Today would have been my Grandpa Kenison's 100th Birthday if he was still with us. So to celebrate, Aunt Kathy arranged a birthday party in honor of Grandpa at Chuck-A-Rama in Draper. She reserved a room and invited everyone who could come.
This turned out a little blurry. But as you can see we had a really good turn out.
Here's a better one.
Sorry Jared. Caught ya chewing.
It kind of felt like a date in a way. We sat by ourselves in a booth at dinner. The kids decided we were too boring and sat with Jim & Cherie and Jamie. It was weird in a way. Felt like we were on display with the whole fam watching us cause we were child-less. Plus Jamie saying all we needed was candle lite to eat by. I told her we better not. Jared would start something on fire; probably by trying to cook it.
Once we finished eating, Aunt Kathy broke out a quiz for everyone about Grandpa.
It was fun talking about Grandpa. I was only six and a half when he passed away. I don't remember him much but I hear stories now and then from my Dad. The things I remember about him was... Never sit in his orange chair! He'd kick you out.
And, he didn't smile much. Also, he hated pictures.
And, he didn't smile much. Also, he hated pictures.
Here's Grandpa's life all summed up....
Eye Color: Blue (That's where my Dad and Hunter get it from)
His Favorite Dessert: Pie And how did he like to eat it? Whole!
His Favorite Sunday Dinner: Roast Beef and mashed potatoes (Sounds like my Dad.)
His Favorite thing on his Roast Beef: His homemade hot mustard sauce he'd make with his "Secret Herbs and Spices". (That's also what he called it. Aunt Kathy gave me the recipe. It's really hot!)
His Favorite Outdoor Pastime: Fishing
His Favorite Indoor Pastimes: Solitaire, Crossword Puzzles which he'd do 2 thick books of a week.
Where He Worked at the Time of His Retirement: Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe
How Did He Like to Sleep?: Loudly! He'd sleep on his side with one pillow under his head, one over his head, and his hand over his eyes to shut the light out. Then he'd snore away! (My cousin's said when they'd go fishing and stay over night he'd snore like crazy until a car would drive past. Then he'd stop, wait for the car to pass, then continue.)
His Favorite TV Shows: Lawrence Welk, Dallas, Bonanza, Alfred Hitchcock (which I love!), Gunsmoke, and some Star Trek.
How many Siblings He Had: seven
His Mom's Name: Mary Ellen Davies
His Dad's Name: Thomas Silvis
Where He was Raised: Talmage (That's where my Dad was born.)
What Religious Activity He Volunteered for that was so Shocking: He and Grandma would do Sealings at the temple at 5:30 in the morning. Grandpa hated mornings. He'd never get up earlier than 9 or 10 a.m. (My Grandma was SO opposite! She was up at 4:30 every morning to start on her daily chores.)
A Couple of Callings He Held in the Church: Executive Secretary and in the High Priest Group Leadership.
How He Buttered His Bread: Thick! To say he loved butter is an understatement. If the bread was and inch thick, he'd have two inches of butter. And if there was peanut butter involved, it'd be on top of the butter and even thicker then the butter. Crazy Grandpa. Good thing they didn't know as much back then about cholesterol as they do now.
His Favorite Colors: Rust, Avocado Green and Harvest Gold. His house was decorated in these colors. Also Grandpa was color blind. When Grandma and Aunt Kathy did the laundry, they'd hang his clothes in sections and told him to take one shirt from this section, and pants from another so he'd match. He never listened. He'd come out wearing a blue shirt and green pants that didn't match. They'd tell him to go change so he'd come out with it reversed and still didn't match. Ha, ha!
Some Things He'd Cook for His Kids Growing Up: Fried potatoes and onions, and pancakes. And not the regular pancakes. He'd fill the whole cast iron skillet with batter so they'd come out two inches thick. And then plop three down on a plate and make the kids eat the whole thing. Aunt Kathy said they were nasty. He wasn't a good cook, but he sure thought he was.
Where Grandpa and Grandma met: At a Sawmill in Strawberry Valley. Grandma was a waitress there. She liked Grandpa's older brother Albert first. But ended up marrying Grandpa.
Grandpa's Favorite Hymn: O My Father (I love this one, too.) Aunt Kathy played it at his funeral. She said Grandpa had a lovely singing voice, too, and would at times sing with Aunt Kathy. But he'd never be caught singing in public!
Another Fact from his Childhood: As a Teenager, Grandpa spent a good deal of his summers herding sheep in the high country. (Loved hearing this. I love hearing about my family's country roots. Jared used to call me a city girl. But I'm completely country at heart. He quit calling me that though after I hauled my dead bull's head in the back of my truck. See, only country folk would ever do that.)
Dad ended the night by saying he had to go cause he didn't have any headlights. That was Grandpa's famous saying. Also, he'd say he'd do the dishes when it was paper plates for dinner.
I'm so blessed to come from this family. I've always felt that way. There's something different about them. Every one's so caring and always so happy to be together. There's good values, too. Hard workers. And Love. I couldn't ask for a better family. Just wished everyone lived closer so I could see them more.
Happy Birthday Grandpa!
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