Friday, October 3, 2008

Tribute to Grandpa

I just got back from the services that were held in Paragonah, UT for my Grandpa. Everything really turned out quite beautifully and I know he would have been proud that we followed his wishes.
The services weren't open to public, it was only close friends and family. He didn't want a lot of people crying over him. We all made sure to wear jeans, he didn't want anything fancy, so if you're wondering why we all look like a bunch of hill billys it's because we are. :) We had a viewing in Salt Lake on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning we loaded my Grandpa into the back of the pick up truck (I know it's totally hick, right?) and the 3 sons, 1 brother and me drove him down to Paragonah with the rest of our family caravaning behind. The casket had a cover so it's not like you could tell that that's what it was. And believe me, we were very worried, so we made sure we strapped it in really tight.
It was definitly a very sad thing, but I was able to gain some peace and closure. It was a beautiful day, and I'm glad I was able to participate so much in the services.
After the graveside service, we went up to Red Creek Resevoir and celebrated my Grandpa's life the way he would have wanted us to. Some good old-fashioned fishing and grilling ribs on the BBQ. I felt particularly at peace while we were up there. And in a way I felt like my Grandpa sent some things down to us. We saw 4 deer across the lake drinking, a couple rabbits, and even caught 6 fish!! In only a few hours. Everything seemed more beautiful and even the food tasted better than it normally would have, I think. I know it's cheesy but I think Grandpa was telling us that it was ok to move on now. Here are some pictures from the past couple days.

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