What a busy time of year!  Wrapping paper, bows, gift bags, tissue paper…AND everything else!  I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday, have great food and drink.  I hope you surround yourself in arms length of those you hold close.   If you have miles that separate you, may you hold your memories and your loves close at heart.  I will be thinking of my family that is far in distance, but not my heart.  I will raise a glass to good health, friends and family!  I will hold the beauty of my Grandma in my thoughts, throughout the day.

Thank you for coming back to my blog to read.  I appreciate your support and I wish YOU a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
xoxox~

JD

Time…it seems never long enough.  Pictures…are a wonderful way to freeze time and remember what was.  Memories…last forever.  This post is dedicated to my Grandma who passed away December 21, 2009.  She made a long, hard fight with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).  COPD is a type of lung disease.  She was able to leave this world at peace, in her home with her family by her side.  She will forever be missed, but always remembered and her memory locked in our hearts and minds forever.

Florice Chell Grow was born July 12, 1934 to Alta Florice Fuell Labrum and Alfred Dallas Labrum.  She was their fourth of seven children.  Seven kids! I don’t know how, that just baffles me!  I grew up in a HUGE family.  My grandma had seven children -  Amy, Val, Steve, Randy, Tommy, Rachell and Russell.  Two girls and five boys, that seems severely out numbered!   I grew up close to all of them.  Sometimes, when families get that big, they have a way of going their separate ways but ours never did.

I will never forget meeting at Grandma’s for Sunday dinners.  Holidays were always celebrated at her house.  Because of my Grandma I have memories of all of her children. I always joke and say we were more like brothers and sisters, because we were so close.

But some memories I have … The way my Mom always made ALL the holidays special for everyone and never left anyone out.  I will never forget painting the wall, with my Aunt Rachell’s magenta glitter finger nail polish and the consequence I suffered for that! LOL  The times Uncle Tommy drove down in Grandma’s car  to 7 eleven to buy me a slurpee.   Uncle Russell shutting the door on the dryer (my makeshift baby bed) and turning it on while I was sipping a coke and eating a banana!  Uncle Steve always remembering my birthday and putting a few bucks in a card.  Babysitting Uncle Val’s kids and watching them grow up.   Meeting Uncle Randy’s soon to be wife (Aunt Barb) and her kids for the first time.  I will never forget my Aunt Rachell playing house with me, time and time again.  Also, for just taking me everywhere she went.

I will never forget the year that all of her kids pitched in at Christmas and bought her a microwave!  That thing was the size of a school bus and had it’s own rolling cart!  She was so excited to have a microwave oven.  The kids were all so happy to gift her that thing too.  Looking back today that thing is a dinosaur!  But it’s cool that I have the memory.  She also loved her movie rewinder, the one that would be in the shape of a car or whatever! LOL  Our first VHS player was watched at Grandmas house as well and we thought that was the COOLEST  invention ever.  Ouch! All of a sudden I realize that I aged myself haha!

My Grandma made the best pickles!  I would sit on hot summer days and think of ways I could get away with,  running off with an entire jar of pickles.  I never managed to do it, but I did eat my share of pickles!  One of the things she would always do,  is have a bowl of cucumbers and red onions soaked in white vinegar.  They would always be in the refrigerator because my Grandpa,  liked to eat them when he’d get home from work.  Well, one day my sister and I ate ALL the cucumbers out of the bowl.  We were being sneaky and when we realized we had eaten them all, we knew we were done!  Grandpa came home and obviously knew we ate the cucumbers.  Grandma laughed and just sliced some more cucumbers up and dropped them in the bowl.  We were eating more and as I went in for seconds Grandpa said “JD you know what happens when you eat cucumbers right?” I’m sure my eyeballs were as big as saucers at this point.  But, I shook my head “No”.  So he says “Well, when you eat cucumbers your tonsils grow back!”  I dropped that cucumber like it was on fire!  I DID NOT want my tonsils growing back.   My Grandma laughed so hard at that.  It has been a joke in our family ever since….LOOONG time ;P

Grandma taught me how to make the best soups, macaroni and cheese, the family Salsa and Banana Bread.   She always told me that I had to accept people for what they were and love them as they are.  Sometimes, you wish better for people but they can’t do better.  So we just accept them, for what they are.  She taught me that even though you might not have the “ideal” family.  They are still your family and that blood is thicker than water.  She taught me that it’s okay to fight, but you always have to make up.  She taught me that sitting on the porch in the summer, listening to the radio is one of the best things ever!  She taught us all to keep our heads up and be strong.  That even if it’s bad, it could always be worse and just be thankful for what you have.  Some of her quotes would crack you up, but I can’t repeat them here!  Those of you that know, are laughing right now lol!

