In February, Payson and I flew to Utah for a fun three week trip. When my brother got in engaged, I immediately planned a trip for us to go out for the wedding. Ben couldn't miss school, so unfortunately he couldn't come with us. But he flew out later for the weekend of the wedding. I was so excited and so nervous for the trip! As it got closer, I started having anxiety over traveling with Payson by myself, and just being gone for three weeks. But I was excited to see everyone. Our flight left at 6:00am, so we had to get up at 3:30 to drive out to the airport. Payson was so excited. He was excited to fly on the plane and kept talking about going to Utah. I was so nervous to go without Ben! But it turned out a lot better than I thought it would. Payson was a great little traveler! He did so good on the plane and he loved it. I had packed a ton of snacks and games to keep him entertained, but he was entertained by just being on the plane. He just looked around at everything, watched out the window, messed with the little tv's in the chairs in front of us, and just did really well. I kept waiting for him to fall asleep, because I was so tired, but he was too excited.
We had a layover in Denver for about an hour. I was nervous about getting to the connecting flight and everything, but again everything went smoothly. Payson even met some friends. This little girl was so cute and came right up and started talking to Payson. They played together while we waited to board.
For this flight I grabbed some of the free headphones they had and we got to watch some tv until the free trial was over. And finally about 15 minutes before we landed, Payson finally fell asleep. ;)
When we landed my mom was there to pick us up. And crazy enough, my cousin came home from his mission that day, and was landing near the same time as I was. So a lot of my family was there at the airport. I kept telling them it was so nice of them to all come and see me arrive. ;) I got to see my grandma, which meant so much to me, as I didn't know it then, but it would be one of the last times I got to see her. She wasn't doing very well health wise, and when I saw her I about started crying. She looked a lot different than the last time I saw her. But she was so excited to see us and I was so happy to see her. It was a busy and exhausting morning! But I was so glad to be there. That night my mom and I went to the Jazz game which was a lot of fun.
The next few weeks we just hung out and enjoyed being with everyone. I went into work a lot and tried to get as much done as I could while I was there. My parents and Ben's parents helped watch Payson which was such a big help to me. It was so fun to see everyone again! It was fun going into work and seeing all my friends. We had a couple of showers for my soon to be sister in law, Kristen, so I got to see a lot of family, and it was just fun being there. I missed Ben like crazy and I don't think he did very well without us. We were all looking forward to him coming out. Payson loved being with everyone again, and everyone loved having him around. He was spoiled with lots of love and attention from everyone, and he loved it. But can you blame them? Look how cute he is! :)
While we were there, my sweet Grandma Tye passed away. She had been sick and we knew her time was short, but we didn't know it would be that soon. I am so grateful, beyond words, that the timing worked out so well for me. Just a couple of days after I got there, my family took dinner over to Grandma's house and we spent the evening with her. I am so glad we did that. She was having a rough time then, but we still got to visit and she got to see Payson and it was a really fun night. We even brought her some rootbeer floats for dessert which is one of her favorites, and she was so happy. I will always cherish that special time we had with her, not knowing it was the last time we would see her. She starting going downhill quickly and my aunts had just sent out an email to getting a schedule set up where all the kids/families would take a day to go over to Grandma's house and take care of her. Our day was going to be on Thursday, but we got the call on Tuesday that she was gone. Later my dad said he had a feeling we wouldn't need to do it. I had no idea. I was so shocked. Even though I knew she didn't have long, I just did expect it so quickly. It almost felt like Kynslee again. I knew Kyns was sick, I knew I didn't have her for long, but she just went so much quicker than I ever imagined. A lot of the same emotions came back to me as I grieved over Grandma. It was weird, and a little hard to deal with. I was just so sad she was gone. The same feelings, emotions, and pain came flooding back to me. Grief is a weird thing. I am so happy for my Grandma though. She is with Grandpa again, and she has missed him so much since the day he died, about 6 years ago. She is no longer in pain, and she didn't have to suffer long, and for that we are all so grateful. I know she is in a better place, and is seeing so many family and friends. And she always said she wanted to die at home, not in a nursing home or anywhere else, and she didn't want the kids to all have to take care of her. So it's a blessing for her. And for us. But death is just hard. I don't know if we ever get used to it? And once again, I am so grateful I could see her one last time, spend some time with her, and be there for the funeral. Ben couldn't fly out and that was really hard to be without him. I