On October 28th, we had a big birthday celebration for Grandma Jones (which was her actual birthday too). She has been gone for 6 years now and she would have turned 76 this year. It was such a fun party. (I'm sure she was there!)
Eric and Andraea came for it too. These first couple of pictures are of Eric's looooong hair! The night before the Jones party, they got together with some friends, and those friends took a hair straightener to Eric's hair to see how long it really is. So here it is straight!
Really Eric? Get a haircut! :) HA!
The party was at Grandpa Jones' house. Everyone was there (except Brandon--he couldn't make it.)
We had a big luncheon in the backyard and the weather was absolutely beautiful! We were so lucky to be able to have it outside at the end of October!
As you can tell in the pictures, the sun was quite bright though! :)
And here's Eric's hair the way it normally looks every day...(I love this picture).
Like I said, it was bright outside.
Ryan and Malissa
Sorry these pictures aren't that great. Between my low-end camera and my amateur photography skills (and the blinding light of the sun), it didn't make for very many awesome picture opportunities, but hey, I did my best. :)
Grandma's sister, Aunt Betty (Pike) came to the party also and she had a whole bunch of stories prepared to tell us. She seriously put in a ton of hard work gathering stories and information on Ann's childhood and some of her growing-up experiences. It was really great and very touching and it is something I don't think I will ever forget. It was so fun and tender to hear some of the stories about Ann as a little girl and some of the things she did with her own siblings and parents. (Thanks to Aunt Betty for ALL her hard work!) She had pages and pages of notes. (That reminds me of Ann too!) :)
Awe, I miss her.
Eventually, each child (and family) took a turn telling about some memories of their Mom and some of their childhood experiences too. It was really awesome. (I wish I could remember all the stories that everyone told--I think Todd recorded it though!) :)
The story that I told was one that happened a long time ago, before I was even a "legal" member of the Jones family. It was about a week before Todd's mission and the Jones family went camping for a couple of days, and they invited me to come along! As I thought about it, I was thinking about my own teenage children. I can't imagine allowing a "girlfriend" of one of my kids to come on a family trip with us. And when I think about it, I can't believe Ann allowed it either. :) But then as I thought some more, I just realized that I have so much respect for her for trusting me (and Todd) enough to let me be a part of their family trip. (What was she thinking?) HA!
That memory is still very vivid in my mind. I remember staying with Anissa in a tent. I think it might have only been one night (maybe two--not sure), but as I look back on it, it really says a lot to me about Ann and the kind of person she was. She was obviously very confident in Todd's actions, and she also allowed us to spend time together before his mission, which in my opinion, would be kind-of hard to do. I don't think I would want to share my son with anyone the last few days before he left. I would want him all to myself! I wish Ann was here so I could thank her and tell her how much more that means to me now, realizing how selfless she was at the time. I'm sure it wasn't easy for her, but she still let me come. That will always mean a lot to me.
(Of course, it was the right thing to do! :) She must have secretly known that somehow we would be married someday! That smart and clever lady!
The day was very priceless and I'm so glad that we all got together for a birthday celebration in Grandma's honor. I think Grandpa was a little worried about it all coming together, but it came together just fine, and I think everyone really enjoyed it! Happy Birthday Ann! We all love and miss you!
These next few pictures are just some random pics of different activities.
Here is Dallin and me after his Fall concert. The concert was amazing, of course!
(Was there any doubt?) Nope! :)
And here's a picture of me and Todd on a Saturday evening right before a ward member's wedding reception. I guess we can thank Kyle for the good photography. And I like how it turned out!
And here's a close up!
That's it for now! :)
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