In honor of Grandparents' Day

I'm pretty sure Hallmark just makes up these holidays, but they are a good impetus for a post or two! This is my Grandpa Stevens as a young man. I have fond memories of my Grandpa Stevens. He was a crusty sort, but I remember one Christmas day, when we were living in the "little house" and I got roller skates for Christmas - the kind you tighten with a key - which you would wear around your neck on a string. My grandpa walked around and around the house with me, holding my right hand while my left hand held on to the wall of the house. He did this until I felt comfortable skating by myself. I'm not sure I have that kind of patience!

His wife was my Grandma Stevens, shown here in her younger years also. She taught me to play cards. She had a drawer in her hall with toys you could play with. She had the most wonderful jewelry - which I thought was real and so I thought she must be as rich as the Queen of England. When I made a jewelled Christmas tree years later, and my mom gave me her old jewelry to use for it, I discovered it was all costume jewelry. But it was still beautiful to me! And she would bring us random gifts - I think they were things she bought on sale, but they were lovely - one was a gold colored corduroy jacket - I loved it - and felt very stylish and cutting edge in it. I think I wore it until it fell apart!

This is my Grandma Connie and my Grandpa Clayton. She was his third wife and the only Grandma Clayton I ever knew. She was wonderful - and I was so grateful that she lived a long life so my kids got to know her too. She was truly "forever young." She came from a large family herself, so she was never put off by the clutter and chaos of a houseful of kids. She was stylish and appreciated a good joke - her laugh was infectious. Alice and I would go to her home each year for two weeks in the summer - she had daughter our age from a previous marriage - and she gave us so much freedom - I loved it! And she gave good advice. Once when I was moping around about having cramps, she said, "Go take a walk and quit complaining." So I did - and I felt better too!

This is the first Grandpa and Grandma Clayton - but Agnes died when my father was 17, so I never knew her - but my dad treasured her memory and truly kept her alive in our memories. My middle name is Agnes - and I did not appreciate until a few years ago when I realized what a tribute it was. Although my dad was fond of saying that they should have named Alice Agnes because Alice took after her more than any of the rest of us.

My grandpa was the sunshine of our lives. He was a magician, among other things, and would come over and pull quarters out of his ears and give them to you! He was a snappy dresser and always wore a hat. He died his hair red and combed it over on top! He used to call me "the little Relief Society President." He hobnobbed with presidents of the church and general authorities when the came to SoCal to escape the Utah winters. I wish I'd appreciated him more when he was alive - and by appreciate, I mean I wish I talked to him more about his past!

Here's Grandmother Taylor - holding a baby Karen - and this is the only Grandparent your dad ever knew. By the time I met her, she was somewhat senile, but she was gracious and charming and showed a lot of the "real" Genieve Taylor quite often. If I get old and very forgetful, I hope I do it with as much panache as she did!

I love being a grandma - hopefully on a Grandparents' Day many years from now, someone will have fond memories of me and Dad - that's our goal!