My Grandma has the best raspberry patch around. It will produce berries for weeks and lots of them. (1 gallon/row/picking at 2-3 times a week). My grandpa wasn't able to do much of the picking him self so for the last few weeks I have been going over there 2-3 times a week and picking them for him. I loved it because it got me out there a lot more than I usually would've gone out there. The kids spent a lot more time wandering around the farm, looking at the cows, playing on the tractors, impatiently waiting on the couch for the Cuckoo Clock to cuckoo, but most of all spending time with Grandpa. The best part was it was mostly just us (as in my kids and I) so we had grandpa all to ourselves. I got to ask him about his childhood, building his house, memories with grandma, about certain antiques in their house and anything and everything else we could think of to talk about. It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it. Little did I know that our days were numbered.
I woke up on morning and looked at my phone to see what time it was. We had been up off and on most of the night because there was a huge thunderstorm that went on all night long and wasn't sure if the thunder had woke my up again or if it was really time to get up. I happened to notice the date on my phone Sept. 17th (which I normally don't pay attention too) and I remember thinking, "you're going to remember this day". Less than 20 minutes later my mom called to tell me that my grandpa had passed away in the early hours of the morning and again I thought to myself, "Yep, I'm going to remember this day."
Grandpa and I had a trip planned to drive up to Alpine when the leaves turned to get him out of the house, I guess he decided that he wanted to do it with Grandma this year. I still went to Grandpa's that day along with the rest of the family and I still picked the raspberry patch. It's almost therapeutic to be out in the raspberry patch walking up and down the same rows and picking from the same plants that my grandparents picked from for years.
We all decided that the huge thunderstorm last night was just grandpa up in Heaven moving the cows like he use to do. I'm so sad that Grandpa is gone because my kids aren't going to remember him like I do. They probably won't remember how soft his hands were even though he was one of the hardest working men I know, and his laugh. When he would laugh everyone would laugh with him. I'm also sad because everything is going to change now. It's not going to be grandma and grandpa's house anymore, the carpet and the checkered tiles that I spent many hours on as a child will probably be replaced. Grandma's plaques and trinkets all over the house will be taken down, everything as it was is going to be different. They were the hub of the family, people got together and hung out there. I know we will continue to get together as a family, but like I said it won't be the same.
At the same time I am so happy for grandpa. He is able to move now and not have his "old bones" hurt him and best of all he is with his sweetheart again. He was without her for almost 2 long years and they are finally reunited. It really is a good thing it just came sooner than we all expected. That night after it rained there was a double rainbow, one for grandma and one for grandpa. :)
The Farm: A few random pictures I took the last few days
The cows that my kids loved to go see
Playing on the tractor
The well pump that us kids loved to turn on and play with but we had to make sure grandma was occupied!
Grandma and Grandpa's House
Front Door
Grandpa's Brand
My two shadows
The sign that has been on the bathroom door for years
My view from the raspberry patch
I opened grandpa's scriptures and this is the page it opened too
Grandma and Grandpa never had much and when they had extra it always seemed like it went to someone else in need. It was always a "use it up, wear it out, make it due, or due without" kind of mentality. These were my grandpa's scriptures. Very well used. In his words, "We were willing to do the very best with what we had." -Allen Butikofer
"Scriptures that are falling apart usually belong to someone who isn't"
-Unknown
The front of his program
A Favorite among kids and grand kids
The Program
Garet and I had the privilege and honor of doing grandpa's life sketch.I was so worried that I would cry through it but I said a little prayer before hand (ok a big one) and I held it together except for once or twice when I looked at my Uncle Jeff (who I found out cries anytime the sun sets and puppies are born).
The Back of the Program
Grandpa's casket
He asked my Uncle Brad to make it for him this summer. Brad hadn't started it because he thought there would be more time, but he still got it done in 3 days. It was perfect and just what grandpa wanted.
It was a nice warm fall day with just a little bit of wind
Grandpa loved Snickers so each of us left one on his casket for him
Family Pictures
"Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise. " Andy Stanley
My mom and her siblings
Back Row: Kelly, Keith, Patricia, Susan, Jeff, Eugene
Front Row: Jolene, Janice, Connie
My Cousins
(some of them had already left)
Back Row: Tyler, Jeremy, Bryan, Mark, Scott, Matt, Robert, Kenny, Teri, Mike, Kris, Denice, Travis, Mindy and Robyn
Middle Row: Bill, Sarah, Angie, Krystee and Nathan
Front Row: Becca, Garet, Jody and Karen
The Great Grand kids
Back Row: Wayne Donald, Olivia, Taylor, Dakota, Camden, Lettie, Hartley, Tanner, Brayden, Jackson, Dusten, Logan, Cole, Kaylene, McKenna
Middle Row: Benjamin, Chloe, Faith, Gavin, Eli, Kelsey, Justin, Teagan, Addison, Bryson
Front Row: Mason, Cole, Rylee, Brooklyn, Jessica, Abigail, Maggie, Bailey, Halee
Grandpa's Siblings
Left to Right: Merrill, Howard, Maurine, Eldred, Reed
Left to Right: Merrill, Howard, Maurine, Eldred, Reed
Legendary Cellar Ball (it's Volleyball, but in the cellar, with some of our own rules)
After the funeral and luncheon we all convened back at grandpa's for the largest game of cellar ball we have ever had. We had so many of us we split into teams and had a tournament
Shortly after this was taken Chloe tripped and hit her head on the cellar wall.
The only way I could get her to calm down was take her to see the cows
Electronic Device Club
Mason loves Aunt Susan
Everytime, seriously E-V-E-R-Y-T-I-M-E Tyler gets my phone he takes a picture of his butt. One day I'm going to publish a book, it will be called "Tyler's Butt Book"
This is Quinton, Gavin had my camera
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