Tribute to Grandparents

I've been thinking a lot about my grandparents lately so I decided to write a little tribute to each of them.

Grandma Gay
I love Grandma Gay very much, and there are still some times when I miss her a lot. I think the hardest thing was her not being there at my wedding day--I missed seeing her run around with her camera, catching all the little moments that I probably missed. Although she isn't my biological grandmother, I definitely consider her a blood relative. Last summer, I considered going back to BYU to take a few summer classes, but I felt like I needed to be with my family. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways, but I'm grateful I got that prompting, because a few days later, my niece Ella was born 6 weeks premature, and a couple days later Grandma Gay was put in the hospital. With all the craziness going on in our family last summer, I'm grateful I decided to stay. I was in the room with Grandma when she passed away and all I could think about was how different Christmas Eve's would be, and especially who would take pictures at every family event! Although I knew how much I would miss her, I was also comforted by the Plan of Salvation. I know that I'll see Grandma again, and even though I still miss her, I'm excited for this summer when we can do her temple work. She was the most compassionate person and I learned a lot of lessons from her. She truly lived the golden rule.

                                                    Mom, Aunt Stacy, Me, and Grandma Gay


Grandpa Woodhouse

I love Grandpa Woodhouse! I feel like I can talk to him about anything--I think I kept him the most updated on my current boyfriends, classes, funny blonde moments, etc. I love Grandpa Woodhouse's smile and his laugh, and I love his sense of fashion (see picture above--check out his awesome vest!)

Grandpa is the type of person that will give anything he has for anyone. He is so generous with what he has, and I'm so proud to call him my Grandpa. He helped my brothers pay for their missions, he's helped me with college and my marriage, and is always helping families in need with generous donations. I've learned from him that it's important to give to other people and try to understand other people. I've learned how to be compassionate from him.

Grandma Larsen
I love Grandma Larsen! Her and I have a lot in common--we're both head strong, we both like having things clean, and we both have a love of music. I remember when I was a little girl that I loved playing on Grandma's organ and using her little music stand down in the house in Joseph. Grandma has been a huge inspiration in my life as far as music, and especially now that I'm married, I can look back and see how she has supported Grandpa Larsen. I hope that I can be half the wife and mother that she has been. Grandma has always had a good sense of humor, and I've definitely learned that being confident is something that's needed in every strong woman.

Grandpa Larsen
I don't even know where to start with Grandpa Larsen. I don't think he realizes how much of a wonderful influence he has been on my life. I few favorite memories I have of him is whenever he used to do "plow" on my back--it felt so good but tickled so bad at the same time! He also used to call me Belle because I loved Beauty and the Beast so much. I remember Grandpa as being one who loved the Lord, and one who loved his family very much. Grandpa has had many wonderful experiences as he's served in the church. I didn't hear about a few of them until last year when I went to lunch with him at the Brick Oven. He is a man of great faith, and I'm proud to call him my Grandpa. I love him very much

I'm grateful for my heritage, and for all the lessons that these four wonderful people have taught me. Whether they know it or not, they each have made a wonderful impact on my life.