Grandparents

I've known from a very young age that my parent made the decision to move back to Logan so that their kids could develop relationship with their grandparents. I have always been grateful for that. Mom and dad succeeded, we all have good relationships with them. We have wonderful grandparents, and we know that because we grew up visiting them almost every single Sunday.

Sunday visits at grandparents were a lot of fun. They also exposed us to two very different ways of life. Grandma and Grandpa Kidd's house always had a quiet and calm type of atmosphere. They always spoke softly and lovingly. There was often classical music playing. There were games we could play (like checkers, Chinese checkers, Boggle, and Scrabble). There was the basement, too, where we could ride on that old exercise bike (oldest one in history) and jump on the mini trampoline. Grandma would usually make popcorn for us - buttered, with no salt (we could add that if we wanted to), and we would eat it out of those wooden bowls. Those of us who played the piano were often asked to play our latest pieces for everyone. When the weather was nice, we sit on the front porch. We loved to jump off of the cement on either side on the stairs and climb around the tiny cement ledge of her porch. We also loved to play in the backyard. There was a really fun swing-set that we had a great time on. There were always cats around as well. We loved going there!

Grandma B's house has changed a lot over the years. I remember when there were all kinds of cake-decorating things in the room just off of the kitchen (now a bathroom), and you used to be able to exit out of a side door there. I remember when there was a bedroom on the main floor on the southeast corner of the house. Then it was moved to include the fireplace on the southwest side of the house. Finally it was moved upstairs. No matter where it was, the home was always filled with sparkly and shiny things that made noise. It was an incredible place for a child to be. You could spend hours examining all of the trinkets. There were always plenty of sweets there. We used to eat peanuts on small wooden discs. There were usually crayons and coloring books there on the bookshelf to keep us busy. We loved going there, especially to spend the night. It was so fun to watch TV there and eat sugar cereal in the morning. I also loved going there to get warm with hot chocolate after skating at the park. Grandma had such spunk! She was a fighter. She loved to make crafts. And I'll always be grateful to her for paying our way in the American Legion Auxiliary for so many years.

Grandpa Webb died when I was 5. I only have a handful of memories of him. He would sit in his green velvet recliner with a TV tray nearby while he watched sports. He would often have to give himself shots, which was fascinating to me. I didn't mind because he'd let us play with the plastic parts (without the needle) afterward which made great squirt guns. He like to joke, and I can still distinctly remember feeling something on my head while I was standing in the kitchen and looking up to see Grandpa. He told me that it was a fly, but I knew better. I remember going to visit him in the hospital. It was pretty traumatic for me because he was shaking so much. I had drawn a picture for him, and when he reached for it, he shook badly. I felt very sorry for him. After he died we had the opportunity to go to the viewing. I remember being in the back of Linus, the blue station wagon parked on the south side of the tabernacle and I was incredibly tired. Mom and dad told me that this would be the last chance I would have to see Grandpa. I made the decision to stay and sleep, so I did. A few years later, I felt serious regret for having missed that opportunity. I felt like I had hurt Grandpa's feelings. I was so concerned about it that I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to tell him that I was sorry, and I immediately felt overwhelmed with love and knew that I was forgiven, if there was anything to forgive.

When Grandma remarried, I don't think any of us had any trouble warming up to Fory. They traveled a lot and always told us of their dancing trips together. They seemed like a great match for each other. I remember meeting him for the first time. He hugged us and pointed us in the direction of the cookie jar, and that's all we really needed to know! I always remember him being so good to Grandma. He was good to us, too. One time he said to one of us with a wink (I can't remember to whom, I just remember hearing about it), "Be good, and if you can't be good, be careful."