventually loved it. Especially when her favorite Disney princess (Moana) came on. She came home and told me all about seeing Elsa, Moana, and Maui on the ice. I think that she enjoyed it a bunch.
A week or so later, we went to the doctor for the twins' latest round of vaccinations. It was pretty routine, but it was funny because Enna asked the nurse if she was the “pain doctor”. She laughed and said that she was unfortunately more or less true. She then stated that she would use that as her mantra for the rest of the day. Enna is definitely a great big sister.
Well, that about rounds it out. We'll see you next quarter in the Blackburner
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