In Which Frank Sinatra Offers My Grandma a Ride...

My Grandmother is beautiful.  Five foot eight, dyed blonde hair in the latest short style (she was a natural strawberry blonde).  She would never admit to it, as she always saw herself as a country bumpkin.  After high school she went into cosmetology, and while in her young 20's, sometime in the mid-1950's, my Grandma apprenticed on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

It was here where the fateful event occurred.

My grandmother was simple and modest, one for routine.  She would work and then go home.  One afternoon after working in the shop she left to walk to her car.  While approaching a parking lot exit a car pulled in front of her and stopped.  Frank Sinatra was driving, a blue car from my mother's retelling, and he asked my Grandma if she wanted a ride.  

Well, my Grandma didn't hesitate.  She showed him her left hand where sat her wedding ring, said she was married, and then continued on her way.

Heh, and that was that.  My grandma turned Frank Sinatra down.

For the longest time I wondered if my Grandmother was the only women who turned Sinatra down, when a gal I was talking to said her grandma did as well.  She was honeymooning in Las Vegas, and when Sinatra was flirting with her, she left as well.

And here we thought Ol' Blue Eyes had game...

Hope you're having a great day,

Sarah

 

(Happy Late Birthday in Heaven Grandma, hope it was a fun celebration). P.S. I really hope we have birthday parties in heaven.  "And now we celebrate the day you went to Earth!"  That would be fun.

A Little Scare...

So, as I usually do, this is written the night before it's posted.

It's nearly 9 pm, and what a day this has been.

Started out normal.  Exercised a little too much.  3 hours on the elliptical, 6 workouts all taking place in Germany during Christmas season, and just over 9 miles.  I was on a 7th workout when I started hearing loud scampering in the room above, which is my parents bedroom.  At first I didn't think much of it.  But the loud steps got louder, the pacing quicker.  And then I heard my Mom, crying as she came down.

I hopped off the machine, ran to get changed, frantically grabbed stuff, and when we finally made it to my Grandma's house the ambulance was pulling away.  We were too late.  One of my aunts lives with my Grandma and we headed to the hospital.

The next several hours were crazy.  They wouldn't let me in as only two people were allowed to see her.  At first I couldn't wait inside.  So I found a rock, and then later a bench outside.  Thankfully I double layered and it was only 43 outside.  My other Aunt was coming, and we were worried she wouldn't be allowed in.  My Grandma had a very bad stroke in the back of her head, and since it's a bad surgery I was allowed back to see her, and then my other Aunt arrived with less then 5 minutes till the start of the operation.

It seemed to be going well.  They got the blood clot out, and then she suffered a massive heart attack.

I'm at home now and just got off the phone with my Mom.  My Grandma's not doing well, and one of the doctors says it's her time.  

So I'm just numb.  Cried a crazy lot.  For the longest time I've been trying to find an interview I did with my Grandma where I asked her all these questions, but couldn't find it.  And then I got the impression that it's on this super old hard drive, and to go in one of my boxes and there I would find a now obsolete plug to connect it to my laptop.  I searched it, and there's a folder labeled "Interviews."  I only played the first few minute one and it was me talking to my Grandma about parking passes.  I didn't listen to the other clips, but started to transfer the whole hard drive to a newer one.  It's taking forever, but it's keeping me occupied.

Meanwhile, as I make sure my computer doesn't fall asleep and stop the transfer, I'm playing games and watching YouTube.  Prepaid Preacher always seems to calm me, so I'm watching him.  And after that I'm going to watch the 2020 First Presidency's Christmas Devotional which was posted over the weekend.  

So, yeah.  Just talked with my Dad who is here about regrets and whatnot.  My Grandma is the one I'm closest to.  We're Angeline's.  It's a spiritual bond.  And she's my last grandparent to still be alive.

So these next few days will be a mixture of emotion.  I don't know if I'll get another post written during the weekend, or wait till Monday.  So if you don't hear from me, this is what's going on.

Life comes at us with surprises.  Her parent's, my Granny and Gramps, lived until their mid-90's.  I was sure we'd have her till then.  She's in her mid-80's.  We don't want her to suffer.  She's surrounded by so many loved ones on the other side of the veil who have missed her and have been watching over her.  

Hope you're having a nice week,

Sarah

It's after 11 pm on Wednesday the 9th, and she just passed through the veil.  She was at peace.  I've been listening to her recordings, and they're a comfort.  It doesn't seem complete as I remember asking her more questions, but I'm thankful to have what I have as it's a conversation between the two of us just talking about stuff.  Wish I interviewed her more, but thankful.  Now to be there for my family.

