Man oh man

I never knew so many emotions could be experienced in such a short time...

The week of Christmas my family and I flew out to Ripon and spent the holidays with my Grandparents and Uncle and his family. My Grandparents' have been having some health problems so we wanted to spend the holidays with them. It was awesome to be together for Christmas. It was really hard to see how much they have been aging. When you leave someone for months at a time, you tend to hold on to the mental picture of what they were like when you hugged them goodbye the last time. Before Christmas, the last time I saw my Grandparents was at my college graduation in May.

Now they are in need of nearly constant monitoring. It is weird to think that 4 months ago, they were living completely on their own. My Grandpa is living in a nursing home right now and my Grandma will be moving in tomorrow. I'm glad that they are okay with being in a nursing home.

My Grandparents are awesome. Most of my childhood memories involve them. They opened their home and their hearts to me and my sisters. They always say "You girls are like our own kids". Man, life would be so different if I wasn't able to spend all that time with them. Whenever my Grandpa prays he always says "Let us be a blessing to others". He doesn't just pray that.... he really lives it. They have taught me that being a blessing to others is one of the best gifts you can give. I miss them so much!!

One of the hardest parts about living in South Dakota is being away from them. I remember when my dad told me that we were definitely moving to SD.... I was so pissed. And once that subsided, I was just depressed because I knew that saying goodbye to my Grandparents would be so difficult. It was horrible. I hate goodbyes to begin with... and that was just terrible.

All that to say... being with them for Christmas was the best present :) ... but little did I know...

If you havn't already heard.... My sister Nicole and her hubby Mark are going to have a baby :) What a great surprise! We all are so stoked :) The baby is due in August. Can't wait!! I get to be Auntie Shtephy!!

Amidst all the excitement, there was some terrible news as well. Chris called me on Christmas Eve and told me that his Grandpa George passed away. This completely broke my heart. Grandpa George was such an awesomely selfless man. I am so glad that I got the chance to know him. I still cannot believe that he has gone to be with the Lord. When I was spending time with Chris and his family, I heard a few times that Christmas was Grandpa George's favorite holiday. It is encouraging to think that he got to spend his favorite holiday with his Savior.

I am really thankful that I was able to spend a week with Chris and his family. I got to hear some great stories and memories of Grandpa George. What a guy!

Through all of this, I have relearned how to depend on the Lord for strength. He knows my daily needs... and it's a good thing because I have a such a false idea of what I need.

I am so thankful for the people in my life. Hopefully I am a blessing to them as much as they are to me.