Come One, Come All! It's Free Museum Day!

So it was time again for the free museum day! If you've been reading this blog for at least a year, you know we go to this every year.  There are over 100 different museums in the Sacramento area that are offered on the Free Museum Day, and we go to ones that we have never been to before..or at least haven't been in a while.

This year we got a late start and only went to two. We normally try for three or four, depending on the crowds and how hungry we get!

We started out at the Leland Stanford Mansion which is in downtown Sac.

The Stanford Mansion was owned by the Stanford's who also started Stanford University in the bay area. They made car loads of money by investing in the railroad. The interesting thing about the Stanford Mansion is that it continues to serve as the official reception building when dignitaries come to visit the governor. They still have receptions and balls that are held here.

The mansion is truly a mansion, just coming in at a measly 19,000 square feet!  It still has many of the original furnishings in it, as it did in the 1800's,  because when Mrs. Stanford donated it, she just left it as it was. She didn't want to take any of the furnishings with her. She didn't need them.

Notice all the detail work!

 

 

Here is Hannah and Jacob goofing off while we were waiting in line:

 

We then headed over to the California State Railroad Museum which they say is the largest and most popular railroad museum in North America! It had been a few years since we had been here, so we braved the crowds and went in.

There is so much to see here!  Much better when it's not so crowded!

Jacob doesn't even come close to being as big as the wheel! That could really smash pennies that somehow feel on the track!

 

All in all, we had a good free museum day!  Until next time!

It Must Be Getting To Be Spring

I went outside today to mow the lawn and smelled something sweet....good....I liked it...

What was it?  It was the trees in full bloom and the blossoms were very fragrant!  Too bad it can't smell like that all the time!!

SNIFF SNIFF

We spent the afternoon pruning all the overgrown bushes and shrubs...

This one is way to tall to prune....

We filled up the "green" trash can and have to wait to put the rest in.

There isn't much left of this rose bush....

Then we hung up two bird houses and painted one that was old and weathered...

Jacob made this one for cub scouts...

Hannah and Marissa got out the paints and set them all up.

 

For Sale & Some Random Things

So we have some signs all over the house that Hannah put up. You see, she was having a "sale" of some of the things she found in her room.  She was inviting everyone to her sale.

There was no missing where the sale was. Just follow the arrows.

Some of the featured items for sale were:

7 Bracelets

5 Necklaces

A Pencil and

A Skateboard

I went to her sale and picked out a few items. She told it was going to be $2.00 so I went and got some play money.  I gave it to her and she said, "NO Dad. It has to be REAL money!"

We all enjoyed her sale. I think she is practicing for the "Gwilliam Auction!"

LET'S GO CAMPING

Since we have church so late in the day now, it's sometimes hard for the kids to find activities to do before Church.  Marissa, Hannah and Jacob decided to make a "CAMP" in the living room with blankets, pillows, and anything else they could find. 

It was a pretty good camp!

LET'S GO SHOPPING

So I went to Safeway the other day and bought this:

It doesn't seem like much when you put it out on the table.  The register said the price should have been $110.  But what did I pay?  Half of that? Are you kidding? You don't know me very well!  How about $23.  The checker was amazed.

I SPY

I peeked into Marissa and Meghan's rooms when they were downstairs watching iCarly and wouldn't know I was in their rooms. I just had to take a photo of it.  You can use it as the I SPY game.  How many different things can you find in their rooms?

When they saw that I had the photos, they went complaining to Mom. And what did she say?  "You should know better girls!  You never know what will end up on the blog when Daddy is around!"

Here is Marissa's:

And Meghan's:

 

The Circle Of Life

Remember the movie "The Lion King" and it opens with a baby lion being held by his dad over the land, and as the movie progresses, we see that lion growing up, getting older, and having a lion cub of his own, and then finally holding that lion up over the land.

It's the Circle of Life - it keeps on going..without interruption. We are born into this world, and then we live a while and then we leave this part of the circle and continue it elsewhere.

Shelley and I just attended a funeral for a woman in our ward who was very special, very loved, and only 65 years old. She went from being healthy to her funeral in 6 months. She touched many with her kindness and smiles and selfless service. Even though it was a very sad thing, there was peace and comfort at the funeral in knowing that she was prepared and more importantly, that her life continues, and we will be with her again.

That brings me to Grandma Petersen (Doug's mom's mother) who is 86 years old. She too, is completing her circle of earthly life and is almost ready to complete the circle of life in another place which will be so much more happier than here on earth.  She had a blood transfusion last week, but it hasn't helped.  The doctor told Grandma yesterday that her kidneys are almost in full failure.

