22 to 30

Grandparents I was so blessed with incredible grandparents. Some of my greatest childhood memories include trips to see my grandparents. They are/were all so great in their own individual ways. Gpa DeMille (mom's dad) I actually don't know a ton about my grandpa DeMille...he is definitely the one that i had the least amount of contact with. I actually only remember meeting him twice in my life. he died when i was around 12 years old of Aids. Later in life he made some decisions that we didn't necessarily agree with but that doesn't change the great man he was and the loving father he was to my mom. he served a mission when he was married and had 3 young children and i can only imagine how hard that was for him. he worked for BYU and moved his family to Saudi Arabia for a couple of years and gave them some great experiences in the process. he made his yards GORGEOUS...he was obsessed with gardening and i've seen some pictures of his creations and they are incredible. i know he loved my mom very much.

Gma DeMille (mom's mom) I had a lot of contact with my grandma DeMille from around the age of 15 up until she died a few years ago because she always lived by us. when i think of her i think about what a sweet and gentle spirit she had about her. she loved music...loved to play and loved to listen to her grandchildren play and sing. i remember she'd always sit with her eyes closed with a smile on her face when we would sing like she was soaking it all in. she endured a lot of hardship in her life. she supported her husband and her children when he left for 2 years to serve a mission. she dealt with some blows later in life in regards to her marriage that i just can't imagine and yet she was strong. she was truly sweet and we actually got to visit her a few hours before she passed away and she was so strong and ready and looking forward to meeting her Maker. she was awesome.

Gpa Wardwell (dad's dad) I actually saw grandpa wardwell less than a year ago when he came out for a wedding. he is my only living grandparent though as i write this he is dealing with a lot of health issues. he is hilarious and is very open with his choice of words :) all i need to say about him is that he is not actually my dad's biological father. my biological gpa was an abusive drunk who my dad remembers beating my grandma in front of him. he then left her to raise 6 children on her own. my grandpa wardwell came into the story and adopted them and took care of them and became the dad they all deserved. i can't imagine the love he must have felt for my grandma and her children to do such a thing. what an incredible man.

Gma Wardwell (dad's mom) I put some thoughts down about her in a previous post when she passed away. It's been a few years and i still am tearing up right now as i think about her. she truly was everything you want in a grandparent. she was so involved. she followed everything we did and cared and asked and attended and if we were playing in mud then she'd get down and play in mud. she endured an abusive husband and a time when she was alone raising 6 young children. i just can't say enough. i love these pics of grams because it is truly her in her element. this is what she'd do with us...she'd play and she'd play whatever we wanted to play. i love that you can see diet rite in one of these pics because that's their beverage of choice. i really miss her.