Visiting Granny (Warning-long post ahead!)

Jenny, my cousin, and I had been talking about getting together with our Grandma Doman who is my Dad's mom. I haven't been to visit Montpelier, Idaho since I was probably in my teens....a very long time ago! I have been feeling very strongly about getting out there to spend some time with my favorite and only living grandma! So Jenny and I decided we would plan a trip out to see her. Jenny and Kassie were already going to go up and clean her house for her so I decided to tag along and surprise her!! We invited JaNae and Katie to come along as well! Katie wasn't able to make it because her kids were sick and we missed her greatly, but JaNae made it and we had so much fun on our road trip!

Donna has always been very close to me. I am her oldest granddaughter and have so many fond memories of spending time with her. Whenever we would go visit, I just wanted to do whatever Granny did and be as close to her as possible. We would eat non-stop and watch soap operas or whatever else we could find on TV. Our favorite thing was Doritos and Tab soda...anybody remember that? I always looked forward to the time spent with her because I always felt special. She is an amazing lady and I am so grateful to have her in my life and for the example she has always been to me.

The girls came to pick me up at the SLC Airport on Friday night and then we made our way into Idaho which was about 3 1/2 hours. It was so fun to reminisce with my sister and cousins and laugh!! I haven't spent a lot of time with my cousins since I've been married but I really enjoyed getting to know them better. I am always grateful for Jenny because she never gives up on my friendship. She always calls and texts me just to make sure I'm alive and I appreciate it sooo much.

When we got to Granny's house, JaNae and I stayed in the car so we could bang on the door after Jenny and Kassie went in...shock factor ya know! The look on Granny's face was priceless! She really couldn't figure out what was going on and wondered if we had all driven up together or just what was happening! But she giggled alot and was excited! We stayed up late that night and talked for a long time about memories and people.

The next morning we got up and had a yummy breakfast that we all pitched in to cook and then got started cleaning! We all took a separate room and cleaned and dejunked to try to make it easier for Granny. We had so much fun going through things and finding old pictures and trinkets that we used to play with as children. JaNae and I found a lot of pictures from Bolivia and had fun talking about that. I think it was fun to spend time with Jenny and Kassie and realize how close they are. Sometimes I wish JaNae and I were closer in age because I feel like we got cheated a little bit. 11 years is a long time in between and we are always in such different stages of life-I wish we lived closer to each other so we could be best friends. I'm excited for her to get married and have immediate kids because she's catching up to me! :)

Rufus and Granny took JaNae and I on a ride around town and we got to see all the old things that I remember...the poor little town hasn't hardly changed. It still feels peaceful and safe though. We drive on "the bump" and saw Dad's old high school and where he was born, etc. It was almost therapeutic for me to revisit some of these places and think about my dad...I just can't imagine growing up in that small little town and dealing with the issues he has had to in his life. I thought about his life and was grateful for his background and his foundation. His mother has always supported him and loved him whether she understood what he was dealing with or not...how could anyone understand in that tiny little town what he was experiencing as a young boy? There was no help for him. He must have felt very isolated and alone in his issues, and revisiting his childhood has helped me have even more compassion for him.

The Bump that Granny used to take us on every day when we used to visit!

This is the shed where Grandpa Wright died. He had a heart attack while taking care of his horses. I was 13 when he died and we were in Bolivia so we couldn't come home for the funeral. It was very special to go to his grave and see where he was put to rest. I think that was the first time I visited it. We made the only prints in the snow and it was very peaceful to remember him. A little cold, but very worth it!




This is Jenny, Katie and Kassie's old house that they grew up in! They were my favorite playmates when I was visiting! So many memories in that house!

The main road in Montpelier... so pretty with the snow lining the trees.


It snowed the whole time we were there! I saw enough snow to last me 3 winters!! I remembered why I live in Las Vegas....no shoveling snow, no scraping off cars every morning while freezing your butt off, no car accidents due to sliding in the snow....and so many other reasons! I enjoyed being in the snow--it's so peaceful but I HATE being cold! Of course I was totally unprepared with my Las Vegas clothing--but I have a great sister that lent me her big sweatshirt the whole weekend and I never took it off!!

On Saturday night Jenny took care of Granny's feet. She gives an awesome pedicure! It was so funny to hear her keep telling Granny to RELAX! I remember the same thing when we used to rub her feet she would curl her toes up and giggle the whole time!

On Sunday morning Granny treated us to breakfast for our hard work. She took us to the Ranch Hand and it was great food!! My eyes are always bigger than my belly but breakfast is my favorite meal and I had to taste everything....



It was hard to say goodbye to Granny-but I promised I would be back and I plan on keeping that promise and go back next year. I love her too much to not revisit as many times as I can before she dies. She turns 80 next September..wow. I look forward to spending more time with her and learning more about her so that I can keep her memory alive in my children.