Sweet Cookie Dreams!

Taking care of my grandaughter, Ellie, today...I put her down in her room on the floor with a teething cookie and told her I had to answer a quick email for work then we would give her a bath and feed her. When I went back in she was sound asleep on the floor. But she looked so cute I had to sneak a photo....

Memorial Day

Yesterday was Memorial Day and my mom asked Michael and I to take her to visit the cemetaries. We made a day of it and then took her to a late lunch. I love visiting the cemetaries with my mom because it always jogs some memory of hers that I have never heard before.
Like visiting her baby brother and sisters graves...she told us how they always kept their dead at home, not mortuaries, for the family to pay last respects too. Her baby brother was so tiny and the children wanted to hold him so my grandma had to wrap him up and put him in the china closet. When her sister died my mom was so broken hearted that she laid on the bed holding her for a very long time.

I learned that my grandma had been raised in a wealthy home with servants and never got used to having to do for herself after getting married. She married my grandpa and when the great depression happened she blamed him for it! I don't quite know how she worked that one out in her mind but she did. And I learned that my great-grandparents never did accept my grandpa into their lives because he was a common railroad worker.

When we visited my sister's grave, I heard my mom, for the first time, express some anger over her death! It has been 42 years and finally I heard my mom angry over her taking her own life and what a waste that was because she was so smart and talented. I miss my sister so much but it is hard to forgive her for leaving us like she did.

One of the cemetaries we visited, by the University of Utah, was filled with deer! They were having a grand time chowing down on all the fresh flowers that had been brought in!

Anyway, it was a great day, even with the rain, and I hope that my mom is around for a long time still to share her stories with me. Thanks mom, I love you!

Summertime! Yahoo!

OK, Memorial Weekend...always the beginning of summer, right? So we decided to go for a nice long ride today up in the canyons and welcome in our long awaited summer season!

Didn't look like summertime here.......
Found a pretty little lake...still half frozen over!
But Bambi was looking happy anyway! He wasn't afraid of me at all....he just watched me walk up and take his/her picture!

So, OK, we didn't find summer but we did have a great day and a beautiful drive...maybe next weekend?

Walk Now for Autism

Yesterday was the Walk for Autism and what an event! They said that Autism Speaks has never held a first walk anywhere that had as big a turnout as Salt Lake's first walk! The goal that was originally set for us was to raise $200,000...they said we raised over $300,000! It was great, so much support and awareness was raised, something so terribly needed. I loved watching all the children play, and melt down and nobody was casting judging eyes on anyone, everyone was relaxed and comfortable knowing the amount of understanding in the group.