Grandpa and Grandma Nielsen

July is an exciting month for my Nielsen grandparents as they celebrate their wedding anniversary and both of their birthdays. They were married on July 3rd and just celebrated their 63rd anniversary. My Grandpa still carries in his wallet pictures of my grandma that she sent him while he was in the navy several years before they were married. He finally made a copy of the pictures because they were getting so worn out after carrying them around for over 60 years in a wallet. I need to get a copy of the pictures for myself. I think they have such a great love story. I wonder if I could find a guy out there to marry that is as cool as my grandpa. I'm not sure if guys like him exist in my age group:). They are both such great examples to me.

My Grandpa turned 88 on July 12th. He is such an amazing man! I love hearing stories from his past. I thought I had heard them all but I still am learning new things about him. I also love hearing him play the organ (even when my Grandma gets after him for playing it too loud:). He is an avid gardner and I love that he is so willing to share his produce with all of us.

I stole the wedding picture above along with this picture of my Grandpa during his Navy years and the following sentiments from my Aunt Barbara's blog because I thought she described him so well.

He was a successful missionary, husband, father, dairy farmer, active community leader, grandfather and great grandfather and a very honest hard working man who has lived a really good life for all of these 88 years.

He sure was a handsome young man.

I was lucky enough to be able to celebrate with him twice. His birthday was on a Sunday so my family took him to dinner on Saturday night and again on Monday night with some of my Aunts and cousin Jenna. Saturday night at dinner I sat by him which was great because then I got to hear some of those good stories. I am so amazed by his health and he told me that he hasn't been to a doctor in 8 years besides the eye doctor and he doesn't take any medication. Pretty impressive for a guy his age. He does like to get home before it's dark so it's hard to get him to stick around at parties for a long time.

My Grandma will turn 84 on July 21st. She is also an amazing woman. I loved going to grandma's house as a kid (and still do). It was such a treat because she took such great care of us and made the best breakfast. It seems like even if it was something simple like oatmeal it was a fancy meal because she made everything so nice all the way down to how she set the table. She is one of the best cooks, a dinner at Grandma's was the best! I think when I would go to her house the first stop was always the cookie jar. She always looks great too with her hair and make-up done and she dresses nice. I think the only time I've seen her without make-up and being all done up was when she was in the hospital. I always have thought of her as such a classy lady. She probably worries about me when she stops by in the afternoons and i'm still in my pajamas with no make-up on and my hair in a pony tail. (What can I say, I get really lazy in the summer or on Saturdays:).) It's hard to see my Grandma slowing down a bit and in pain frequently. She still manages to have a great attitude and gets out a lot even though it's kind of hard on her.

I feel so blessed that while I was growing up I lived close to my Nielsen grandparents. They have always been a big part of my life supporting me in everything that I do from dance recitals, birthday parties, graduations, and staying up to date on what I'm doing. I am glad that I still get to see them frequently. They rarely miss a family function. They take so much pride in their family even the ones they don't get to see very often, they love talking about their posterity with anyone that will listen.

I hope that I get to celebrate many more birthdays with them!