My Grandmother Genevieve

My grandmother Genevieve Creswell passed away last night at 11:42 PM. She died very peacefully. My parents, Aunt Linda, cousin Heather, sister Emilie, and brother Joseph were present for the last hours of her life. It's a bittersweet time for us. Sweet because we know that our dear mother, sister, grandmother, and great grandmother is in a sweeter place. We know last night she was greeted by so many loved ones on the other side. We are happy that she is finally free from the physical, mental, and emotional pain she has endured for several years. Of course, we will miss her terribly. And that's the bitter part. My children got to know their great grandmother very well as we visited her often while she was in the care center. T and A liked to take her on walks, comb her hair, paint her fingernails, sing her songs, watch I Love Lucy, and give grandma lots of hugs and kisses. They were never shy to show their affection for her, and I know my grandma appreciated their love. Last Saturday, the day before her final stroke, the kids and I spent the afternoon watching I Love Lucy episodes with grandma. She was in such good spirits and at points laughed heartily with A during the shows. We gave her several hugs and kisses as we left for the day and promised to return Sunday to watch more Lucy. As we were walking away A ran back to give grandma one more hug. Then she raised her right hand and waved goodbye to us as she always had. This was the last time I saw her before her stroke the next morning. I'm so glad the kids and I were able to spend that time with her. My grandmother was an extraordinary woman, loved and respected by so many. I am honored to have her for a grandmother and love her with all my heart and soul.

T's FHE lesson

Rosa Parks

Martin Luther King, Jr.
T gave our Family Home Evening lesson tonight on Martin Luther King, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks. Only fitting since today we celebrate Martin Luther King and his achievements. T prepared the lesson totally on her own. She typed up short bios (all from memory) of each "hero" of the civil rights movement and then asked me to print photos for each person. During the lesson we all took turns reading from her bios and then she showed the corresponding photos. She also had us draw a picture of our favorite hero and write why that person was meaningful to us. T has been fascinated by Martin Luther King, Ruby, and Rosa Parks since studying about them a couple years ago in school. She has several chapter books on each one and even has a book of American Heros. Right now she's reading a children's version of The Diary of Anne Frank; She's really been absorbed in the tragic history of that novel. We've had a lot of great discussions of Anne's story. T is definitely an avid reader like her mom and grandpa C. We love books with lots of history. If anyone wants to recommend any good historical books they've read lately, send them my way. I just finished "Train to Potveka." A story about a CIA spy in Russia. Very good and eye opening. Malcolm X is also a good one that I've read this past year. And I'm still working on a biography of John Adams. OK, and yes I've jumped on the Twilight series bandwagon as well. Guilty as charged. A little guilty "wholesome" pleasure never hurt anyone.:) It's all about balance, right? And for that matter, I also highly recommend the "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series. Very funny and light reading.

Skiing at Sundance

My little sis Emilie and I spent most of last Friday skiing at Sundance. It was was frigid cold, probably about 15 degrees, but the snow was awesome! We probably got in about 7 or 8 runs. While on the lift I pointed out to Em a cabin on the highest peak of the resort where my hubby R proposed. Over 10 years ago!! Yikes! Being at Sundance brought back so many memories of our young married life. Roman worked there for five years before he graduated from college. Our young family shared many wonderful experiences at Sundance, and of course the sweet hookups were awesome! I don't think we ever paid for anything when he worked there. So long to the perks of poverty student life! .... Moving on, Em and I had such a blast. We're going to try and come back in March when it's warmer. Later in the afternoon, we ate at the Foundry Grill. So yummy, just as I remember it.....My ski pictures won't transfer. I'm not sure why. I'll be working on it! Thanks for all your comments on the last post. It was good to hear from you all!

OK, so I finally started a blog. Whoopee!! I'm still obviously quite new at this so you'll have to excuse how amateurish my page looks. I have tons of pictures and video to share; it'll all come later of course once I have time to "upload, download, clip, and paste." For now, you all just get to look at my stunningly beautiful family all of us strategically posed, courtesy of my sister in law Staci who took this fabulous photo! Thanks Staci! I can honestly say it's the first family picture I haven't wanted to burn and start over. So moving on.......we're still in limbo here in SL, and R just started his job in LA. He loves it! Already he's had lots of action. So it's a perfect fit for him. The kids and I will join him for a quick trip mid February. While we're there we'll look at some sweet real estate. The market is definitely in our favor, so we have high hopes to buy a house in the next few months. I'll keep you posted. The kids are doing great here. T is doing awesome in gymnastics and will be moving up to level 5/6 probably in the next month. She enjoyed having her dad visit her class this week and arrest her teacher Mr. K. All in good fun and very educational.:) A is as busy as ever and will be starting swim lessons hopefully in Februay. Well, I'll write more later. This is going to be too much fun!