8 years ago
Friday, May 30, 2008
This is going to be a super long post, so don’t feel like you have to read it all. I have a lot to say, and as usual, it’s more for my therapeutic benefit than anything else.
After Mollee’s birthday, all my energy was focused on preparations for our Hawaii trip. I was so excited to see my family and for all of us to be together for the first time in 3 years. I can’t believe my little brother is married! I was really looking forward to meeting my first niece, Rylee, and to see her and Mollee together. Time flew by and before we knew it we were on the plane!
We flew to California first and spent a little time with my parents and John and his girlfriend, Jennifer. The next day we flew to Hawaii all together. Our group was huge with our little family, my parents and brother and sister, John and Jennifer, Cherice’s brother and his family, plus a few friends of Richard and John’s. It’s too bad we couldn’t all sit by each other, but it was really fun to travel with everyone.
The flight to Hawaii was 5 ½ hours which ended up feeling like 25 hours with a 1 yr old. Mollee puked on me about half way through the flight. Being the talented baby that she is, her puke went straight down my shirt and soaked me from the inside out. I found out just how small airplane bathrooms really are as I struggled to clean the slime off in the restricted space. The rest of the flight was uneventful…Mollee slept almost the rest of the way on Steve’s lap.
There are no words to describe how beautiful Hawaii is. Even the airport is beautiful. The weather was absolutely perfect the entire time we were there and I did NOT want to leave. It had snowed the day before we left Utah! I was completely unprepared for how amazing this tropical paradise was. We had a little difficulty adjusting to the time difference. We’d wake up at 5am local time which was really like waking up at 9am Utah time. It was fun to watch the city slowly wake up with the sun. We were greeted with a brilliant rainbow our first morning there.
Richard and Cherice had a beautiful ceremony, preformed by Uncle Doug, in the most breath-taking and totally serene location. John was Richard’s best man and had the perfect view as some dolphins jumped in the water a little way out during the ceremony. Cherice was a stunning bride and Richard was the perfect groom. They couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.
In the two short days that followed we went snorkeling, had shave ice at the world famous Matsumoto’s, drove around the whole island, BBQ’d at a Marina park at sunset where John proposed to Jennifer (she said YES!), went surfing with my Dad and got really sun burned- despite major sunblocking efforts. We had an amazing trip. I was bummed that we didn’t get to see Peal Harbor, hike Diamond Head, do some serious shopping or go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We did get to drive past the PCC and the Temple. My Dad spotted some dorm-style buildings where he stayed over 30 years ago when he stopped in Hawaii on his way home from his mission and went through the Temple and the PCC. Steve and I decided we will be returning to Hawaii in the future to experience all the things we didn’t get to this go around. We will be leaving our children on the mainland so we can have a more romantic experience the next time!
I am overwhelmed with gratitude toward Richard and Cherice and Cherice’s family for providing us with, not only an amazing vacation, but the privilege of being present while they promised themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. I love my brother and am so happy he found someone who makes his life whole.
As we said our goodbyes at the close of our trip, I had no idea that I’d be back in California the following week. We came home to the unexpected news that my Dad’s mom, my Grandma Struve, was back in the hospital and not doing well. My parents went down to be with her at the hospital where she lived in Santa Maria as soon as the doctor notified my Dad. I spoke with my Dad 3 or 4 times that night; the final time being the sad news that Grandma was gone.
I flew back to California Friday evening and Cherice picked me up from the airport. Then we stopped to get Sharon, Richard and Rylee to then continue on our way down to Santa Maria. It was nice to see my Aunt Marilynn and all my cousins, as well as my Mom’s parents and my Uncle Bill. I found it surprisingly difficult to be away from my husband and children, despite being surrounded by family.
The funeral was on Saturday and was infused with love and the Spirit. I was grateful for Aunt Marilynn’s comments on Grandma’s life. There were several things about her life experiences that I’d never heard before. I really did not realize how much my Grandma meant to me until I began mourning her, and that makes me sad. She called me on a regular basis to chat and was always emotional as we said goodbye, telling me repeatedly how much she loved me and how special I was to her. She was, and will continue to be, very special to me.
When I was in high school my grandparents lived with us for several years. During my senior year, due to some difficult circumstances, both my parents were out of town during the weekend of my Senior Banquet (a night of class awards, a fancy dinner and a dance). I was moping around, feeling particularly sad about not having my mom there to help me get ready for the big night. Grandma decided we were going to go shopping. She bought me a new dress and shoes – both of which I still have.
When we got home from shopping I said something about needing to figure out what jewelry I should wear. She offered to let me borrow something of hers, if I wanted. At the time I was sure there wasn’t anything in her jewelry box hip enough for a teenager to be interested in, but we went to her bedroom together to take a look. She pulled out a long, silver necklace with little silver beads that I’d forgotten she had. I used to play dress up with her clothes and jewelry during my visits as a little girl – she always went along with whatever make-believe game I thought of and would call me “Mrs. Jones”, at my request (don’t ask me why I picked ‘Jones’ because I have no idea!). This was one of my favorite necklaces because it was the long kind you wrapped around your neck to create the appearance several strands. The necklace was the finishing touch to my new outfit, and my grandma made me feel beautiful with her compliments in a way that only a grandma can. I had a wonderful night.
After the funeral, my Dad and Aunt invited us “kids” to express our interest if there was anything of Grandma’s that we wanted. I went to my Grandma’s jewelry box after awhile to find that silver necklace. It was there, of course, along with everything else that looked just the same as it had when I was 5 years old and hunting for something that Mrs. Jones could wear. I was struck again at that moment how much my Grandma meant to me, and how much I missed her.
