Four Generations

On Saturday we drove up to Salem to spend the weekend with my Grandma Z. My mom was hosting a mother/daughter beach retreat for her mom and 3 sisters. Most of my mom's family is in Utah so the last time I saw any of them was in late 2004 at my Grandpa's funeral. So even though it feels like we've had some full weekends lately, we made the drive to have the chance to connect with some family. Especially since my Grandma hadn't met our two youngest children! Linnea is her 50th great grandchild!!

The trip was much easier with Daddy along (compared with February's drive). Matt was fishing all day Friday with some work buddies at Upper Klamath Lake. He caught some big fish! I was all packed by the evening (usually I'm doing last minute packing the morning of) and stayed up late cleaning the house (so much nicer to come home to!). We made good time and arrived in Salem right around noon. Before we could visit though, I had to run the van to the dealership for oil change/warranty stuff. Finally around 2:00 I was able to sit outside in the lovely spring weather with my Grandma and visit with her while Evalyn played on the swings and in the dirt with Troy and Ben and Linnea ate grass and flowers. Matt and Henry went to get much needed haircuts!

It was so good to reconnect. I love how my grandma has always been the center point for family communications. She keeps tabs on all of her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She always sends birthday cards. When I was at BYU for school I would often call and always say on the phone "It's your favorite granddaughter!" "Which one?" Was her reply. She has a great sense of humor and I always liked to hear her stories of growing up and raising kids as they moved around in the Air Force.

It was also a realization that my grandma is more elderly than I remember, just as spunky as ever but more physically limited. As my mom led her over the uneven grass to a lawn chair, it gave me a glimpse into the future. That time moves faster than our memory and in the not too far off future, I will be in my mother's shoes. (Mom this doesn't mean I think your really old, it means I'm getting older!) It was a lovely little afternoon though. Talking and watching the kids play in the beautiful weather.

Later, my mom arrived back from the airport with my Aunt Jinny, Aunt Cherie and her two kids Dean and Renee. We sat down for a turkey and mashed potato dinner then visited for awhile before the kids got restless and we went to Heather's apartment to crash for the night. I was hoping to come back to my parent's after helping Matt get E and H down, but was too exhausted.

Sunday Heather and Oswaldo cooked up some yummy blueberry cornmeal pancakes, the kids loved that they got to help add the blueberries. We went to church in my "home" ward/congregation where I spent my teenage growing up years. It was neat to see friends/mentors who made a big difference in my life as a youth. It felt very circular to introduce my children to them and to see kids I used to babysit now grown to the age I was when I left for school and my parents moved.



After church we took some "maternal line" four generation pictures in the backyard underneath the old oak trees growing there. I wanted to get them in the background, but the lighting/slope of the land didn't work so well. Of course my brother and his wife and daughters weren't there. So my dad called it more of a "mitochondrial DNA" picture instead. It was a short weekend but I'm glad we made the trip. It is always good to reconnect with family, whatever the occasion.



Oh, and one of the most memorable moments was the kids finding the lower half of a dead snake on the grass. Everyone was being all squeamish about it. Then Grandma Z walks over, bends down and picks it up! Much to the delight and surprise of her great-grandchildren!