Summers...Family History Journal

Bonus Question #5: How did you spend your summers?

As a child, my sisters and I spent our summers at my grandparents' homes. My parents worked, so my paternal grandma cared for us after school and during much of the summer. Her home was a second home for us. My grandparents had a pool in their backyard, so we spent many hours swimming. My grandma read to us. We played in the front and backyard. My grandma drew paper dolls and we spent hours drawing and creating clothing for the paper dolls. We watched tv. (I remember my sisters went through a phase of loving Star Wars and watched it nearly every day...I soon tired of Star Wars and dreaded seeing it on the tv.)

We also took trips to Utah nearly every summer to see my maternal grandparents. They lived in Holladay, and many summers we would stay with them for about a month. (Just us kids... my parents would usually drive us up but wouldn't stay for more than a couple of days. They had to return to work.) We would ride bikes to the Holladay Library to check out books. We would play with kids in the neighborhood. One summer I became good friends with a boy named Mark Skinner who was in my grandma's ward. I played with him nearly every day, and we watched The Last Unicorn over and over among other activities. One of my aunts and one of my uncles were still single when I was a young girl, and Brent and Elaine (my mom's brother and sister) would take us fun places... Lagoon, Raging Waters, and the 49th Street Galleria. I remember the summer when Brent was engaged to my Aunt Diane and spending time with them at Diane's family's home. I can also remember when Elaine married Phil. (I wasn't at the wedding, but I can remember visiting them and having sleepovers at their home after they were married.)

Very fun summers filled with many happy memories.

Today I still love summers. I love being off work and spending time with my children. Life feels a little more relaxing and peaceful and even lazy in the summer. We go swimming and we take vacations and we play games together and we go to museums. Michelle practices fiddling and has a fiddle concert each August. I love summertime and hope that my children will look back with fond memories on their summers just as I can remember wonderful summers in my childhood.