grandma

Two weeks ago Ruby, my mom and I visited my grandparents. I had not seen them for quite sometime and I was very grateful my mom had me go. It was a great visit. This is my cute little grandpa. He has always been a very loving man and it was so great to see how quickly Ruby took to him and started playing and flirting. Being a mom now, I loved seeing Grandpa talk like a duck to make her laugh and be silly in the same ways he did with me. Ruby, my mom, and her mom. Ruby wasn't exactly thrilled to have her photo taken and wanted to get back to playing with grandpa. Doesn't my mom look fabulous!

Since seeing my grandparents, Grandma took a fall and her health has gone down hill until she passed away this afternoon. Family relationships with grandma haven't always been smooth sailing but I'm glad it ended on a good note. There are a few things I will always remember about Grandma.

• Whenever I had some sort of success with school or whatnot, she and Grandpa were always proud of me and they would always tell me.


• Grandma was a fabulous story-teller. No one could top her stories and as crazy as they were, they were always fun to hear. Whether it was her crawling through battlefields while she was in labor with my mother or telling Jeff about the brothels in Amsterdam within the first 5 minutes of meeting him, her stories were great.


• Grandma was one of a kind and a true original. She did things her way which takes guts. In the temple, just after Jeff and I got married, the sealer had Jeff and I kiss for the first time as a married couple. Grandma responded with clapping and yelling "Yipee" in the very silent room. Who could help but laugh?


• Grandma was a fashion DIVA! Only my grandma could shop at the mall at 5-7-9 with the teenagers and pull off wearing a lavender leather vest with polyester pants. She had style!


• Grandma came here to the US with her small family so we all could have a better life. I think she would have much rather gone back to her friends, family, culture and way of life in the Netherlands. But she came here and I'm grateful for that. Love you Grandma.

I think the hardest part of losing Grandma is Grandpa. My heart aches for him losing his long-time companion. He has been so devoted to her for years and now his mind is starting to go, making her death more tragic for him. But let's end this post on a happy note. My grandma isn't uncomfortable or in pain. Everyone seems to be at peace. And my dear sweet grandpa is still dear and sweet. Here's a little video of him and Ruby keeping all of us utterly entertained with a few cups.