needed him! But we made it through, and with the help of my phone {games} and my brothers girlfriend, Payson let me enjoy the funeral. It was a wonderful service with lots of reminiscing and talking about all the good my grandparents did. They were some of the most generous people I know, and so many people were blessed to know them and be a part of their lives. They had 8 children, and our family is huge. It was so fun to see everyone and reminisce of all the good times. One of my cousins started a thing on Facebook where all the cousins {and whoever wanted to} could comment on favorite memories. That was so fun to see what everyone wrote. And some of the comments were even mentioned at the funeral. It was neat to feel so close to everyone and to feel the love bring everyone together. It was an emotional couple of days, but they were good. They left me feeling peace. I still miss Grandma, and always will. But I suppose that is just how life is. I found a card from her the other day and almost started crying as I realized I wouldn't be getting any more of her sweet cards. It's still hard to think about all the things that will change- the family traditions that are probably no longer, the things we won't get to do anymore. I hate change! But it's inevitable. A necessary part of life. But it's so hard. My Grandma came out with us when we moved to Kansas. She helped us get unpacked and helped me set up my kitchen. I will always treasure those memories as well. She loved being a part of everything, and with 40 something grandkids, she was always busy at birthday parties, games, graduations, etc. But I never felt like just another grandkid. She always made me feel special. She is a wonderful lady and she will be missed.
At the viewing, with all my family that could make it.
Payson fell asleep after running around with the other cousins. It was so hard to keep track of him, while trying to talk to everyone and catch up with everyone. That's when I really missed my other half. Being a single parent is hard! It's so nice to do it together. Hard to imagine this sweet boy could be so crazy. ;)
The next day was the funeral. It was a beautiful but cold day. The service was really nice.
After the funeral we had a police escort to the graveside.
My dad and his five brothers were the pallbearers
We displayed some of the things that Grandma had made for us. She was a great seamstress. She made that blue dress for me for my 9th grade promotion dance.
We also displayed pictures of us and Grandma.
We are so lucky to have such great grandparents! We miss them, but know we will see them again someday. Love them!
So after all that, my brother's wedding was just a few days after the funeral. It was a crazy time for my family! But it was fun to be all together. My sister and her husband who live in Nebraska drove to Utah for the funeral and the wedding, so it was fun to be with them, and then Ben flew in on Friday. I was so happy to see him! It was a long three weeks without him!
My family was in charge of the luncheon after the ceremony and we did a western theme. It turned out so cute! My brother has always been a cowboy, always into horses and all that cowboy stuff. So it was perfect for him. The picture below is all of us at the church setting up. Payson had everyone playing train with him. Matt was the train, Payson was the conductor, and then they rode around picking everyone up. It was so funny. Everyone is so good to him and played this game with him for a long time. He loved it. He is such a funny kid and so imaginative. I love it.
I didn't get any pictures of the wedding. I was too busy enjoying it… or running around helping to make sure everything turned out great…or chasing after Payson… or something. But it really did turn out perfectly. The ceremony was beautiful. I always love going to sealings and remembering the covenants Ben and I made when we got married. It was freezing, so it will be interesting to see how the pictures turn out that we took at the temple. Then we went right to the church for the luncheon, which went really well. And then home to get ready for the reception, which was beautiful! The decorations were so cute, and they did such a good job with turning a gym into a reception center. Kristen's family worked really hard and everything turned out great. It was a great day.
This cute couple is the whole reason for the trip! So glad we got to be a part of everything, and so happy to have Kristen part of our family. They are a perfect couple and we are so happy for them.
On Sunday, we went to Lehi and got to spend the evening with Ben's family. That was so fun to see everyone and spend some time with them, even if it wasn't for long. We went and visited Grandma Rhodes in the rehab center and had a little party. It was really fun. Payson is lucky to have such great aunts and uncles and cousins, and especially a Nannie and Pop-pop who love him so much. It was so good to see everyone.
We flew back home on Monday. I was so happy to have Ben with us this time. The trip went well and we made it home without any issues. It was so nice to be home. I missed my bed and the comforts of my own home. But it's always hard saying goodbye to the families. We really had a great time and I am so glad I was able to go. I am grateful to Ben for letting us be gone that long, but I don't know if we will do it again. It was hard for both of us! But I really feel that everything turned out like it was supposed to.
No comments:
Post a Comment