A tribute to my Grandmothers....

I wish I would have thought of this sooner, so each of my grandmothers can get the full post that they deserve, but alas I will have to give you the short version of why all of my grandmothers (I have...had FOUR) are so grand.

Lets start with grandma Gail (my mom's mom). Her story is the saddest (like I cried typing this) and yet to me an inspiration. Gail was a beauty! Inside and out. I have been reminded of that my entire life, often times by people that knew her, but that I had never met. She was voted most popular girl as well as Homecoming Queen at North High school, Homecoming Queen at Phoenix College,  and All-Campus Queen at ASU. She was truly loved by everyone, probably because she was not only nice to look at but she was so kind. She married my grandpa Frank (a" Mormon") when she was 22 years old and joined the church soon after. Together they had three daughters and a son and Gail managed to maintain her incredible sense of fashion and style (there may have been a couple of hair mishaps in there) while being a stay at home mom. She was an artist and a decorator and had an incredible knack for finding great antiques. She was AMAZING!!! Even as she got older and busy with kids and grandkids she found time to serve in the church, befriend the friendless, and make people laugh!! In February of 1992 my beautiful healthy grandmother we diagnosed with leukemia. After undergoing chemotherapy she went into remission but was left with brain damage that prevented her from being independent. Walking without assistance was not an option. Her talking was slurred. Life for her was changed forever. One thing that didn't change was her sense of humor and ability to make people laugh. I have very vague memories of my grandma Gail healthy, but I have many memories of her after her illness and boy was she funny. My grandmother Gail passed away in July of 1999 leaving behind a legacy and an example that is unforgettable. I have always wanted and will always want to be just like my grandma Gail.

I know the picture quality is poor, but you can tell how beautiful she was

Granny (my dad's mom). I lied when I said I had four grandmas, 'cause really I have three grandma's and a Granny. I love my Granny's story, it's right out of a US history book. Born and raised in Southern, UT Granny was 1 of 11 children. Born in 1920, Granny lived during the Great Depression which set the stage for how she lived her life. She knew how to work hard and save money and waste not was her mantra. Granny was a beautician and while she was in beauty school she met her husband Arthur and they were married. Arthur served in WWII and Granny managed to work and raise babies while he was gone. They raised five children and Granny did hair while being the cover girl for the 1950's house wife. Every meal was homemade and often out of their garden. After Grandpa retired Granny and Grandpa moved to in Cornville, AZ (a small town in Northern Arizona) in a very picturesque house with a wrap around porch and a rope swing, a garden and a creek down the road. A grandchild's dream! I remember visiting her and she would teach me how to sew and make bread and she would always do my hair real fancy :)  Eventually Granny and Grandpa got too old to be so far away from family and they moved in with my Aunt and Uncle. Granny was a fabulous pen pal to me while I was at BYU, I still have all of her letters, and when I'd go to visit her she would play me a pretty "mean" game of scrabble. Granny passed away in September of 2011. Oliver got to meet his Great Granny Riding just a few days before she left us. Granny was a pioneer woman and I learned what hard work really means from her example.

Grandma Joan (Grandpa Franks second wife). Poor Grandpa Frank was pretty lonely after Gail died and he got fixed up with one of Gail's homecoming attendants from high school (Joan Penar, what are the chances of that?!?!). That cute little lady helped fill the loneliness and the two were married in 2001. Just like Gail, Joan married a "Mormon" and joined the church a few years later. She embraced the church right off and has served diligently ever since. The gospel was not the only thing she embraced. Joan was thrown into our crazy family with our off the wall sense of humor (Whitney told Joan that we had another sibling "Cookie" who was in jail and we don't really talk about her.....no joke). And she has embraced it all as the family grows and gets louder and crazier by the year. She LOVES the great grandchildren and they love her. She is always so interested in what's going on in your life and how you are doing. She joined our family without reservation and what a blessing for us all. If it weren't for Grandma Joan we would be Grandmother-less already, and it is so nice to still have a grandmother. She is such a great example of embracing whatever life throws at you (crazy family and all).

Grandma Virginia. I adopted this one. All on my own. Just because. She has plenty of her own grandkids. I just really wanted to be one of them. Virginia is the sweetest woman in my ward. I have know her for......I can't even remember. She's just so nice. She's so caring. She's so thoughtful. She's SO wise. She gave me the funniest wedding gift any girl could receive and the most thoughtful baby gift. She's always been a voice of reason and a great listener. Virginia is the most selfless person I have ever met. She is always helping everyone, even when she is not feeling up to it. She always tells me she does it out of selfishness, because it helps her forget about herself, but I think it's because she's just so great. Grandma Virginia is such an amazing example of service. I made a pretty good choice by adopting her!