My favorite memories of my Grandma are:
When we went to her house and slept in the basement- when I was really little I was stuck on the floor on a blanket in my mom's room. When I got a little bit bigger I got to move out into the family room with my sisters and I slept on a small cushion-y looking thing while they slept on cots. I was SO happy when I was finally grown up enough to sleep on the cots- then I knew I'd really hit the big time when I graduated all the way upstairs and got to sleep on the hide-a-bed in the living room. Seriously- it was a big deal.
We always had Thanksgiving at Grandma's. Once I remember going to my other grandparent's house and it was... bleh- Grandma Dallin's house was always the place to be for Thanksgiving. We also had our family Christmas party there. We would draw names at Thanksgiving and have a gift exchange closer to Christmas.
When we visited grandma- we always said our quick "hellos" then headed straight for the freezer. She always had the best fudgecicles on hand. It got to the point she'd have to lock the freezer to keep us out- luckily we knew where she hid the key.
She also always had Shasta soda on hand. The bottom shelf in her fridge was always filled with a variety of pop. There was something for everyone.
We didn't get sugar cereals at home- so we knew when we went to Grandma's house we'd get Lucky Charms. When it came time to go home, she'd make us each a little baggie of cereal to take home for the ride. The marshmallows never lasted very long- and the rest of it rarely got eaten.
My grandma played softball in her younger years. She played the position of catcher. Being a pitcher, I always thought catcher was a pretty boring position so once I asked her why she chose to play there. "Because that was the one place I didn't have to walk very far to get to." Hahahha!
Grandma LOVED sports. She L.O.V.E.D. the Jazz. she was no fair weather friend. She was a major fan. She watched every game and got really into it. She even had a ball signed by the players.
She loved to play cards. She was always playing a game of solitaire. She taught me several different forms of solitaire- only two of which I really remember. I played them last night in fact. She collected cards in every city she visited. Some people do bells, or thimbles. Some collect key chains or magnates, Grandma collected playing cards and had a TON of them- mostly unopened- when she died. I took several of them and put them in a place so secure- that even I can't find it.
Along with cards, grandma was always working on a puzzle. She had stacks and stacks of 1000 piece puzzles stacked up in her closet.
There are so many more memories. I could seriously write for hours and hours. One day I really should do that. If I'd been organized, I'd have asked my siblings and some others to tell my their favorite memories of Grandma- but this will have to do for today.
I really, really miss my Grandma. As much as I believe in the Plan of Happiness- and I know that this life is not the end of it all- that we will be together forever as a family- I still miss her. Death is not sad for the person dying- it's sad for those of us left behind. She died just over 11 years ago- and I still cry when I visit her grave. I miss her so much.
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