Visitin' Loosiana

Recently I got to go visit my son and daughter-in-law in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I arrived on Thursday evening, the day they closed on their house. On Friday, the moving truck showed up and unloaded all their stuff. We spent the rest of that day and Saturday unpacking. I helped however I could: taking care of the two-year-old and the baby, unpacking, cooking, cleaning up, etc. On Saturday night, my son and his wife went on a date while I babysat for them.

Sunday we went to church in their new ward and my son blessed their baby. I was really glad to be there for that.

I also enjoyed the Sunday School where I listened to the teacher give the lesson in his very strong Southern accent. He talked about "da po' sol" (poor soil) in "Da Allegor of de Olive Tree". He did a good job.

One of the women was wearing a hat. My daughter-in-law said she went to Sears and saw a bunch of hats for sale like it is a perfectly normal accessory! It's definitely different from what we're used to.

Monday was more unpacking although my son had to go to work that day. That afternoon we went to the zoo and then to Sammy's for dinner where I had some blackened alligator as an appetizer. Then for dessert, my son stopped by a different place to get some beignets which are something between a scone and a doughnut, with a kind-of-unbelievable amount of powdered sugar in the bag.

I took these pictures as I was saying goodbye at the airport. Katie kept telling me she wanted to go with me. I told her she would miss her mommy too much.

Tuesday afternoon I flew back home to help out my husband who was doing the single dad thing while I was gone. I'm really glad I could be there to help them at a fairly stressful time of life. And we look forward to seeing them again this summer!

This is a quilt that I made for Katie and I gave it to her when I arrived. I had wanted to make a blanket for her. Her other grandma had the baby blanket scene well taken care of so I waited until she was a little older to make a bigger quilt for her. Hopefully she can keep it on her bed for a while.

Comments

Our Cousin Drew

This last week, my brother and his wife lost a very precious son, just 13 years old. He collapsed while running with a cross-country team and passed away before he could be revived. Everyone that knew Drew is broken-hearted at this loss. He was the happiest, most agreeable kid we knew. I remember him being at my house without anyone close to his age to hang out with, so he found our Duplo blocks and started building even though it is a toy that boys his age don't usually enjoy. He was so content. He didn't complain that I ever remember. His mother always called him the perfect child. He will leave a big hole in not only his immediate family but our extended family as well. Here is a poem my aunt shared that seems fitting: Leave Taking How I would have liked to wave goodbye and watch until you turned and smiled and disappeared on the horizon. You who taught me to dance and let me teach you, who laughed at my stories and winked at me when I was sad. I can just see you trav

Remembering Drew

This weekend we celebrated Drew's life. On Thursday night, we gathered as an extended family and had a dinner then sat in a big circle and talked about our memories of him. I took some notes and here is what people said. Grandpa (Gary Hansen): The last time we saw Drew was last week on the 4th. I remember all the cousins on the trampoline, bouncing up and down and playing basketball. Grandma (Susan Hansen): I asked Drew to come over last winter to teach my Activity Day boys how to make origami stars. He was very patient in working with them even though they were pretty clueless. Eventually they all went home happily with their stars. Paula: This last winter we invited Bruce and Michelle over for dinner and we didn't have anyone his age for him to hang out with. I remember that Drew found the Duplo blocks on his own and played with them all by himself, quite cheerfully entertaining himself. I asked him if he wanted to play with a different toy--maybe something more sophistica

Drew's Funeral

Yesterday was the viewing for Drew and then today was the funeral. There were a LOT of people at the viewing. Bruce and Michelle greeted people for almost four hours yesterday and then again this morning before the funeral. Bruce said that if weren't for Drew's death, it would be the best week of his life with so much love being shown to them. Friday actually began with a family run in Drew's honor. We started at a church by the new Lindon temple and ran to Bruce and Michelle's house with breakfast following. Friday night was the viewing. There was a very nice display of all things Drew. This was one of the pictures displayed and I recognized someone I know: We stood in line and the paramedics who worked on Drew stood in line behind us so we got to talk to them. Here's a fun fact: They cover both Orem and Vineyard but Vineyard gets a lot more 911 calls than Orem per capita. It's a younger population and they are quicker to call. They said it's hard when the

Search This Blog