Our family also suffered another great loss this past week.  We lost my Great Uncle Larry.  He was a great man. I always referred to him as my “good looking” great uncle!  He is my Grandmas  sister Flora’s husband.  He was a kind soul and always had nice things to say.  He was always cracking jokes and teasing everyone.  Every family reunion I can remember attending, he made an effort to come and talk to my sister and I.  He was just one of those men that you loved being around because they are fun and have this way of making things feel light and carefree.  My Grandma loved Larry very much and was sad to lose him.  She would want the Lawson family to know,  how much they are all,  in her thoughts and how wonderful they all are.

She was a beautiful person and will be missed greatly.  She was the foundation of our family, the core that held it all together.  The ladies of our family,  have some pretty big shoes to fill now.   She will never be forgotten, forever remembered and eternally loved!

*** In Loving Memory ***

FLORICE CHELL GROW

July 12, 1934- December 21, 2009

There are many different sides to us all.  Those things that make us each unique and just a little bit different than the next.  I have found that as I get older, the more I find out about myself.  At first, I used to be worried about getting older. Especially because as Americans we tend to revolve around “skinny” (like a toothpick) and the fountain of youth (the local plastic surgeon).  I’m not saying that either of those things cannot be great for certain people, I just feel like sometimes there is too much emphasis on such things.  But I have decided that I’m not going to let “getting older” get me down.  I am going to be happy for the fact that,  I get to be with my daughter another year. That we have another year, to celebrate the beauty of life.

So I’m going to share some of what makes me, the person that I am.  The things I like and the some of the things I dislike.  Maybe we have something in common! =)

My Favorites… “Spider Loves” from my daughter, RED, Lilies and wildflowers, Curly hair, belly laughs (when you laugh so hard your stomach hurts!), Fishing, wine, crafting, warm winds, reading, perfume, freshly cut grass, frisbee,  scent of skunk ( I know! I know!), tennis shoes, sunshine, the smell of Chris’s pillow, white towels, my Dad’s coffee, Lilacs, Candles, Camping, Smiles, pictures, a good thunderstorm, the sound of water on a shore, pictures and memories, music and the smell of a campfire.

UN-favorites ( not even a word!!!) Spam, scrambled eggs, waffles, pancakes, sausage…pretty much most breakfast foods, golf (I just wanna drive a cart!), rude people, early mornings, being cold, being tired, laundry, yard work, having a cold, running out of gas, scotch, having fights with people you love, wearing my hair down, not living close to my sister and nieces.

Things I want to do…be successful in my life as a whole, visit a tropical destination,  fish in Alaska and see the Northern Lights, Go on a cruise, visit family more, ski (at least once), Disney Land, watch my daughter get married one day.  Go on a vacation somewhere warm for the holidays and be able to chill in flip flops and sunglasses.  Learn the Salsa.  Mend a friendship or two, get married, try rock climbing and maybe run a marathon.

So there are some things about me!  Hope this finds you all well and in great Holiday spirits!

*hugs*
~J~

It’s late tonight and truthfully, just been one of those days. The lazy days when you don’t wanna get outta bed and you feel like the whole world is against you and your best friend is the closest chocolate bar in the house. You just want to wear your flannel PJ’s that you bust out when you’re in “that mood”. Welcome to me on Monday night…light the candles! Totally romantic LOL. So, here I am in this weepy state and the kleenex box, on the bed beside me. What do I do to myself… I watch the movie Seven Pounds.

