On Saturday morning I got a phone call from my dad telling me that my grandpa had just died. I’ll spare you all the detail and emotions, but I would like to list some of the things that I admired most about him and will remember. Also, thanks to my cousin Ryan, I’ve posted two of my favorite pictures that he scanned from old slides.

Ryan e-mailed me this picture about 6 months ago and it was the wallpaper on my work computer for months afterward. I love this picture because you can tell how much my grandpa adores my grandma. One thing that I love about my grandpa is that he was such an affectionate person. He always greeted us with hugs and no one left without being hugged. He and my grandma have been glued at the hip and have always been loving and supportive through the hard times they went through together. Their marriage is one that as a teenager I would roll my eyes at and be embarrassed by how cheesy they would be with each other, but now that I am married I hope Steve and I are that way at their age.

This picture is of Grandpa Joe and my dad. One thing that is strongly genetic in my family that my grandpa passed to my dad, and my dad passed to me is being quick to tear up over the smallest of things. It was always the joke the my grandpa (and I think his dad too) would cry at the opening of a supermarket. At times it has been very embarrassing to find myself crying at a commercial but this tender-heartedness has also been something that has helped me know and understand my values better.

My grandpa was a very talented, spiritual, and loving man. I wish I would have spent more time with him because I know there was a lot more that I could have learned from him.

http://www.legacy.com/DeseretNews/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=119006063

Last Saturday Stephe and I got back from a cruise down to Mexico. We went with some of our best friends, Rex and Shalee and had a blast! For those of you that haven’t been on a cruise let me give you some pros and cons to help you decide if a cruise is right for you.

Pros:

The boat rocks you to sleep every night– I’ve never slept better than on the boat.

You meet and hangout with really cool people from all over the world.

Delicious food 24/7.

Entertainment- stand-up comedy, hypnotist, eating, karaoke, dancing, eating, musicians, mini golf, eating, performances, swimming, and did I mention eating?

Towel animals waiting in your room when you get back from dinner.

The ocean is beautiful and the weather was amazing.

Getting off the boat in cool places (note: Cabo San Lucus is awesome, Ensenada is scary, don’t go there).

Cons:

Delicious food 24/7

Coming back to reality

Travel buddies: Stephe, me, Shalee, Rex

Hanging out in California before getting on the ship.

Girls in California

Thank you, thank you, to Lauren and Bridger for letting stay at their house in Cali 2 nights. I didn’t want to leave to go on the cruise because I was having so much fun spending time with them again. I love you guys!

New York style piano bar

Formal dinner night

Cabo

Ensenada