My Grandparents were pretty amazing and I was lucky to grow up with Grandparents like them. Even though we lived far away from them for the first part of my life, I have many happy memories of their visits to us and our summer visits to them and a few odd memories along the Yellowhead Highway in between. They're all floating around in my head today and I'm honestly surprised by how many there are! Admittedly, some are pretty foggy because I was a child but some are so, so clear. One of my favourite memories is of raising Grandpa's flag in his yard in Regina. Eventually, my Grandma and Grandpa moved back to London and they lived about 5 minutes from us. We had big family holiday meals and Sunday dinners, they watched an endless number of sporting events and school concerts and eventually high school and university graduations and took great pleasure in helping us when we needed them. After my parents returned to Alberta, Grandma and Grandpa's place became a home to go to on weekends from university, it was very much a refuge where we could study for exams, get together with friends or just hang out. They picked us up from the train station, lent us their car and invited our friends into their home with open arms. One time they even drove all the way from London to Waterloo to pick me up, bring me to their place and nurse me back to health when I was sick. Another time, they drove my roommate and I home late at night because our train never came and I had a paper due in the morning. They often appeared in odd places to watch Ringette games, they'd happily drive a couple of hours to watch their grandchildren play a sport they loved. It was a hard transition for us when our parents moved back to Alberta and Grandma and Grandpa stepped right in and made is so much easier. As we grew and moved on from University we always knew that they were there when we needed love and support. I will never forget the animal sounds, the visits to the Regina Leader Post, the Roughrider games or all those $20 bills that Grandpa used to slip me (often right before of after Grandma had slipped me one of her own). I will never forget the way my oldest daughter Madi adored him and how he looked at her with such fascination or the way he used to touch my youngest daughter Ali's feet and hold his hand out for hers while he looked at her with pure joy. He never forgot to ask my husband, Jason how his beloved Roughriders were doing and to ask about the most recent scores. As we get older, we often see less of our Grandparents as we move away and have families of our own but we never forget that childhood feeling of excitement knowing that they're coming for Christmas or wondering what cool things we'll do with on our summer visit. We never forget raising their flag, getting lost trying to find them at work or having them chuckle when we once again land our butts in the penalty box. We never forget their kindness or all their guidance along the way. Our grandparents are a big part of who we are. My Grandpa overcame a lot in his life to become the Grandpa and Great Grandpa that he was and I know that he left behind four granddaughters and five great grandchildren that are so very thankful that he did. My grandpa used to walk our dog when we were growing up. He loved to walk her in the woods. She used to get so excited when she saw him coming. While he was walking, he'd plant tulips back in the woods for everyone to enjoy. I bet they're still there now making people smile just like all the memories that he's left us with. Now, Grandpa is with Grandma and I bet he found that old family dog along the way and maybe they'll plant more tulips or maybe they just sit back and watch all the tulips they've already planted grow. I'll miss you Gramps, thanks for the amazing memories!