Later this month, my grandmother Betty Jean turns 90. Since I will probably be preoccupied by a baby or an impending baby around the actual date, I wanted to wish her a happy birthday a bit early. Besides, by 90 I think you should be able to celebrate for a whole month, don't you? Here are a few pictures - from her wedding day to my
grandfather, and from this past year.
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| Engagement, Spring 1943 |
She grew up on a farm in Nebraska during the Great Depression and went to college at Hastings College, where she met my grandfather. She left after two years to teach - during the war they needed teachers and she needed money.
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| Wedding Day, May 14, 1944 |
After the war, she and my grandfather raised three children. When my mom (the eldest) was in high school, Grandma went back to college to finish her BA, then went for her masters while teaching elementary school. Eventually, she was a reading specialist (like my mother) and taught for 20 years. She is the daughter of a school teacher, her daughter was a teacher and librarian, and my cousin is a teacher. Who knows what the next generation will bring (currently at 3, with 2 more soon to arrive), but I bet a teacher and/or librarian will be among them!
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| Beating my mother at Yahtzee. But she had help! |
After she and my grandfather retired, they spent many years traveling the world, having adventures hiking and bird watching. She even hiked the Grand Canyon in her 60s, twice!
When each of us grand kids was old enough, we got to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa, alone, doing fun things with them. On my trip, we rode the steam train up to the Grand Canyon and went on hikes around Sedona, where they lived.
Happy Birthday Grandma Betty! Thank you for all the love and support you have given me over the years - I am so blessed to know you.
2 comments:
Grandma told me last week that by the time you reach your 90's you get to celebrate the entire year. She's been calling herself "90" since January ... =)
Thanks for this special blog, Hope! Grandma has loved her grandkids...One of my favorite memories is when she had you individual children dictate a story which she wrote up in your ver own words, then she made a cloth cover and sewed the pages and cover together into a book. My kids still have their book! Having been inspired by this activity I did the same thing for a little friend while I was visiting a family in France several years ago (Chloe is now 20 and she still has her book!)
Happy Birthday, Betty. I HOPE that we do something as a family to celebrate - at least before the end of the year ;-)
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