Grace Norris Rushton Reunion

My Grandma Gracie would have been 100 this year, so we celebrated with a big party in Salt Lake.  Family flew/drove in and it was so nice to see family that I haven't seen for years.  My favorite part of the day was listening to the stories that her children told about her.  I was a baby when she died, so I don't remember her, but I love hearing her stories.  The park where we met was the same park she practiced tennis at when she was young.  She was an amazing athlete.  She sounded like such a fun, eccentric person.  She was the Utah state tennis doubles champion in, I think, 1948.  She excelled at pretty much all sports.  They say that whenever there was a group sporting event where people picked teams, Grandma Gracie was always the first to be picked and my Grandpa Clyde was usually the last.  That made me laugh.  She would sneak away during the day sometimes to go bowling at the bowling alley, and Grandpa Clyde didn't approve.  When he would get home from work and smell the smoke on her clothes he would say the same phrase every time, "You've been in the den of iniquity again, huh?" Then the day would just go on.  She would have bake sales to raise money for Relief Society.  She was an excellent cook and was very competitive and particular about how her food was sold.  She only sold hot bread at bake sales, which meant that she would frequently run form her oven to sell the bread immediately so it wouldn't cool off.  She was an amazing lady.  It was wonderful to be around so much family.  I love who I come from!

 When I was little I loved our family reunions because they were HUGE.  I miss those big gatherings, surrounded by cousins, aunts, and uncles.  This is a small portion of my Grandma and Grandpa's posterity. 

My Grandpa Clyde came up for the reunion, but ended up in the hospital to get stints in his heart.  Although being in the hospital was not ideal, I was glad that it required him to stay in Utah a little longer to recover, so we could visit with him.  Noah's middle name is Clyde, named after Gramps.  Noah was so excited to meet him.  My Uncle Clyde was there too, so we had to get a picture of three Clydes together.  It's a great name to live on.

 The boys had fun visiting and asking Gramps questions.  I love my Grandpa, and I hope they will remember this visit and what a great man he is.  I think Emmett is his 102nd great-grandchild.  What a legacy at almost 98 years old!