G is for Grandparents!

I consider myself very fortunate in the Grandparent Department! I was lucky enough to have all four of my grandparents in the temple with me at my wedding and I'll never forget that. I'll just say a few things about each of them that I love:

My Grandpas

Ensign: Grandpa Don was always telling me stories and taking us on adventures. I remember staying in a hotel one time and he took all of us kids on a trip on the luggage cart around the hotel and made up funny things (that room is where the crocodiles stay for their convention) to keep us entertained. He was always hunting for fun things and teaching us how to discover the world (picking up deer droppings and dissecting them to see what they ate :) and trips to garage sales to find treasures (and the dump) fishing trips and all the beautiful pictures he takes! I always thought he was more of a kid than a grandpa because he had more toys than me. I love his sense of adventure and desire to explore the world!

Marsden: My Granpa (notice the spelling, that's how I differentiate) Alan is hilarious! He is so talented in music and you can never "out pun" him! He knows when to have fun and he knows when to be serious. I've never doubted anything that has come out of his mouth, he's a true patriarch in our family and has a firm testimony in the gospel. One of my favorite memories of my wedding was when he Sang "My Sweet Lady" to me...I'd waited all my life for that moment. I'll always remember them in the temple with me (and Sean) when I received my endowment. Elder Russell M. Nelson was in my session and my grandpa Don was sitting with him on one side and my Grandpa Alan on the other and he didn't even notice he was sitting next to Elder Nelson and his reason was: "gads Melissa your Grandpa Marsden in so entertaining!"

My Grandmas

Ensign: Grandma Phyllis was always teaching me. Education and knowledge has always been a part of her life and I'm very grateful that I can be walking in her footsteps in becoming an educator. She was always so sweet and loving, always giving us one too many kisses and hugs. She's always been generous to each of the people in her family and is truly a great woman. Her desire to keep the family close has been evident in her actions and organization of family parties. She's always been to every performance, graduation, event that has ever occurred in me and my siblings lives. She's very THERE. She lives her life in black and white, right and wrong, which I admire in her. I love the family news letters that she used to send out because it keeps us hanging together!

Marsden: Granma Bea is so like me (I guess it would be the other way around since she came first). I feel like our personalities are in sync. She's straight forward and fun, she also lives her life in black and white- if its not consistent with the gospel she won't do it. I can be myself with her and I always know that I'm with her, one of her kids and she protects us and loves us all so much. I respect her opinion and can have fun with her. Adam loves to tease her. I love the way she treats her husband, she is a very good example of a loving wife. She teaches in a quite way in quite moments. I remember I slept over at her house one particularly rough time in my high school life and she bore her testimony to me like it was the most natural thing in the world. She's also the most incredible cook! I am so so so sad that we switch off Thanksgivings inconsistently so I'm never there but hey, maybe she'll have left overs :).

Grandma Peggy: Adam's Grandma has been wonderful to me. Although because of distance I haven't gotten to know her as well as I want to, I am so grateful to her. She has often edited my college papers (she is a high school English teacher) and always remembers to send a gift card for our birthdays. I'm grateful to be part of her family and can't wait to know her better.

As you can see I have a variety of talents and personalities that have been shaping me since childhood. I'm so grateful for each of them and for the love and support they give me. I've never doubted that they love me and I have never doubted their strength in the gospel. I love all of them and hope that they are around forever.