Wednesday, June 25, 2008

short version

so this is going to be fast...i don't have alot of time right now. yesterday (tuesday) at about 11 am-ish i got a call from derek's mom. she was calling to tell us that derek's grandpa was being taken to the hospital...they thought he'd suffered from a stroke, and things were not looking good. derek was at work, but he left the instant he found out. we were on the road to salt lake at 12:15pm. (thank you, thank you!) it's fabulous having older girls who can basically pack themselves. we kept getting updates about every hour on ray's condition. what actually happened was on monday he fell, hit his head, and his brain started to bleed. the docs couldn't get the bleeding to stop, so they made ray as comfortable as possible until his heart finally stopped beating. it was REALLY important to derek that he get to say goodbye to is grandpa. they have always been so close. we got to the hospital at 2am, and ray passed away at 2:45 am. i'm so greatful for the gospel and the knowledge i have that families can be together forever. these times are hard, but there is also peace in death....especially when the person who dies is righteous. on father's day derek called his grandpa. ray has suffered from 2 other strokes, and they made his speach hard to understand sometimes, but he was talking so well that day. he told derek he knew that out of everyone derek would call him that day. we're so lucky for all the good examples we've had in our lives. between derek and i we only have my grandpa and his grandma who are still alive. i'm determined that my children will have a close bond with all of their grandparents.
on another note....we had planned to go to st. george the 13th of july to visit family, and be in town when kristina has her baby. i didn't think driving 1200 miles 4 times in one month would be that hard. boy was i wrong....being 30 weeks pregnant made the trip alot harder for me. so now the plan is that derek will stay until the funeral is over, and then fly home. the girls and i are staying in utah until derek flies back on the 13th of july and we drive home the next week. i totally planned on being in omaha for the whole summer, with the exception of 1 week. but, now it's looking like i'll be in utah for a month!!!

11 comments:

Andrew and Candice Heaton said...

Wow! what a week for you guys. Although I am so sorry that Derek lost his grandpa I also think that it is an amazing blessing that you made it in time to see him for that short time. Sometimes the Lord gives us blessings in ways that we would never expect. Staying in Utah for the summer will be fun for you and the girls-Grace wouldn't mind at all if we moved there for the summer.

Mindylou said...

We miss you already! I'm glad you were able to get there in time, especially for Derek's sake.

Jaimie said...

I am so sorry to hear that Derek's grandpa passed away. I am so glad you were able to jump in the car and make it in time for Derek to say goodbye to him. I will be praying for your family at this difficult time.

That is so neat that you are going to be there for Kristina's baby's birth.

The Kahumokus said...

Whoa. I'm glad that you made it in time. Sorry to hear about your loss. Sounds like you have a fun rest of the summer planned.

Unknown said...

What a blessing you got to his grandfathers side in the nick of time. He is at peace now, but it is always difficult loosing a loved one.

Are you in SLC Utah or St. George? doesnt your sis live in Santa Clara? we moved from there! IF SO YOU NEED TO CALL ME THIS TIME and we need to go to lunch or something! 435) 313-2017!

JoAnna Anderson said...

Sorry to hear about his Grandpa. I'm so glad you guys made it in time! Well, there is nothing like a great summer vaca to make your pregnancy weeks go a little quicker! Hope you have a fun summer!

BEESTON said...

Sorry to hear that. Hope you enjoy Utah. I'm glad Derek got to get to his Grandpa in time. Did you find out on the 4 bedroom?

Brittney said...

What an ordeal you all went through. I'm so sorry to hear about Derek's grandpa. I can only remember the loss of one grandparent, and it's really tough, especially if you are close to them. Thank goodness for eternal families. It's always better when someone passes away that you know they were a good person and they are going to a good place.

If you come down the Cedar City way, we would LOVE to see you guys. It has been way too long and it would be nice to get together, even if it's just for an hour or two.

Ruth said...

Sorry to hear about Derek's grandpa. We love you all and are thinking about you.
Are you going to be in Roosevelt at all? I'll be there July 7-10. Emma would love to see your girls!

Bonnie said...

I'm glad you made it there for Derek to say goodbye. We hope he and you all are doing okay with the loss. I didn't know what happened to you! We miss you and hope you have a fun time on the rest of the trip. We had our baby...you can check our blog for pics!

Unknown said...

New blog address: Larsenloves.blogspot.com