A Lifetime of Memories

I know that I have written so much about Grandma because she is so dear and important to me. I want my posterity to know who she is because if it weren't for her... I don't know where I'd be. Really. This lady is to be honored by all of my children and grandchildren.

I read this quote today, "I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." -Diane Ackerman

Here I am on Grandma's lap- age 7 or 8 She has ALWAYS been so patient with me... as pictured :)

Grandma truly lived the length and width of her life. She absolutely filled it with things she was able to take with her... Christlike love, a selfless and charitable heart, eternal family, kept covenants and promises, friends, happiness, skills- sewing, baking, music. Someone said, "A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind." She provided wonderful art through her beautiful creations, delicious food, and lovely music. Someone else said, "without music life is not worth living." Grandma loves music and thousands of people benefited from her providing beautiful music on the organ and piano. She took no glory to herself, but constantly focused on others. She made life worth living for many people as she served them through her music.

I found a few pictures. Since we are temporarily living in the house we are in, most of my stuff is packed, but thankfully I have a few pictures of Grandma and Grandpa. Here are some of my pictures and memories.

Grandma is holding my cousin Robby, and Grandpa is holding me. There could never be better or more dedicated grandparents than Jim and LaRae Adams.

Here is the table where many delicious dinners were served, and family was much enjoyed. This was my birthday- I don't know how old, but definitely one of the frizzy hair years- gorgeous :)

This is my Aunt Jan's wedding. Grandma sewed this wedding dress, and she also sewed 3 of her other daughter's wedding dresses. I was the proud flower girl in purple. I think my mom sewed that dress- she took after her mother's love of sewing. I love this picture- the Adams family. Grandma LOVED the occasions when her family was together.

From the moment I was born, all through my childhood, and at the birth of my first baby Grandma and Grandpa have been such a strength to me.







When I was a little girl, I always asked Grandma to stick out her tongue. I was so intrigued. Her tongue was all cut up. If I remember right, she had jumped off of a table with a knife in her mouth when she was a little girl, and her tongue got all cut up and never healed... I don't know if that is the real story or the one I made up in my head as a child :) She was such a good sport in showing off that tongue of hers.  I also would ask her to show me the back of her leg. She had a big brown birth mark there... which is also how Grandpa found her when they were students at USU. He saw that mark, and knew he wanted to see that girl again. A few weeks later, when he found the girl with the big brown birth mark on her leg, he never let her go. He's a smart man.

I always remember Grandma getting her hair done. She liked it done a certain way, and Pam, her hair dresser was a very important part of her life. Grandma was very meticulous about her hair and many things. She made sure things were done right-- laundry, sewing, exactness when baking. She taught me that things need to be done right-- I am MUCH more of a slacker at EVERYTHING than she was. She never felt like her house was clean though, and always apologized for the mess. One year I made her this pillow to joke with her because I knew the things she did were much more important that having her house always in perfect order.

Even though she never thought she had a clean house, Grandma's towels and sheets and dishes were always folded or stacked perfectly neat.

I felt like I belonged at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After my parents got divorced, mom and I lived with them. Grandma took care of me so much of the time while mom worked, and even while she played. Grandma would read to me, do crafts with me, take care of me. I remember her chasing me around the neighborhood to try to put my shirt on, and I would not let her. She worked at the elementary school at the time- helping children who needed extra attention. I thought it was such a treat when she would take me to work with her. I loved being at Lincoln Elementary with her. I remember sitting at the lunch table with her and the kids drinking the milk from those little cartons, and thinking that life just could not get better.

I am trying to kiss my cousin Jimmy here. Looks like Grandpa is really encouraging it :)

I spent so much time as a child with Grandma and Grandpa. After mom remarried and we moved away, I would visit them on pretty much every school break, and we spent every Christmas with them. I felt like their home was mine. I think all of the cousins thought that I just came with their visits to see Grandma and Grandpa. When Grandma and Grandpa were going to visit cousins who lived far away, such as St. George, Arizona, or California, I somehow weaseled my way to go with them... almost every time. I remember many trips in the car with Grandma and Grandpa.  I'm sure they would have liked some time to themselves after raising 7 of their own children, but they took me in with more than open arms.

