Visit to Grandma Ruby

For Valentine's Day, Kyle gave me plane tickets to go see my Grandma Ruby Thornley in Smithfield, Utah (near Logan). Skyler and I flew out early Sunday morning (Feb. 14) and came home Tuesday night (Feb. 16). Kyle had Monday off of work, so he had Kylene & Spencer Sunday and Monday, then my mom came over all day Tuesday to watch them for us (thanks, mom!). It had been 1 1/2 years since I had seen my grandma and it was long overdue. She will be 92 years old on March 11th and she is still doing amazingly well. She is lonely since her eternal sweetheart passed away in 2000, but keeps as busy as she can. It was so wonderful to see her and have her meet Skyler for the first time.

Skyler was so sweet and happy with her, and Grandma loved his constant smile and giggles. He was just on the edge of walking, so he got to show off his 10 or 12 steps before falling down! He absolutely loved that her kitchen cupboards had no childproof latches on them and was constantly crawling in there to pull the pans out. He loved her spools of thread and her oxygen tube that ran all over the house. Within about 1/2 an hour of arriving, I had rearranged several of her decorations on the floor to keep him from destroying them.

We had a great time talking, seeing other family (thanks, Nate & Cami, for driving me up to Logan!), and working on little projects. She made a darling apron for Spencer while we were there, and we went through her fabric and she showed me some of her sewing projects of late. Last year, she made over 30 quilts for all of her great grandchildren for Christmas! Amazing. Plus several other sewing projects she kept busy doing. She is legally blind but is an amazing seamstress. It seems like she just never stops, which is probably what has kept her doing so well this long.

Shortly after my grandfather's death, I lived with my grandma for a year while I was teaching in Logan. So it was a bit of a "going home" trip for me as well. We reminisced a lot about when I lived there and it was fun sleeping in the same room again (only this time with a port-a-crib at the end of the bed). It's always fun to go back to Cache Valley and see how things have changed and catch up with all my family there.

This is the same high chair that my Grandpa Glen sat in as a baby. It's pretty crickety but still works. Many a baby in our family has now sat in it, too!

Amazingly enough, Kyle's sister, Christine, also lives in Smithfield. About a mile from my grandma's house. So it was wonderful to see her and her family as well. Here she is with her daughter, Alyssa.

It was really a wonderful "get away": so fun to see my grandma and also feel like I got a break from everyday life. I missed Kyle and Kylene and Spencer, of course, but I was so grateful for all Kyle did so I could go.