AS OF TODAY, I AM NOW AT THAT AGE WHERE I NO LONGER HAVE ANY LIVING GRANDPARENTS

My grandmother passed away this afternoon.

Lucille Ida Huntzinger

28 Dec 1918 - 5 Feb 2013

I'll think of her when I make her Caramel Dumpling recipe.

I'll think of her when I manually water the flowers with a hose.  When I was younger she taught me to "water the flowers like rain".  Luckily now a days we have hoses with the 'shower setting', which makes it much easier, but there are those times that you just have to get your hands wet.  Such a silly thing to be reminded of, but it's something that's stuck with me.

I'll think of her when I do family history.  I grew up a Navy brat, so we never lived around family.  It wasn't until after I was married  that we bonded and became friends.  It was fun to call her when I found something that got me excited or to brainstorm.  She got a kick out it.

She wrote me two beautiful letters.  The first one right before I got married and the second one while I was pregnant with Larry J.

I have a few of her paintings hanging in our lair.  The first one she painted for me as a wedding present.  Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate it or her painting talent at first.  But thankfully I grew up and my appreciation for art, family history and maturity kicked in.  Throughout the years, I have acquired a few more of her paintings through family members downsizing.  I love having pieces like that around me.

I'm thankful that I have photos of all my boys with their great-grandmother. Lach has one when he was a baby, but the last time he was in Utah with me, he didn't want to be in the photo. He was too busy checking out her snowglobes.

Until we meet again, Grandma.