My Grandma Rose

This morning I got a phone call at 5am.
My Grandmother had just passed away, and is now happy and at peace with my Grandpa. This is a very good day for Grandma.
The hardest part for me is that I cannot be there. I always knew that when she passed, I wanted to be there for the funeral, to honor and pay tribute to her. But more importantly, to be there with my family, especially my own Mother. But being only days away from delivery, traveling is not even an option for me right now. It is so hard to be here, and not be there for my Mother. But I believe that Grandma would say "Oh, don't you worry about me dear, I'm just fine, you just have that baby and don't worry about me even for a moment." And I feel she will be with me in spirit when this baby is born, and celebrating with us.
My Grandma is a special lady, who leaves an incredible legacy and posterity.
She was ALWAYS valiant in her testimony of Christ, never ever faltering. She has been a rock, and a spiritual giant in our family. She looked into the face of death with hope and reassurance. Without fear or hesitation. This is because of her absolute sure testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and his atonement, and faith in the plan of salvation. She looked forward to this next step in her existence, and welcomed it with all her heart. I will miss her so much, and miss talking with her, and hearing her stories. But I am so happy for her, and can't even begin to imagine the joyous reunion that is taking place in Heaven today. I can imagine the line to greet her is very long, because she was loved by so many. I made a little slideshow tribute from pictures I have in my family album. I wish I had more. My favorite is the one of Grandma in her younger years. She is so beautiful, isn't she! And I imagine that is how she looks again today, as she is no longer hindered by such an old frail body. Today is a very good day for my Grandma.

2 Peas in a Pod!

This is me and my friend Tarakay.

Aren't we just so CUTE! She is expecting a little boy named Luke, and I am expecting a....well....a baby. Or as my sister Mary calls it "Unknown gender child". I'm due THIS Friday. Tarakay is due 2 weeks later. Tarakay is cute and petite. I look LARGER than outer-space! Isn't it funny how different pregnant women carry. We also have to consider the Daddy-factor. My husband is much taller/bigger than the average guy. So my baby will probably be 9+ pounds. Tarakay will likely have the sweet little 6 pounder. Tarakay still does her hair so cute everyday, even at the end of pregnancy. And my magnificent hairdo is, well...a ponytail! Classic. Tarakay has SUPER CUTE blouses that she and her stylish sisters share and rotate with each others pregnancies. I am down to my ONLY pair of fitting pants, and my basic 4 shirts that I rotate between. Oh, and get this, I'm wearing my HUSBANDS undergarment-bottoms now too! SHEESH! Is that TMI?
My sweet friend Tarakay and I serve together in the Primary Presidency, and it has been so FUN being on this pregnancy ride together. Now, on to the next adventure....how to manage SEVERAL dozen primary children while we both juggle nursing newborn infants! Thank heavens for 2 other members of my presidency willing to snuggle babies and share the load!

Trash or Treasure?

How many of you have sold something on Craigslist? It is great because it is FREE. Unlike Ebay, which have raised their sellers rates as of lately....grrr. With Craigslist you can post pictures, and sell WHATEVER! And you wouldn't believe what there is a market for out there.
So this last spring I sold a couch. It was a good couch, but it took almost a MONTH to sell. Some people who said they'd buy it pulled a no-show. Others would come see it and decide against it. Finally 2 college guys hauled it off for $100. But that thing was in my garage for the LONGEST time.
WELL....last night at like 10pm, I post a dresser for sale. It is an antique dresser that has been painted creme colored. It was actually a salvaged item from Linda Gledhill before she moved. But it is taking up space, and I don't need it. I need a BOOKCASE is what I need. So I figured I would try to sell the dresser on Craigslist for $20, and hope to turn around and buy a cheap Wal*Mart bookcase. Looking at it....I thought, hmmm $20 is asking much, maybe someone will offer me $15 and I'll go for it.
No sooner had I posted this thing, than my in-box got JAM PACKED with willing buyers. I got 27 offers last night! And I of course promised it to the first person to ask. This morning when I woke up, I had 18 more offers in my e-mail inbox! Now, tell me, in your ever-so professional opinions.....is this rare, beautiful, and amazing, one-of-a-kind antique dresser worth like $5,000 and I'm totally underselling it? I've never HAD so many people BEGGING to come buy something from me. I feel like I'm clue-less and missing something here. I thought $20 was reasonable, even a stretch. My husband says I should have listed it for $100. Hahaha!!! I've received 3 more e-mails about the thing just while I was typing this posting!