This blog post will focus as a tribute to Grandma and Grandpa Petersen, in a hope that Grandma Petersen will be able to read it and realize all that she has accomplished and all those lives she has touched.

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

Memories are funny things. They define our lives. Our family goes to amusement parks often. Sure we have a good time, but the "fun" we have is short. It's a fleeting moment in time. It's over quickly. It doesn't last. It's the memories that last. The memories become part of us and in a way, become who we are.

"We do not remember days. We remember moments."

While growing up, my family had the privilege of living close to Grandma and Grandpa Petersen most of their lives. They were part of our family.  Even after moving to Utah and starting a family there, Grandma and Grandpa Petersen were still close by!  They moved from California to Ogden, Utah, so my new family  still saw quite a bit of Grandpa and Grandma Petersen.

We love Grandma and Grandpa Petersen. Grandpa died in 2003 and ever since Grandma has been missing him so much! In the past 5 years, we have gotten to strengthen our relationship with Grandma Petersen, and are so glad we had this opportunity!  Grandma and Grandpa Petersen were not grandparents that you could get away with doing anything you wanted as a grandkid.  There were rules that had to be followed, and obedience and respect that was expected. We got in trouble by them! But it also showed us that they loved us and cared for us.

First, some history about Grandma and Grandpa's parents, since that is where it begins:

Here is a video of Grandma's mother (Great Grandma Campbell), who lived to be 99.

 

Here is another photo of her mother and her father. Her father had one of the first trailers for his fancy car.  I remember Great Grandma Campbell, as she lived with Grandpa and Grandma Petersen for a while. She loved loved loved to watch Lawrence Welk. Whenever we went over to their house, everything stopped for the Lawrence Welk show.

Here is the only photo I found of Grandpa Petersen's dad, who was a shoemaker who came to America from Denmark.

 

Grandma Petersen was born in Liberty, Utah in 1922.

Here she is around 3 years old:

Here is a family portrait. She is in the middle on the bottom:

6th Grade:

8th Grade Graduation:

Junior in High School:

20 Years Old:

Grandma and Grandpa met at a dance and it was love at first sight! They got married and went on to have four children - one daughter, and three sons. Linda, my mom, is the oldest. Here are some photos of them:

Here she is performing in a ward talent show when she was 37 (she is in the middle):

Here is some of the happy couple through the years:

 

Here they are with Great Grandma before she died:

Here is a video of Gpa's birthday when they lived in Benicia.  You can see my mom and dad and me and my sis's in the video too:

Most of my memories come from when I was around 8-17 or so. We lived in Auburn and Grandma and Grandpa lived in Benicia which is in the bay area, about an hour from Sacramento.  Grandpa worked for Chrysler/Dodge at the port where all the cars arrived by boat into California. He took on some tours once and I was amazed!  He was a 'big-wig' there and everyone called him "SIR" when they saw him. I was so proud he was my Grandpa!

He was a 'lifer' for Chrysler/Dodge and retired from there. He would only buy Chrysler/Dodge products and was proud of them!

Grandpa was a perfectionist!  Everything he did had a purpose, a place and it was done the right way the first time.

I remember his car he turned into a truck and the stares we would get when he would take us for rides in it.

He took this car:

and turned it into this truck:

It was awesome!  The fins on the lights, and all the cool buttons in the front! We loved riding in it, and Grandpa was so proud to drive it around!

He then built a camper for it too!

And a trailer:

Here is a video of Gpa and Gma doing some work at their house in Roseville. Notice the car/truck in the garage, and I love the playful dance Gma does at the end of the video:

I remember going to Marine World (way before it was Six Flags) with Grandma. I was staying at their house for about a week, and Marine World was only 15 mins away, and she took me. I thought it was so cool that my Grandma was taking me to Marine World!  We had a great time!

Grandma and Grandpa Petersen traveled all over the country, Canada, Alaska, and Mexico.  The would be gone for like 3-4 months straight! They bought a big winnebago and towed their car behind them.

I was always so sad to see them go because we wouldn't be able to see them for months!

This is in Canada:

They went on a trip to Mexico where they loaded their cars on flatbed trains and it took them all over Mexico jungles. I thought that it was adventurous that my grandparents would do something like that! They had a blast!

 

Grandpa found out that if you tow a front wheel drive vehicle behind, you have to lift up the front wheels, because with the car off, there is no lubrication getting to the gears that drive the wheels, and your transmission gets ruined.  Problem?  Not really. Grandpa figured it out. He just made a little thingy that attached to the car and using power from the motorhome, circulated the transmission fluid in the car you were towing so the wheels could turn. He called it the "Tag-A-Matic" and sold many of them in car magazines. He made each one by hand.

He was so smart!!

