a true LADIES' MAN

One of the things I love the most about PDitty is his sensitive side. He really has a tender heart for such a little guy, and like his mother, seems to have the "sentimental gene". We recently got back from a trip to SLC for Ben's brother's wedding. While there, we had the blessed opportunity to visit with 4 of the most inspiring, special ladies I have ever known...

1. Grandma Lu-this is Ben's grandmother. When we lived in SLC I made it a tradition to have lunch with her every Wednesday. What started out as an obligation or duty quickly became something that I genuinely looked forward to. I learned so much from Grams. I love her like she is my own grandma! She is an awesome cook (you should try her homemade honey wheat bread-its to DIE for), she has a determined spirit (she mowed her own lawn & did her own home repairs until she turned 90 last year), she has endured more tragedy, sickness and heartache in her life than anyone should EVER have to endure, she has a GREAT sense of humor, and she is very thoughtful (I have 5 afghans from her upstairs in my closet!).

Parker and Grams have always been REALLY close. He used to cry for HER, over ME! He loves spending time with her and having sleepovers at her house and still cries when we have to leave Utah.Here PDitty is with another special lady in my life-my Grandma Willey. This is one DETERMINED lady! She comes from a family of 12, most of which have had alzheimers or dimentia. She was DETERMINED to beat the odds and took vitamins faithfully and walked 4 miles a day for YEARS and years. It definitely prolonged the disease, but she was hit with dimentia pretty hard about 2 years ago (in her late 80's) and it is heartbreaking to see how much she has gone down hill in a pretty short period of time. She was one of the greatest cooks and housekeepers I have ever known. I was really dreading going to see her last spring and after I got over the intial shock (it had been a couple of years), I was glad I went. This visit was even MORE special. She is in a happy place-most of the time she thinks she is 18! I don't think she really got who we were, but she enjoyed the visit and LOVED seeing the kids. She asked PDitty if she could just pretend he was hers for awhile. When she kissed him goodbye she told him to come back next time and Lynn (my grandfather) would be "out of the picture". Then she just cracked up, and we did too! Don't get me wrong, you gotta love the guy, but he is pretty grumpy! I'm so glad we took the time to see them-it makes me sad to think about what we would have missed out on had we not taken the time. It was so good for Parker, too. He also got choked up when we left.


This special lady is my Aunt Joy. Another AMAZING, inspiring woman. 79 years old, still an amazing cook, serving her family and the church, doing water aerobics every day, and remembers all of her 8 children and 20+ grandchildren, as well as some of her nieces and nephews on special occasions (I get a card on my birthday every year)! She reminds me so much of my Grandma Dahle-another inspirational woman-who passed away several years ago. I lived with Aunt Joy and Uncle Phil for a few months during what could have been a very difficult time in my life-I was going through a divorce and completing my student teaching in preparation for graduation. It was SO NICE to be able to have a fresh start in a new state, AND be with family. I gained 13 lbs in 10 weeks with her AWESOME cooking-which at the time, was a good thing. I think I weighed 98 lbs when I moved in. That's what stress will do to you! The time I spent with them was definitely a highlight in my life. She also helped me out a TON when I was pregnant with Parker and on bedrest for 11 weeks. Ben & I were living in Provo and she came and got me nearly every day to keep me company and dote on me. She is QUITE A GAL!TJ got in on the fun too-Aunt Joy played marbles and Aggravation with the boys-they had a blast!Here he is telling her his TRUE age (3)...he usually opts for 8, followed by, "I'm potty trained and I'm gonna get baptized" (neither of which is true-at least not yet!).
There is ONE more lady that deserves mention here-my Aunt Kay. Our Utah trips wouldn't be the same without her. She is ALSO an amazing cook and we love staying with her every time we visit. We get our own wing of her 8 bedroom, 8 bathroom house, so Ben & I, and the boys each have our own bedroom and bathroom. It makes it REALLY convenient, and we always feel at home there. I lived with Aunt Kay & Uncle Jerry the summer after I graduated from college and had just secured my first teaching job in SLC. If it weren't for her, Ben & I never would have met! My Uncle was the Bennett's home teacher, and they also happened to live down the street! That summer was one of the FUNNEST summers of my life. We enjoyed the pool, the food and the company SO much! She is so talented in so many ways-especially when it comes to entertaining-she and her friends threw us the funnest (and quite possibly the ONLY) wedding fiesta you have ever been to! They also helped me move and get situated in my first apartment, and were there to help me move and get situated in my second apartment too! Talk about going the extra mile!