"Why is this taking so long?"

Breaking away from my usual jovial posts and stories, I feel inlined to write about something else on my mind. The deeply meaningful question "Why is this taking so long?"
My grandmother, Beulah Hinckley Rose, is near to death. At the age of 96, justifiably so. She is the last living Hinckley of her generation since the passing of her cousin (our sweet prophet President Hinckley) and of her last living sister. Grandma Rose is the youngest child in her very large family. And she has watched them all pass away one at a time. My grandfather passed away 12 years ago this month, and since then, Grandma has never been the same. She misses him dreadfully. Now, near to death, my own mother sits at her bedside, stroking her arm, holding her hand, and talking about stories from her childhood that bring her joy. Mother gives her occasional drinks of water, juice, and Ensure through a syringe. Like all Hinckleys, she is at her full mental capacities. No Alzheimers or foggy thoughts. Although too physically weak to carry on verbal conversation, she is mentally alert and sound. And she mumbles in a tired whisper-like voice to my Mother, "Why is this taking so long?". It breaks my heart, because here I am, posing the same question, but in a very different manner.
Grandma Rose aches to move on and progress to her next estate, where she can be with her loved ones who have long since passed before her. To see my grandfather, her sweetheart. To exit gracefully from the twilight of her life, and joyously into her next existence, where she can stand in the presence of her Lord.
I am about 38 weeks pregnant, and although very healthy, I am tired, I am worn out, I am emotionally stressed and overwhelmed at the task at hand. I know my time for this new life is near, but I don't know when. And some days when I feel so achy and anxious and even scared, I think to myself "Why is this taking so long?" I long for the new life that will come into this world, as my grandmother anxiously awaits to leave this world. We are both on the edge of a great spiritual change. A new soul, fresh from the arms of heaven, ready to gain a physical body and begin the new journey. And an old soul, worn down by the rigors of a marvelously fulfilling life, ready to leave her physical body and likewise begin the new journey.
Even though she is in Salt Lake City, and I am in Norman Oklahoma, I feel unusually close to my grandmother at this time. Perhaps she and my unborn child will cross in passing, as one life begins and another ends. Our Heavenly Fathers Plan for his children and their eternal families will come full circle. While we as impatient mortals must to endure and wonder "Why is this taking so long?", we must remember that all things are in the Lords good time. He has his hand in all things, especially when we enter this world and leave it.

It's nice to have a big brother

Today Leah and I were making our weekly trek to Wal*Mart for groceries. We were waiting to turn left, when a big loud cement truck blew by us from behind on the right. It startled Leah, and she asked "Mama, what is that big truck doing?" And I told her "It carries cement, so people can make sidewalks and driveways". To which Leah added...."YEAH! AND IT BLOWS PEOPLE UP TOO!!!"
You know, I never had a big brother. So my older sister and I were never schooled in attack vehicles, or things that blow people up. But I can imagine if, like Leah, I had a big brother to grow up with, that I too would assume that the purpose of those big trucks were to destroy mankind as we know it.

OCTOBER!

So we've made it to October! I can officially say my baby is due this month! However, this child could easily decide to make his/her grand entrance in November being that my due date is on October 31st...the last day of the month! But nonetheless, I woke up this morning with a sense of excitement, that it REALLY is October. It seemed SO FAR away back on Feb 18th, when we found out "Junior" was on the way. Boy has this pregnancy gone by fast! The last month can seem excruciatingly long and drawn out, simply because you are at the most LARGE and UNCOMFORTABLE physical state you could possibly imagine. Someone asked me the other day how I could possibly do it. Manage 2 young children, and have one on the way, and keep up with everything I need to do. Well, the answer is....just come see my house. I've totally let it go! I don't keep up! When you can no longer bend at the waist, cleaning up the clutter is just too much to ask. Just ask my kids. It is not uncommon for mommy to come in from the garage with the large fan-like rake, and to "rake" the living room floor. The kids think it is really funny. Until I point to the huge pile and say "come take your stuff back to your room unless you want it thrown away." I do miss the days when I could bend in half, but until then, the rake may find a nice spot in the closet next to the vacuum.