When they moved to Ogden, Utah, I was living in Utah and had a family of my own. We would go to Idaho about monthly to see Shelley's mom and dad, and each time we went, we would stop by Grandma and Grandpa's house to visit. Many times we had a slumber party there and spent the night. The kids loved it.

Here is a video of Grandpa showing his garage addition he was building:

Grandma always made us yummy sandwiches and salad. And she introduced me to the Orville Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn popper, that I use today! It's the best thing ever for microwave popcorn! Thanks Grandma!

 

Here she is at Chevy's for her birthday. They give you the hat, make you wear it, and sing to you and you get to keep the hat.

Here is a video of Grandpa's workshop. Notice how everything has it's place and NOTHING is out of place! I got in trouble so many times because I never put things back where they belonged!

I asked my brother and sisters to relate any memories they have of Grandma to add to mine above and here is what Lynnette wrote:

My favorite memory was of their house in Benicia.  They had all those snails and we would try to keep ourselves entertained by pouring salt on them.

I also remember what a wonderful daughter Grandma was to her mom.  How she took care of Great Grandma when she was unable to take care of herself.

I remember that she always bought Fleishman’s margarine and it was yummy on the white rolls she had at her house.

I remember that Benicia house too...I remember the snails, and they lived on a cul-de-sac at the bottom of a hill. We would run down the hill and have races. Grandpa always told us to be careful, because we might skin our knees.

Here is what Cherie had to say:

Things I remember about Grandma:

When we spent the night at her house in Benicia, she always let me ride on Great Grandmas seat into the tub. It was cool, like a swing in the bathroom.

Grandma's house always reminded me of snails, because of the white flowers she had growing next to the front sidewalk, they always had snails. She let us take salt and shrink the snails until they were dead. To this day, whenever I smell these flowers, I instantly am reminded of Grandma's house. I smell "snails". I even planted some at my house.

She always let me play her Organ.

Once, for my birthday, she asked me what I wanted for dinner, anything and she would make it. I didn't know. She asked if I ever had shrimp cocktail. I thought it sounded so exotic and couldn't believe my grandmother would let me have an alcoholic beverage for my birthday. So, of course, I chose that....what a surprise I had when sitting down to dinner grandma brought out all those little jar things filled with red sauce and surrounded by little shrimp. I tasted it, hated it, but was grateful to Grandma for trying to make me happy.

Every time I see roses I think of Grandma. She had that globe that always sat on her white table in the front room. It had a rose inside of it. I could never figure out how it never died. I loved looking at that thing.

I think I remember trying on all her shoes.

I also remember sitting and talking to her when I got older, realizing what a great sense of humor she has.

I remember being so sad when her and Grandpa left for their trip in the huge Winnebago and being so excited when they came back. Grandma brought me back a ring made out of a nail from a horseshoe.   

I love Grandma so much and am proud to call her my grandmother. She has always been there for us kids. She always remembered my birthday and after I got married always sent cards at Christmas. She just sits and watches everyone at gatherings, taking it all in. How proud she must be to see all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, knowing that she is the matriarch of this wonderful family.  Most of all, I thank grandma for showing me how to love my family and love my husband. Every time I saw her and grandpa together, even if they were sitting in their matching recliners, I could feel how much they loved and respected each other. Never did I see or hear Grandpa say anything but loving and respectful words to her. I know she misses him tremendously and wants to be reunited with her love.  Thanks Grandma for being such an example to me and giving me memories that I will never forget. I love you.

Adam was pretty young when all this happened, so he didn't have too many memories to add to what has been said.

Like Cherie, I also remember those items she mentioned, although I never got shrimp cocktail!  The rose in the glass case, was a dried rose and it was in an airtight glass enclosure. The rose never faded.  I think that represented the love that Grandma and Grandpa had for each other.

They were always smiling. Always hugging. Always there for each other.

25th Anniversary:

 

50th Anniversary:

I think this is how I will always remember Grandma and Grandpa as:

And then this one of Grandpa which was taken when he was on a ice fishing trip. It's Grandma's favorite. She has it sitting on her tv and she looks at it every night. I love his big smile. It's so sincere and full of love.

We miss Grandpa very much. We will miss Grandma very much. But we will find comfort and peace in the thought of them smiling and looking at each other again, and hugging each other again soon. 

To that time when Grandma leaves the earth, and in an instant passes into another life, I know the first person that she will see. It will be Grandpa smiling from ear to ear with his arms stretched out and running towards her. And she too will have her hands stretched out, smiling and running towards him.

Grandpa will have his finger back, his eye back, and Grandma will no longer be in pain.

What a happy reunion it will be!

We love you Grandma!

We love you Grandpa!

Thanks for the memories!