Grandpa D's funeral

Last weekend, I was able to go to Utah for my Grandpa Darrington's funeral. Grandpa died last Tuesday night in his sleep at the age of 95. My grandma was holding his hand and sleeping beside him when he slipped away. Grandpa had been in poor health for several months, so it was a blessing for him to pass away so peacefully.

Grandpa D. was an extraordinarily kind man. He was a quiet presence at our family gatherings, but he always was in the middle of everything. I don't think I ever visited him without him pulling me over onto his lap and asking me, "Who loves you?" Of course, I always answered, "Grandpa!" and he would laugh and give me a hug. Later, his signature phrase was, "Remember who loves you," and that was the recurring theme at his funeral. Grandpa truly was a man who put people and relationships first in his life and made sure everyone who came in contact with him knew that he loved them. I am so grateful to my grandma for bringing Grandpa D. into my life. He is the first example I think of when I try to imagine a Christlike person.

So, after my (crazy) brother-in-law Jeff offered to watch my kids so I could go to the funeral, I hopped on a plane Friday morning for a quick weekend trip to Utah. My mom, Josh, and Jodi all met me at the airport, and I was delighted when we stopped at my favorite restaurant on the way home. Brad, I took this picture with you in mind...

Here is possibly my favorite meal in the whole world - Cafe Rio beef enchiladas. Oh baby...!

Friday night, I went bowling with some of my siblings. I started off strong, but in the end I think I ended up scoring second to last. Oh well.

Me with my cute sisters - Jami, Jodi, and Jen. By the time this picture was taken, I was pretty tired. I'd been up since 5:00 a.m. MI time for seminary, and it was about 10:00 p.m. UT time, which felt like midnight to me. Of course, my sleep-deprived state made me pretty punchy, so I was laughing way too hard at anything by this point.

I had to take this picture of the wooden plaque above the shoe-rental counter. Only in UT would you find something like this is in a grimy bowling alley. The eternal quest to be cute!

Saturday was filled with the funeral. After the viewing and funeral services, the family followed the hearse to the cemetary in Brigham City for the burial.

Grandpa was buried beside his first wife, Lila. He was married to her for about 30 years, and then married to my grandma for 35 years.

This is my dad coming up to say the dedicatory prayer. You can see how many people were there. Grandpa and Grandma Darrington always loved to number their family members. At each wedding or baby's birth, Grandpa and Grandma assigned that new person a number so they could keep track of how big their family was. I think they were very proud to have such a big family. My cousin had a baby two days before Grandpa died, and that baby was number 177. Nearly all 177 people were at the funeral. The only two of my cousins that were not there were my cousin Allie, who just had the baby in Chicago, and my cousin Curtis, who is serving a full-time mission.

This is me with my "best cousin" Marci. She and I are only a month apart in age, and were great friends growing up. We went to EFY together as teenagers, and then were roommates in college at BYU. It was great to see her and catch up with her!

Here are my parents and all my siblings. L-R we are: Jeff, Justin (Bust), Jill, Dad (Jerry), Jason, Mom (Jan), Jami, Josh, Jodi, and Jen. Yes, we are THAT family whose names all start with 'J'.

My sweet Grandma Darrington and me after the funeral lunch. Isn't she just pretty? (After being on the "giving" end of some funeral lunches, I have a great appreciation for the Relief Society who had to rustle up this lunch for about 200 people.)

Sunday morning, I caught a plane at the crack of dawn and flew home to rescue Jeff from his house-full of kids. He watched 3 of mine (Pepper stayed with a school friend), plus his own 4 because Jodi was also in Utah for the funeral. Jeff was so nice to offer to watch my kids, and they all had a good time at his house, but I'm sure he was glad to see me on his front porch on Sunday afternoon!

Adam's birthday and baptism

We have just had such a fun weekend! Adam turned 8 on Friday and then was baptized the next day. Both sets of grandparents flew in for the occasion and we partied for 3 days straight!

Here is Adam gearing up to blow out his one candle.

Adam in the "birthday chair." He got 3 Pokeman games for his DS (because I went from store to store looking for the game he wanted, and ended up buying the random Pokeman games I could find). I think his favorite gift was the Slinky he got from Jodi and Jeff's family. There was much cheering when he figured out how to get it to propel itself down the stairs.

A goofy picture of the Birthday Boy with ice cream all over his shirt...

Luke and Erik pounding away on the piano. I told you it was a party - a LOUD party!

Adam and Brad after the baptism on Saturday. The timing was perfect - Adam turned 8 on the 27th, got baptized on the 28th, and then Brad left for Germany the next day, March 1st. If Adam had been born two days later, we would have been in real trouble!

Our little family.

Adam with both sets of grandparents.

The kids goofing off after the baptism.

It was such a fun weekend, I almost didn't notice that Brad left on Sunday. I say "almost" because I did notice, and it was sad. I have to wait for him to call me because the phone he set up on his laptop for me to call doesn't work in his current hotel room in Berlin, so he calls me from his office once a day. At least we have that. He is spending today and tomorrow looking for houses with our favorite agent Stephani, so hopefully I'll have some good news soon about where we will be living in Berlin. Brad, if you see this, WE MISS YOU!!!

Katie and Cameron's wedding

The reason we ended up staying so long in UT this year was because Brad's sister Katie got married on August 2. Here she is with her now-husband Cameron at the luau his family threw the night before their wedding.


They got married in the SLC temple, so of course I had to take this picture...


Casey, Haley, and Becky on the temple grounds.


Kim, Zach, Brad, and Dave waiting around for pictures.


Aunt Kathy, Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Bruce


It was a GREAT day, and I was so glad we were able to be there. Cameron seems like a true gentleman and Katie was glowing all summer as she got ready for the wedding. She was truly a beautiful bride (for more pictures, go to http://blushphotography.blogspot.com/search/label/Bridals - her photographer was amazing!)

We love you Katie and Cameron!

Prima Ballerina

Last Saturday was Jessica's first dance recital, and we are so proud of her! She has always been interested in horses and anything animal-related, but this year she stepped out of her comfort zone and tried a ballet class. It turned out to be a new love for her, and she has done great! Jess was in a class with girls who have been taking ballet for years, and she held her own, especially considering this is her first class at age 11. The studio she goes to offers many other styles of dance, and she says she wants to continue with ballet next year and maybe try a little tap.

Here is a video of Jessica's ballet number - the lighting was very bright, so it might be hard to tell which one she is. She is the thin, willowy, white blob on the far right that the camara tries follow throughout. (you may need to pause the playlist at the bottom of the blog so you can hear the music she is dancing to)

Go Jess!