Capturing Moments in Time

 

This picture is of the last trip my Grandma and Grandpa took to California a couple years ago.  It was spontaneous.  Unplanned, and with the way my Grandpa's health was deteriorating we knew it was his last chance.  He passed away last year.  My Grandma is my last grandparent still alive, and I make sure to visit her a minimum of once a week.

My Grandpa left my Grandma when my Mom was 13, so after his second wife, my Grandma R, died and Grandpa moved up here to Utah to live with us, it was interesting watching my Grandma and Grandpa interact.  My Grandma is a prime example of forgiveness and service. Everyday she drove here and took him out to lunch, something most people would never do, and yet she did.

These last few weeks I've been buried, literally, in memories.  Going through pictures. Organizing them. Searching old hard drives and computers. It's been a monumental task I'm only halfway through.

And while searching I stumbled upon a gem: a short little audio clip of my Grandma and Grandpa talking while I sat in the front of the car, waiting for my Mom who ran into a store, sharing an experience they had before they were married.

Grandma: One Sunday afternoon Grandpa had just baled the hay on our farm, and so I went out to drive the truck and Paul climbed up on the hay, or on the truck, and there was a bale loader on the side of the truck where you'd pick up the hay bale, and the bale of hay would go up the loader, and then the guy on the truck would take them off and stack them on the truck.  Well, I think it got up a couple/three bales high, and the bale of hay, I don't know what happened, but the bale of hay was going up the loader, and all of a sudden this little guy... *laughs*

Me: Grandpa?

Grandma: Grandpa, Grandpa Paul fell off the top of the truck, hit the bale of hay, and bounced onto the ground. The hay broke his fall. And Dad, Grandpa E, come running over to the truck, and ran up to where Paul was, and when he saw that Paul was okay he started to laugh.

Me: How far did Grandpa fall?

Grandma: Off the top of the hay...

Grandpa: I was up about four or five tiers.

Grandma: No, we never filled it that, I don't think it was ever, made the bale, I don't know.

Grandpa: I was stacking the hay and the truck bumps.

Grandma: Anyway, He got up and he says, "I'm going to go into the house and get a drink of water."

Grandpa: And you never saw me again.

Me: That was his excuse to get out of it?

Grandpa: *laughing* Never saw him again! I think that was the last time, and he accused me of making him fall, but I think he just lost his footing.

Grandpa: She went over a rock, see...

Grandma: No, I didn't.

Grandpa: And the truck went Wuwuwuwu and around bang bang bang!

Grandpa: No I didn't. It only went Wuwuwuwu when you fell off. *laughs*

Me: Was this in Riverside?

Grandma: Yeah, it was Arlington then, but then they incorporated it into Riverside.  That was our little farm that we had there.

Me: Was this when you were just married?

Grandma: No, it was before we were married.

Me: Before you were married.

Grandma: Yeah, he used to come out all the time.  If he wasn't on the base doing something, he was on the farm. And he and your Uncle Harry, or your Mom's uncle Harry, your uncle Harry too, he used to sit out on the bales of hay with Harry's pellet gun and shoot the roosters in the behind.

Grandpa: We did not.

Grandma: Yes, you did.  Because one Sunday Mom decided to kill the big ol' rooster and have him for Sunday dinner.

Grandpa: Full of bullets. *laughs* Full of pellets.

Grandpa: *laughing* it was full of pellets, the rear end. It was full of pellets!

(Then Grandpa's cell rang, and my Mom got back into the car.)

A moment captured! And listening to it brings all the feels.

A while back I thought I lost a bunch of audio files I'd recorded, other interviews and my Grandma Stuff's funeral, other stories, etc, and I was heartbroken over it.  Felt it for days. But then a couple weeks ago I found the files in a place it shouldn't have been, that I swear I checked a few times.

Getting all this stuff sorted, combed through, saved, etc, is going to take a bit of time.  I'm the family historian!  Self appointed title, really.  I guess being single with no family of my own allows me the time, but it's sad, too, recording other peoples stories with their family (technically my family, too), feeling like I'm losing time.  Well, it is what it is, and I'm glad I'm able to do it, and had the foresight to record what I've recorded.  Just wish I'd done more!!  I've got a lot of work with this. I want to put a book together for my family with stories and pictures. I need to interview my Grandma more, get more stories. And I need to start recording my parents as well.  My nieces and nephew are interested in family history, and they love the photo books I put together.  They fall asleep reading them some nights!  I know they'll appreciate all this work one day. I'm doing it for them.