I like watching movies like this, every once in a while and being a woman, some times a good cry is just what the doctor ordered. =) But this movie really got to me. I can’t quit thinking about, what “Ben” (Will Smith) put himself through in this movie. How sad for him that he put himself through so much heartache and guilt.  As you watch this movie and really listen to everything going on.  It sure does make you think, of all the things that we take for granted every day.

Just like I said to my friends and family the other day…I am thankful for EVERY one of my friends and family members. In some way or another each of you has touched my life so deeply. I wouldn’t be the same without your influences. Thank you for always being there and being supportive. Family is family, you know everything about each other. Usually good with the bad, you love one another unconditionally.  Friends are the family you get to pick.  Sometimes they stay in our lives and sometimes they go.  I feel blessed with the friends I have.   I feel grateful for the family I have.

I am thankful to have SO many supportive people around me. That have been my cheerleaders, while I have taken on this new life adventure. You’ve known that I have been stressed out and have taken me as I am. I am constantly learning new things, expanding my knowledge to better myself in this career field. I have the luxury of being able to do this from home with the help of my man, Chris. He helps keep me motivated and keeps the faith. Definitley takes my good days in stride, and treads lightly, on the not so good days. =)

Anyhows, I know I sound like a blubbering fool by now and probably have you all thinking that I am a loony toon! But we all have bad days! It’s okay, it’s how we let our emotions flow. Tomorrow is a new day, I’m going to HIDE the kleenex box and stick my face in the sun. I’m going to take the day as it is, and remember all your faces, that make me smile each day! Maybe I will try a new eyeshadow out! I have a pretty sunset color from STILA that looks fun. I’ll get creative and look forward to Christmas tree hunting!

Thanks for reading my blabbering writings! Promise I will have new work/pictures up soon!

*hugs*
~JD~

When I think of the name Jennifer, I think of my best friend.  She is intelligent, strong, kind hearted, stubborn, a daughter,  an aunt and a mother.  She is my best friend in the world,  my biggest fan, the keeper of my secrets and my childhood bruise maker! She is my SISTER!  I miss her all the time.  She lives in Southern Idaho and we get the opportunity to see each other usually, once a year.  It is NOT nearly often enough and I feel like I have a hole in my heart, all the time.

As most of you that know me personally, you know that I have lived in Oregon for 11 years.  Before living here,  I grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. mostly. I still have many, many relatives that live down there.   My sophomore year of  High school, I moved to South Eastern Idaho.   This was a huge transition for both my sister and myself.  I think for any teenager at that age, it would be a somewhat hard thing to undergo.  Jen and I are 2 1/2 years apart.  So, she gets to make fun of me for turning 30 before her…haha, getting gray hair before her…it’s lovely.  Yet,  it’s the glue of sisterhood.

Jen and I are complete opposites!  She’s blonde,  I’m brunette.   She dresses more like a tomboy,  I’m more girly.   She tells great jokes and is hilarious,  well… I can’t tell a joke to save my life and I’m more the dry sense of humor.   She is going to school to become a mechanic, I am getting a career started in makeup.  She likes sour, I like sweet.  So,  as you can see the list goes on.  But, even though we are such opposites, it works for us.                        

For those of you that stay with me and keep reading (even if you don’t want to) but continue to do so to support me ( I love you for doing this!) You know that my sister was here, visiting for Thanksgiving.  While she was here, I did her makeup and of course the talented Chris Steele took her pictures.  It was FREEZING cold outside, we were all shivering. My daughter was dancing around singing a moon/sun song with the reflector, as we all laughed at her! But, the background made it all worth it.   She looks amazing!

I love you with all my heart “Peeper”!  I could never imagine,  having anyone but YOU as my sister.  You are such a beautiful person inside and out.  I am SO thankful for our time together in November. Thank you for letting me do your makeup and letting us take pictures.  Your photos are absolutely stunning!  Hopefully, sooner rather than later, we will be together again.  Missing you and loving you always.

~Jay~

~“We are grown and very different now.  People say- ” I would never have taken her for your sister.”

But we share the glimmering dark, birthday cuddles.  We share a secret land where no one else can come.

For we are bound together by a thousand memories.”   -Helen Exley