Utah trips.. we love you Jay Proctor!

I am doing a little back tracking still.. The previous post of Emma's two year photo's as I mentioned were taken outside of the Bountiful, Utah temple. We went there for David Frost's sealing on Friday, June 11th. He and John have been good friends since junior high.. maybe elementary.. and he is one of my favorite friend's of John's. We were happy to be able to make if for the sealing. Emma and I stayed outside and took the picutures during the sealing. It was beautiful. Later that night at the reception Emma's reaction to seeing Jessalyn in her wedding dress was so funny. . she was calling her "fishy! fishy!" and was sooo excited! I knew right away that she was talking about The Little Mermaid, who at the end of the movie is wearing her beautiful wedding dress. It's so funny that Emma immediately thought it was her.. she would have a blast at Disney Land!! Jessalyn apparently loved The Little Mermaid too and was happy with the association.. :) Don't you just love her vintage dress and veil? (her whole theme was fabulous!)

We were origianally planning on staying in Northern Utah after the reception and drive home in the morning, but on our way up for the wedding my mom was on her way to Panguitch because Grandpa Proctor was not doing well. He has been sick for a while, but just a few days before a large tumor was found in his stomach and he had fluid in his lungs and was not doing well at all. We were on our way to Panguitch, and almost there, when he started doing a lot worse later at night.. He passed away just about 30 minutes before we got there. I was not too disappointed that we were not there with them when he died, but very grateful we could be there for the family afterwards. He wanted to go home so bad. I guess when asked what he wanted for Father's Day (which was two days away) he said he wanted to go home to his sweetheart. He got his wish. It had been almost two months that Grandma had passed away, and they were ablt to spend thier 74th (!!) wedding anniversary together.. (I think just a few days to a week after he passed away). We stayed for several hours the next day to help Grandma and Grandpa with some cleaning and things at the house so they wouldn't have too much to worry about while getting ready for the funeral. It is amazing how busy and productive Grandpa is! I enjoyed watching him work. :)

I'm really glad we got to spend some time with my mom. I really wish we could see her more so Emma can really know her! (p.s... being so big and pregnant it was soooooo nice in Utah where the weather was wet and rainy and quite cool. I loved it!)

Emma and I came back a few days later for the funeral. John had tests in school and work..

What a great man Jay Proctor is! He has left such a wonderful legacy. Of course we always knew he was a wonderful great-grandfather. He was always so interested in what the kids were doing. He would come and play with us and made videos of us playing and jumping on the trampoline. He would take us as groups or individually on rides with him to check the water meters around the mountains. He would always sing "You Are My Sunshine" on those trips. :) I was able to learn at the funeral that we was always like that with his own kids and grandkids- well of course he was! I guess he was actually envied by SEVERAL of Grandma's and Jay's friends while growing up. It was really hard on Grandma to lose her parents. But of course she knows she'll see him again and that he really was ready to go and wanted to be with Grandma so bad. He would often say that he just wanted to fall asleep and not wake up. :( I'm glad that he didn't have to endure too much physical pain. I am so grateful for my family and the legacy they have given us!!

Amber, the musicially talented woman she is, wrote an arrangement the morning of the funeral for "How Great Thou Art". That is one of my favorite hymns and it was a blessing to be able to sing it for the funeral. My mom, siblings and a few cousins (James Duckett, Jayson Frandsen, Diana Frandsen and Shalee Beckwith) all sang. It actually turned out really good. Grandma liked it so much she requested a repeat for her funeral. We told her okay as long as we had a realllly really long time to practice. :)