Grandma Dixie and Grandpa Donald as newlyweds
I don't know where to start... There's too much to say about this dear lady. Grandma Dixie wasn't just your regular old Grandma, she was a huge part of my life...and I know that eveyone else that knew her feels the same.
Before I moved away from Utah, we were always going on picnics. My Mom, her sisters, Grandma, all of us millions of cousins... we would all go up one canyon or another to some body of water and have picnics and swim.
Trick or Treating with cousins at G&G's house
She had this huge bathroom, with a big long mirror. A lot of times we were visiting at the same time as my Aunt Mare and her family, and all of us girl cousins would be in the bathroom watching the moms and Grandma doing their hair and makeup together. Grandma would let me use one spray of her perfume.
Us six granddaughters were born in a clump in between all the boy grandsons. Grandma had us over for a special girl sleep over one night.
Once when I was around 9, we were staying with G&G while my parents were on a trip. Grandma bought us a five lb. bag of licorice and rented a movie for us. I ate so much licorice, and I went to bed not feeling very good. I must have started crying during the night and woken her up. I had a high fever, so she got me out of bed and put me in the cold tub to bring it down. She checked on me all night, and ended up putting me in the tub three different times. She also had to change the sheets because they were soaking wet from me sweating. I would cry when she put me in the tub, because I didn't want to be cold. I just remember her being so sweet and gentle with me.
At Grandma's house, it was all about games and candy. She always had a candy dish filled, and when enough of us were there, we'd play games. Card games and dominoes were the usual ones. I loved it, because the adults would let the kids play too.
While we lived away, Grandma was one of my pen pals. Every time I wrote her a letter, I would receive one back in a week at the most.
A few times while we lived in Wyoming, my Grandma and Grandpa would come to babysit us while my parents went on vacation. I loved having them come to our house. When we went to Ogden to visit her, I had to share her with all the other cousins. But when they came to Wyoming, we had her all to ourselves. She would bake cakes and let us help. Now my kids say stuff like that to me, "Grandma lets us help her bake, why don't you?" I'm hoping when I am a grandma, I have more patience with cooking and kids. And I do let them help sometimes...
Even though we lived away, Grandma tried so hard to be involved with ours lives. She always remembered who all of my friends were and asked about them. She always asked to see what I had drawn or painted, and wanted me to play my flute for her. She was like that with all of her grandkids, she just had a way of making you feel special.
All 21 Carruth grandkids
After I graduated high school in Rock Springs, I found a job in the Ogden mall at Zumiez. My family was planning on moving back to Ogden also, but in the mean time, I moved in with Grandma. I had so much fun being with just her for the first half of the summer.
I don't know why, but the lady at Zumiez that hired me was really weird. She wouldn't ever put me on the schedule to work. For two weeks, she kept putting me off, not letting me work. Then randomly she called demanding that I come in that morning, on a Sunday. Grandma was the one who answered the phone, and she got angry at the lady and told her I wouldn't work there anymore. She was definitely not a push over.
I remember one night I had a date with a guy that lived in Logan, and we were going to meet in Brigham City. She was so worried that I would get lost, that she drove me to Brigham earlier in the day and showed me where we were to meet. Then we went to lunch. This was before I had a cell phone.
When I was dating a guy, I liked to have my Grandma meet him. I even took a few of them to her house. I think that's why she was surprised when I took Ben to her house and we told her that we were getting married. She was used to meeting a guy here or there, but she didn't expect it to be that serious. When we told her, she just stared at us and said, "Are you sure"? She loved Ben, so I know it's not because she was worried about him not being great. I think it was just a little fast for her... and it really was fast.
As I got older, I realized how much she did for others. She loved everyone and wanted to serve them. She was always visiting people, making cakes for people, and going to all the great grandkids activities that she could. Even with all of her health problems, she didn't slow down.
I think her most favorite thing in the world was talking about her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. I loved to visit with her, so I could catch up on everyone's lives. She loved those great grandkids and they all knew it. My kids loved to go and visit her. She had good treats for them and they liked to look at all her fun things. She was constantly asking what the kids like to do or play with so she could have it at her house.
A few years ago, when Hailey was a baby, we were talking about going to the temple, and she said she tried to go once a week. I told her how long it had been since I had gone. She looked at me very seriously and said, "Now I know it's not the season of your life to be going to the temple all the time since your kids are little, but you need to go more often than that." I always appreciated that about her, I felt like she always gave me her honest opinion about things. Since then, Ben and I have set a goal each year how often we would go, and we've always done it...even if we had to go on New Year's Eve. And what a huge blessing the Temple has been in our lives. I thank Grandma for giving us that extra push to go more often.
Luke and Grandma at his baby blessing
Four generations at Carly's baby blessing
Hailey and Grandma one Sunday after dinner
Isaac wanted to hold Grandma's hand as they walked to the pumpkin patch last fall
Although Grandma had lots of health problems, we never expected her to be gone so suddenly. She was so loved by eveyone who knew her. She is dearly missed!
2 comments:
Most precious. Thank you sharing. She is pretty wonderful, isn't she!
What great pictures and memories. She was an amazing woman.
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