Grandpa Brown

My Dad's parents, my Grandpa and Grandma Brown, are such amazing people. We lived two hours away from them and made frequent trips to their home in Groton, CT. What fun we had with them, my Aunt Janet, Shauna, and a few of my great aunts who lived nearby. The Italian genes are really strong there - everyone was always talking over each other, the food was always delicious, and we would sing and laugh.

Now, most of my great aunts have passed away and one is pretty ill. My grandpa is in a nursing home and is not doing well. Grandma is mostly by herself and has a hard time hearing. She gets frustrated and lonely. But her home stays immaculate and she works hard both inside and out to keep it up.

I always enjoyed being with my grandparents, but only the last few years have I truly learned to appreciate them and start to understand who they really are. As speaking on the phone doesn't really work now, we have been writing snail mail letters for a few years and I have grown very close to them.

I was just in MA with the kids and one of our trips was down to CT to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I walked around the house, smelling the familiar smells and seeing the old furniture and beautiful pictures Grandma has collected. Grandpa has a library with hundreds of books - two deep and piled high on cheap bookshelves. They're starting to lean inwards! He has read them all and has an extensive knowledge of people, places, and things from all the books he's read. His favorite chair is by the window. You could find him most hours of our visits sitting there either reading or snoring! When I walked in, it was empty - empty of Grandpa.

When we got to the rehab center where Grandpa has been recuperating since a lengthy hospital stay , I was completely unprepared to see Grandpa’s frail body under the blankets and strain to hear his whisper. Grandpa, who I always snuck my stuffing to at Thanksgiving, who always had a second helping, and who always teased my mom until she was so frustrated with him, who called me Miss Latour because I used to want to be an actress, whose eyes mist over with pride when he talks about how much he loves his grandchildren – this couldn’t possibly be him. It broke my heart and I had to leave the room for a short time and sob in the hallway. He always dreaded being in a place like that.

It made his day to see my kids and hold Esther's hand as we wheeled him outside. His voice became a little stronger and he laughed - not the same hearty laugh he used to have, but he teased Mom just the same. As we left he told Grandma that when he got home, they’d have to be nice to each other. She told him that if he wasn’t good, she’d spank him and not give him any breakfast. Dad, Mom, and I laughed and it felt good to laugh with him again. It made leaving a little easier.

I don’t know how much longer the Lord will allow him to be with us, but I hope it’s long enough for him to go home and be with Grandma and spend time in his library.

My Dad just sent me an article that a good friend of my grandparents wrote about him. Jeff Benedict is a widely published author who grew up in Groton, CT. Daron and I met him at a BYU Management Society dinner in Dallas sometime back and were surprised to learn the connection. His article is a beautiful tribute to a man I hold dear to my heart.

Just copy and paste into your browser - I can't get the link to work. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700165643/Saying-goodbye-to-most-humble-man-I-ever-knew.html

Remembering Kristin

Two days after arriving in MA where I'm visiting my parents, I heard that an old high school friend of mine had died the day before in a car wreck. She was living in Georgia, where she was married and raising three beautiful children.

I met Kristin during middle school and we remained close friends through high school. I spent a particularly large amount of time with her 8th through 10th grades as we were on the same Odyssey of the Mind team. What fun memories I have of her - she always had a ready smile, such a good heart, and she was a talented artist and excellent student. Her father passed away during high school and I was amazed at her strength through that hard time.

Having gone to BYU for college, off to Taiwan for a mission, and living in Utah, Virginia, and Texas for the last nearly nine years, I have lost track of many of my childhood friends. Kristin and I had only fairly recently reconnected via email. I'm so glad that I did. Though I wish that I'd been able to known her better as a wife and mother and seen more of that side of her. It sounds like she had matured into an amazing woman.

My prayers are with her family at this time of loss. I hope they will find peace and comfort in knowing she is with our Heavenly Father and other loved ones. Kristin, you are missed!

Kristin's obituary can be found here: http://www.stricklandfh.com/visitations/View.php?id=1375

Kristin and David's photography website can be found at www.snydersphotography.com. It's a beautiful look into the passion for art she and her husband shared.

Patio!

The landscaping guys have been working very hard since Tuesday morning. It's really been an involved process and we've really enjoyed watching them.

On Tuesday, they dug down about 3 inches or so and put down gravel and cement with rebar, connecting it to the existing concrete patio. Wednesday they began putting together the flagstone puzzle. They take large pieces of flagstone and cut them down, smooth them, and slowly piece them together. That took two days. Finally on Friday, they cemented those pieces down, then washed them down to keep them wet and to clean the dust off. Tomorrow they'll put down the grout or concrete or whatever they do to fill in the gaps, cut the edges smooth, and finish it off.

The next job will be to fix and restain the fence. Then we'll resod the left side of the yard when (IF) it gets cooler and put in raised beds on the right side for (HOPEFULLY) a functioning garden! The plan is to have it all finished by September.

Anyway, here are some pictures of how it's looking:
End of day 2.
Also end of day 2.
End of day 3. Right now it looks pretty much the same only higher as they've cemented the flagstones into place.