I love you, Grandma.
After Mollee’s birthday, all my energy was focused on preparations for our Hawaii trip. I was so excited to see my family and for all of us to be together for the first time in 3 years. I can’t believe my little brother is married! I was really looking forward to meeting my first niece, Rylee, and to see her and Mollee together. Time flew by and before we knew it we were on the plane!
We flew to California first and spent a little time with my parents and John and his girlfriend, Jennifer. The next day we flew to Hawaii all together. Our group was huge with our little family, my parents and brother and sister, John and Jennifer, Cherice’s brother and his family, plus a few friends of Richard and John’s. It’s too bad we couldn’t all sit by each other, but it was really fun to travel with everyone.
The flight to Hawaii was 5 ½ hours which ended up feeling like 25 hours with a 1 yr old. Mollee puked on me about half way through the flight. Being the talented baby that she is, her puke went straight down my shirt and soaked me from the inside out. I found out just how small airplane bathrooms really are as I struggled to clean the slime off in the restricted space. The rest of the flight was uneventful…Mollee slept almost the rest of the way on Steve’s lap.
There are no words to describe how beautiful Hawaii is. Even the airport is beautiful. The weather was absolutely perfect the entire time we were there and I did NOT want to leave. It had snowed the day before we left Utah! I was completely unprepared for how amazing this tropical paradise was. We had a little difficulty adjusting to the time difference. We’d wake up at 5am local time which was really like waking up at 9am Utah time. It was fun to watch the city slowly wake up with the sun. We were greeted with a brilliant rainbow our first morning there.
Richard and Cherice had a beautiful ceremony, preformed by Uncle Doug, in the most breath-taking and totally serene location. John was Richard’s best man and had the perfect view as some dolphins jumped in the water a little way out during the ceremony. Cherice was a stunning bride and Richard was the perfect groom. They couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.
In the two short days that followed we went snorkeling, had shave ice at the world famous Matsumoto’s, drove around the whole island, BBQ’d at a Marina park at sunset where John proposed to Jennifer (she said YES!), went surfing with my Dad and got really sun burned- despite major sunblocking efforts. We had an amazing trip. I was bummed that we didn’t get to see Peal Harbor, hike Diamond Head, do some serious shopping or go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We did get to drive past the PCC and the Temple. My Dad spotted some dorm-style buildings where he stayed over 30 years ago when he stopped in Hawaii on his way home from his mission and went through the Temple and the PCC. Steve and I decided we will be returning to Hawaii in the future to experience all the things we didn’t get to this go around. We will be leaving our children on the mainland so we can have a more romantic experience the next time!
I am overwhelmed with gratitude toward Richard and Cherice and Cherice’s family for providing us with, not only an amazing vacation, but the privilege of being present while they promised themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. I love my brother and am so happy he found someone who makes his life whole.
As we said our goodbyes at the close of our trip, I had no idea that I’d be back in California the following week. We came home to the unexpected news that my Dad’s mom, my Grandma Struve, was back in the hospital and not doing well. My parents went down to be with her at the hospital where she lived in Santa Maria as soon as the doctor notified my Dad. I spoke with my Dad 3 or 4 times that night; the final time being the sad news that Grandma was gone.
I flew back to California Friday evening and Cherice picked me up from the airport. Then we stopped to get Sharon, Richard and Rylee to then continue on our way down to Santa Maria. It was nice to see my Aunt Marilynn and all my cousins, as well as my Mom’s parents and my Uncle Bill. I found it surprisingly difficult to be away from my husband and children, despite being surrounded by family.
The funeral was on Saturday and was infused with love and the Spirit. I was grateful for Aunt Marilynn’s comments on Grandma’s life. There were several things about her life experiences that I’d never heard before. I really did not realize how much my Grandma meant to me until I began mourning her, and that makes me sad. She called me on a regular basis to chat and was always emotional as we said goodbye, telling me repeatedly how much she loved me and how special I was to her. She was, and will continue to be, very special to me.
When I was in high school my grandparents lived with us for several years. During my senior year, due to some difficult circumstances, both my parents were out of town during the weekend of my Senior Banquet (a night of class awards, a fancy dinner and a dance). I was moping around, feeling particularly sad about not having my mom there to help me get ready for the big night. Grandma decided we were going to go shopping. She bought me a new dress and shoes – both of which I still have.
When we got home from shopping I said something about needing to figure out what jewelry I should wear. She offered to let me borrow something of hers, if I wanted. At the time I was sure there wasn’t anything in her jewelry box hip enough for a teenager to be interested in, but we went to her bedroom together to take a look. She pulled out a long, silver necklace with little silver beads that I’d forgotten she had. I used to play dress up with her clothes and jewelry during my visits as a little girl – she always went along with whatever make-believe game I thought of and would call me “Mrs. Jones”, at my request (don’t ask me why I picked ‘Jones’ because I have no idea!). This was one of my favorite necklaces because it was the long kind you wrapped around your neck to create the appearance several strands. The necklace was the finishing touch to my new outfit, and my grandma made me feel beautiful with her compliments in a way that only a grandma can. I had a wonderful night.
After the funeral, my Dad and Aunt invited us “kids” to express our interest if there was anything of Grandma’s that we wanted. I went to my Grandma’s jewelry box after awhile to find that silver necklace. It was there, of course, along with everything else that looked just the same as it had when I was 5 years old and hunting for something that Mrs. Jones could wear. I was struck again at that moment how much my Grandma meant to me, and how much I missed her.
I love you, Grandma.
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