There were awesome rooms in their house- which I love. The red room and the purple room. I loved sleeping in those rooms. The first prayer I ever remember saying was kneeling by a bed in the red room. Actually I remember asking if I could say it in my head, and I just sat there kneeling by the bed moving my lips to make them think I was really praying.They would kneel by me to pray each night. Grandma and Grandpa always had family prayer with us. Every night we stayed there, and every meal we ate with them, we prayed. I know they prayed for their family. I felt the results of their prayers so during my life.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Jenn is on the left, Grandma is holding Amy, and I am sitting next to my mom.

Grandpa is the one who baptized me.

I loved the smell of Grandma and Grandpa's house. There was always something cooking, or the lingering smell of something that had just been baked. Cucumbers in vinegar, pickled beets, roast and potatoes, rolls, a delicious pie, or something would waft through the air and make us feel loved and at home. I remember eating funeral potatoes, mulligan stew, macaroni and tomato, roast, and wonderful home-canned food from the garden to my heart's content. I remember watching grandma make mickey mouse pancakes, and crusts for pies. She would make little tarts out of extra pie crust, and I absolutely loved those. I always thought she was the best cook ever. I remember once stopping at their house on the way to Bear Lake, and they weren't home, but my friend and I found a rhubarb pie in the freezer. We ate every last bit. Grandma never got mad if someone ate something, she would just enjoy making more. She loved feeding us. It was like her love was in the food she made. Eating her food really made us feel loved.

When many of my friends went to USU, I would go visit the friends and Grandma and Grandpa. She would make dinner for all my friends. They even invited themselves once, and I wasn't even there!! Grandma still cooked for them.

When I met Michael, we spent a weekend with lots of young adults at Bear Lake. One the way home, I called Grandma and asked her to feed some of us. In a matter a minutes she had perfect chicken enchiladas ready for us. She was an amazing cook.  I have never tasted a Texas sheet cake as good as the ones she made-- even if someone else made it from her recipe- just can't compare to Grandma's!!

When I was serving my mission in Lithuania, I craved Grandma's raisin filled cookies. I think those just might be my absolute, number one favorite thing that Grandma made. Grandma knew this, and once she sent those raisin filled cookies all the way to Lithuania in the mail!!! They were still amazing- even after traveling overseas in a big yellow envelope. I decided that I wanted to made those cookies last as long as I could, so I froze them. But, of course, I found myself taking one out every time I passed the freezer, and they only lasted about 2 days. But, oh how those cookies sweetened those few days!!


Grandma and Grandpa were the world's best canners. Grandpa would grow the food in the garden, and they would spend hundreds of hours every year canning pears, pickles, peaches, grape juice, beans, apples, tomatoes, tomato juice, jam, and many other things. I've started canning in the last few years, and I have never canned without Grandma on the phone with me guiding me through. I don't know what I'm going to do next time I can. Those mason jars will always remind me of Grandma and Grandpa, and I'm glad to keep that legacy going.

It seemed to me that Grandma's calling in church was either the organist, the Relief Society President, or the Compassionate service leader. She was always making meals for other people. I asked her why she didn't just assign other people to do it, and she told me that she didn't think people always put their "best foot forward" when they took dinners to others. She ALWAYS did. If someone had a baby or surgery or any other problem, they were always guaranteed a good meal from Grandma. She gave so much love with her food.

We all just loved going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandma cooked, and Grandpa washed the dishes. They sincerely LOVED and enjoyed taking care of us. It was paradise!! If only I could have a day at Grandma's house now.

Grandma sewed our prom dresses, Halloween costumes, and other school costumes. Just last Halloween I wore a poodle skirt that she sewed for me when I was in high school for a choir concert. I don't know how a Grandma had so much energy to do this for grandchildren after doing this for 7 children!!! She is amazing. Even though the dresses and costumes are in ceder chests or gone, she is most definitely able take the results of all she did with her. The love in her heart and adventures in her mind as she created all of these things for us are a part of her.