Until next time, don't put off talking to a loved one. And if someone in your family shares a story, write it down!  One day you'll be glad you did.

Seeing My Grandpa's Updated AncestryDNA Region Results Has Me Dreaming of Ireland

(Last September in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland)

A few months ago there was an update to AncestryDNA results.  They always send the message that our DNA doesn't change, but their information, samples, algorithms, etc, get better.  My percentages changed: 55% Ireland & Scotland, 37% England, Wales & Northwestern Europe, 4% Sweden, 2% Norway, 2% Germanic Europe.  So I think this means I'm 55% Celtic and 37% Anglo Saxon.  Could be wrong.

I was excited to see what my maternal Grandparent results had changed to, did it better match what I know from research?  My Grandma A: 50% England, Wales & Northwestern Europe, 31% Germanic Europe, 15% Ireland & Scotland, 4% Norway.  All her Iberian Peninsula, which was about 14%, gone.  My Grandpa R: 90% Ireland & Scotland, 8% England, Wales & Northwestern Europe, and 2% Norway.  His 90% Ireland and Scotland are no surprise.

Then yesterday I got an email that said AncestryDNA has 150 new regions, 92 regions in Ireland.

I had to see what Irish regions my family taps into.

 

I personally only tap into one: East Cork & Waterford.  I might have to collect more crystal. :0)

 

My Mom taps into four: South West Munster, East Cork & Waterford, East Cork, and Iveragh Peninsula.  My Aunt Tam taps into those four plus North Munster.

 Then I looked up my Grandpa.  9 whole regions, all in the South of Ireland: South West Munster, Iveragh Peninsula, Beara Peninsula, East Cork & Waterford, North Munster, East Cork, West Cork, Killarney, and East Beara Peninsula.  The Mahoney's, in which I'm connected, originate in the south of Ireland, so these results match that.  My Mahoney line dead ends in Newfoundland, so having this regional confirmation is nice.  My O'Neil line dead ends in Maine, USA, though the clan history is more north Ireland.  The other Irish family names in my line aren't prominent enough to have a coat of arms or clan history.

 This is exciting, because the two times I've visited Ireland it was this region, and it felt like home.  It was wonderful.  Beautiful landscapes and very nice people.  Now I want to return and see so many places, mainly the Ring of Kerry, but traveling up the coast from Cork to Waterford would be fun as well.

Okay, I just want to go back to Ireland.

Grandma's Yummy Pink Jello Recipe

 No party is complete without Grandma's yummy pink jello.  It's a special occasion treat, and only she makes it.  I've been wanting to get the recipe from her for ages, which doesn't exist because she goes with the flow each time it's made, so on Michael's birthday she brought over the ingredients, and I took careful notes and pictures.

Ingredients:

 1 Box Raspberry JELL-O

1 Box Strawberry JELL-O

3 Cups Boiling Water

23.2 oz Frozen Sliced Strawberry's, juice completely strained out, no longer completely frozen

Large Cool-Whip Tub (to be divided)

4 Cups of Ice (divided 2 cups and 2 cups)

(Optional) Crushed Nuts of choice

 Put both the Raspberry jello and the Strawberry jello in a large bowl.  Mix the two together.

 Pour 3 cups of boiling water (boiled either on the stove or in the microwave) into the jello powder.  Try to get as dissolved as possible.  (My Grandma says this is one of the most important steps.)

 Put 2 cups of ice into jello mixture.  Stir ice and jello so that the jello starts to set, a jell like texture will begin to form.  When it starts to jell up, start taking out ice. You don't want too much extra water in jello mixture.

 Repeat above step by putting the remaining 2 cups of ice into jello mixture, stirring, helping the jello set up even more into a jelly texture.  Spoon out ice before it fully melts and jello fully sets.  Don't let jello set.

 Stir the jello mixture.

 Put a few large spoonfuls of Cool-Whip into jello.  Stir.

 Keep adding Cool-Whip until desired texture and taste.  (There isn't a science to this, just personal preference.) Keep some extra Cool-Whip for later use.

 How we like it.

 Get frozen sliced strawberries and strain out all the juice.

As a note, the strawberries are not frozen by this point, having set out for a while.  Soft, but still chilled.

 Put the strawberries into the jello mixture and stir.

 When strawberries are properly mixed in, take the remaining Cool-Whip and smooth it over the jello.

 (Optional) After Cool-Whip is spread over jello, add a layer of crushed nuts.

Place jello in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to set.  Can be left in as long as you wish.  This jello makes great leftovers (which we love).

Take out and Enjoy!