Thursday, February 28, 2008

Won't You Be My Neighbour?


The house next door just went up for sale yesterday. This is the opportunity you have been waiting for.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Blue-Eyed Boy


I never seem to get around to writing a real post lately, but I've still been taking quite a few pictures. Here's a cute one from about a week ago of Scott and his mom. Look at how big he is getting!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Graveside Service

I had the honour of being a pallbearer and saying the prayer to dedicate my Grandpa's grave. It was an experience I'll never forget, so I'm glad that somebody managed to take some decent pictures of the occasion, like this photo from my cousin's blog.

Byron J Anderson 1921 ~ 2008 Byron J Anderson, age 87, beloved husband of the late Shirley Taylor Anderson, passed away peacefully at home early Sunday morning, Feb. 3, 2008.He is survived by his sister Moselle Baker of Raymond, Alberta; and his brother Gordon Anderson of Lethbridge, Alberta; his three children and their spouses: Lynne Wride (Marc) of Murray, UT; Dr. Douglas Anderson (Lisa) of Naperville, Illinois; and Margo Denning (Robert) of McCall, Idaho; his 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Byron was born Jan. 12, 1921 in Taber, Alberta Canada, the oldest son of Joseph LeRoy Anderson and Annie LaVern Fairbanks. He moved with his family to Raymond Alberta Canada when he was 12 years old, completed high school in Raymond, then attended University of Alberta and graduated with a bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering. On Dec. 28th, 1945 he married Shirley, whom he had known since he was 12, in the Cardston Alberta L.D.S. Temple. After living in Calgary, and Montreal they moved to Tuscola, IL where he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. They retired to Salt Lake City in 1984 to be closer to family. He truly felt a responsibility to leave the world a better place and thus his favorite phrase was "the world is run by those who show up". Because of that, no matter where he lived he was always very active in his church, community, and politics. But above all he knew that he was a child of God and treated others as such. His passions were family, music, Scouting, sailing, amateur radio, gardening, and beekeeping. He was much loved and will be greatly missed. Funeral services will be held Sat. February 9, 2008, 11 a.m. at the Murray Little Cottonwood 6th Ward Chapel, 6410 S. 725 E. Friends may call Friday, Feb. 8th from 7-9 p.m. at the Holladay-Cottonwood Mortuary, 4670 S. Highland Dr., and Sat. at the ward from 9:30-10:30 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Holladay Cemetery, 4900 S. Memory Ln. (1990 E.)

Friday, February 08, 2008

Goodbye Grandpa A

I am flying from Calgary to Salt Lake today for my Grandpa's funeral. He passed away in his sleep between Saturday night and Sunday morning, four years after my Grandma left us. Grandpa spent at least one full year on oxygen because of a degenerative pulmonary condition. He could feel the clock ticking, but it didn't bother him much. He described himself as "playing out the endgame of his life" -- as if it was all one big game of chess. I like his comparison because it implies two things: 1) that he was winning the game; and 2) that he still had moves to make. I don't know if that's quite what he meant, but that's how I like to think of it.

For the last 7 years since we got married we have alternated between our respective families for Christmas vacation. This is mainly because we only had the time and money to visit one during the break. Now that we are back in Calgary, it was possible to spend Christmas with R's family and New Year's down in Salt Lake City with my family. This was a particularly good thing because it was the only opportunity little Scotty ever had to meet his Great Grandpa A. I think they both appreciated the opportunity:


We will miss Grandpa. He was a remarkable man. There was no end to the man's gusto, and I don't think I've ever met his equal. It is sad to think that we'll not seem him again, but that feeling is partially offset by the thought of him being together again with Grandma.