I remember that I would draw the dress that I wanted, and she would create it for me. Amazing. I wish at that time I would have realized how wonderful and amazing she really is. Sadly, I think I took her magnificence for granted sometimes.  Once, she had finished a dress just before the prom, and I needed a slip to go underneath (Grandma insisted that we wear slips!) so she sent me to Sears to buy a slip. I found the first "slip" that I thought looked pretty. Grandma's reaction was a little surprised by what I bought. I could tell she didn't say what first came to her lips. Later, I realized that I had bought lingerie- thinking it was a slip. Grandma obviously knew, but just let me wear it under my prom dress anyway-- she knew that I had no clue what I was wearing :)

She was there when I was born, when my parents divorced, when mom and dad (Larry) married, when we were having financial trouble- in fact, she and Grandpa even payed to put vinyl on our house because it looked so atrocious and I was so embarrassed of living there. She was there when I found out that my mom died, when I dated jerks- she prayed that it wouldn't work out, she prayed hard that I would find the right guy to marry, she was my escort when I went through the temple (both for the fist time, and when I got married),she supported me all through my mission- in every way, she helped me with my wedding, and when I became a mother- she cooked and cooked for us. She's been my shoulder to cry on, the one to help me solve problems, and the one who really made me feel loved and at home. Just having her there has always been a comfort to me.

Saying goodbye at the MTC

I LOVE this picture. This is when she came, the day I got home from the hospital after I had Savannah.

Our 4 generation picture- just missing mom.

 Grandma and I share a love of books. She would often lend me one of her books- knowing that I probably wouldn't return it. After I had the book for a while, she would call and tell me not to return it, that she had just bought another one for herself.  I hope I learn to be that selfless one day :)

She made a big family history book for everyone in the family. When all her children left and grandchildren didn't stay so much of the time, the red room turned into the family history room. Grandma became good at using the computer to email and do family history. I value the stories and history she typed for me. We gave Jane the middle name "Elizabeth" after Grandma's grandma- the first person on her side of the family to come to Utah with the pioneers.

LaRae Adams is a phenomenal woman-- always with a mother's heart. There are so many times I remember being a less than perfect granddaughter, but she gave me mercy, sacrifice, and forgiveness constantly. I love her so dearly. Some of the last words I heard her say were, "I hear a baby crying." Up until the end, her nurturing, mothering nature remained.

I guess that in my head I knew the day would come that she would depart this life, but my hear never really believed it. I thought she was immortal. Her soul is, and I am so thankful that I know that. It's just getting through the rest of my life without her that is a hard thing for me. Good thing I know that she was an angel during her mortal life, and I have a feeling that she will continue being an angel to her loved ones. I'm sure that there will be many times that her spirit will be near.

This is the last hug I gave her before I left on my mission. It is symbolic to me now- she is now called on another mission, and I gave her a similar hug just before she left.

This is the note I wrote her last Christmas:

I'll change this picture the right way when I figure out how-  I think this is what Grandma and Grandpa are saying to all of us now, "Love ya".

This is Savannah's blessing day- which was also my mother's birthday- February 20th.

When Owen was blessed, I knew that Grandma, but especially Grandpa would have a hard time traveling to the blessing. We made special arrangements to have the blessing on Saturday at their ward building. I really wanted Grandpa to be part of the circle.

This was at the Church building with Grandma and Grandpa Adams and Grandma and Grandpa Griffin.

Here is Owen with Grandma and Grandpa after the blessing. The piano that Grandma has had most of her life is in the background.

This is Savannah, Owen, and me at Grandpa's funeral.

I love my Grandma. A bright light has left this mortal existence, and I miss her. I know that she is where she now belongs though, and because of that I can be happy. When mom passed away, instead of grieving, Grandma rolled up her sleeves and went to work. She took care of us in a way that she and mom knew we would get the motherly and grandmotherly love we needed.

I know that through the mercy of the Lord, which we receive because of His great Atoning sacrifice, we receive compensatory blessings in our lives. Grandma's way in which she loves us and took care of me and my sisters is a great manifestation to me of the Lord's love and compensatory, merciful blessings. My sisters and I got more time and focus from Grandma and Grandpa because we had a great need. I've felt bad for my children because they won't have the same experiences with grandparents, but my children have me- and I will be with them, and I will always take care of them.

Probably the greatest lesson I have learned from Grandma is that she was never too busy for me. I often have the "white rabbit syndrome", running around like a crazy woman.  Grandma put people above everything- above baking, sewing, music, everything. If someone needed her, she was there. If there is one way I could emulate her, it would be that. Making sure my husband, children and grandchildren know that they are the most important thing in the world to me, and that I will never be too busy for them.

Grandma with Jane (left) and Abby (right). This was the last time we were ever at her home in Hyrum.

Thank you for everything, Grandma. Thank you is not even close to adequate, but I hope you know my heart. Knowing that you are there, makes passing to other side something to look forward to (in 60 years or so!). I love you without end. Sure love ya! (Those I the words we always said to each other).