Grandpa Jess turns 90

It was my Grandpa Jess's 90th birthday on January 27th!! NINETY YEARS! It's incredible! I asked the week before if I could take them out to lunch. My mom was available to babysit Olive, so I dropped Weston off at preschool, Olive off at my mom's and picked up my grandparents! I had baked a batch of cookies as my gift. I figure when you're 90, you don't really need "things" anymore. ;)

I let him chose the restaurant and he chose my favorite, Gecko Grill. Right around the corner! I brought a Happy Birthday crown and pin for him to wear. He was such a good sport about it. I asked him all sorts of questions I could think of about his life. About his teachers, his jobs, his family growing up, etc. Well, an hour lunch isn't near enough time to cover the smallest portion of it! I wished I had had all day. At the end, the waiters came out with a sombrero for him to wear and sang Happy Birthday! I loved it! I hope he did too. It was an honor to have his birthday lunch with him. Growing up, I always knew my Grandpa to be hard working and frugal. He always chastised us to "take all you want, but eat all you take" and "waste not, want not". He loves citrus, pomegranates, grape juice, family, history and Granny Annie. He is known for being a "talker"! :) He is still sharp as a tack and will rattle off all sorts of facts and figures on just about anything! Including people's names from long ago. He knows all my kids' names along with the rest of the great-grands. That's better than me! I didn't know this until I was an adult, but he has had his fair share of struggles. My blog isn't the place to share them, but I so admire his positiveness despite them. If you ever get down on the world, he'll be the first to remind you of something good to focus on instead! I think it's common and natural for people to age and get cranky. He seems to age and get more and more cheerful. What an example!

That Friday night was a big, birthday party for him! Hosted at Uncle Dwight's stake center. Grandma did an amazing job organizing it. We had pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, beans, pomegranates, grape juice and brownies. 

After we ate, we went inside and Aunt MaryAnn read a page written by his mother about his birth and early childhood. Grandpa was on stage and very emotional as she read. Made me tear up too! Then Grandma showed a short slideshow about his life. It was AMAZING!! I was just in awe watching it. From black and white pictures, to hazy 70's photos, ending with the present, it all seemed too fantastic to be real life! The stuff you see in history books. It boggles my mind to think of all he's seen and lived through! Then the microphone was handed to Grandpa and for the first time in my life I saw him speechless. He literally started crying, waved his hand and tried to give Grandma the mic. Once he composed himself, he kept it really short. He emphatically told all of us that the most important thing in life is to have a testimony of of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a moment I won't ever forget. 

Well then we sang Happy Birthday, took pictures, and DANCED! Alex DJ'd and we had a grand time. I didn't want the night to end. I was so sad Travis and Collin had to miss it due to Collin's strep throat. I left, nibbling on one of Uncle Kent's pork roasts. A good night indeed. :)

Oldest to youngest, MaryAnn, Dwight, Kathleen, Sharon and Kent.

Here are some pictures from the slideshow. I almost included the whole thing! 

It was a large family of 11 kids! He said that he felt grateful for a pot of beans for dinner.

I guess this is when his mother, Leah, was trying to learn to drive and backed into a ditch.

1944, A senior in high school! He's in the middle.

He was in the navy during WWII, but the war ended as his ship was sailing out to battle and he never saw combat.

On the ship with fellow sailors. He's on the left.

He served a mission in England.

This is one of my favorite pictures ever.

He married Shirley Ann Evans in the Mesa temple.

To the left is my great grandma, Olive!!

My mom is on the far left in both pictures.

Married 25 years!

They served a mission at the Liberty Jail visitor center.

This is pretty outdated, but I don't think I'm in the most recent one. ;)

The Udall clan is a mighty one. I count myself lucky to be born to a righteous heritage. Knowing the smallest portion of the sacrifice and hardships that my grandparents have been through is a humbling thing. Dedication to Christ and family is their legacy. I hope we all follow their example and bring honor to their name.