Great-grandpa & Johnny
May 2008 - Montana
My grandma & grandpa
June 2009 - Family Reunion
Great-grandpa and Johnny
July 2008 - Fourth of July
Great-grandpa and Johnny
July 2009 - BBQ
My grandpa is an amazing man and I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. He is such a kind person with a great sense of humor and a big heart, even though he may appear to have a tough exterior. He has lived a long life and seen a lot of places, all while working hard every day. He served in the army and the marines and worked a career in construction. He has been married to my grandma for nearly 50 years (this December), which I think is pretty remarkable in this day and age. He also has four children who look up to him and love him, including my mom. In addition to four children (both of his sons have served or are serving in the military), he has seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild (Johnny). He loves to watch football, read the newspaper, and go camping. He is definitely a family guy and is always there to help when you need him, no questions asked. I love to be around him and he is always the life of the party, filled with laughter and stories.
I am his oldest grandchild and have many memories of him growing up, since we spent a lot of time with our grandparents. And I was definitely the spoiled first grandchild. :) My grandpa used to call me "bony maroni" because I was very skinny and bony as a child and whenever I sat on anyone's lap it was uncomfortable for them (unfortunately for me, Johnny is also bony). He was also the one who taught me how to skip when I was in kindergarten because my teacher told my parents that I was "behind" because I didn't know how to skip yet. My grandpa was appalled at the idea that I would be considered behind anyone else my age (the fact that I could read already wasn't a factor in this, apparently), so he proceeded to skip down the sidewalk in front of his house and round and round inside his house until I mastered the balance and coordination it took to learn to skip. I remember a great deal of laughter surrounding that day. :) My grandpa has been to most of my major events throughout my life - sports events, award ceremonies, my wedding, the hospital while I was in labor, graduations (I actually graduated from high school on his birthday), etc. I have been very lucky to have four wonderful and very involved grandparents in my life, including my grandpa Dusty. Now Johnny has his grandparents and great-grandparents and they are just as involved in his life as they were in mine. Johnny is going to have a richer and more loving life just by having them in it, including my grandpa Dusty.
We love you, grandpa, and we have no idea what we'd do without you. You are such a big part of our lives and we appreciate all that you do. We miss you too and we're looking forward to seeing you later this summer! Our hope is that you had a wonderful day today for your birthday, and that next year we'll be able to celebrate with you!
Happy Birthday & We Love You!!!!
3 comments:
What a sweet birhtday sentiment Jess! For clarification, yes he served a very short time in the Army, however, he was first and foremost a Marine. Also, Dad and Mom dated more than a few weeks I believe. Loved the pictures! I will have Dad over and show him the blog since you know he will never see it otherwise. Very sweet and I know he will cry because it's from you! Love, Mom
Also, glad to see you home and "blogging" again, I have missed my fix!
I meant to add the marine part, but it must have slipped my mind while I was typing. And I always thought they had only dated a couple of weeks...wonder why that is. Hmmm. Thanks. :)
Please do share it with grandpa. :) Love you all!
I corrected it. :)
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