Back to My Roots

This week's questions take me back a long way....nearly 50 years for one, and 20 for the other.

WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DAY YOU WERE BORN?

I was born on May 6, 1968! I still say it is the BEST DAY OF THE YEAR! In 1968, May 6 was a MONDAY. I know my mom was stellar that day. I believe she told me that she had gone to the doctor with minor pain (I wasn't due until the 29th or something). When the doctor examined her all he said was, "Meet me at the hospital NOW!" Evidently she was fully dilated. How did my mother go through ALL of that labor and only think it was MINOR pain? Yes, she is pretty awesome! In fact, knowing this made labor easier for me. I knew that it was bearable and if she could do it, I could too. Gratefully, she was with me from the moment labor began with my first child. We walked and talked and had a great day ALL day! She has a way with humor....makes ANY situation easier!!! Come to think of it...it's in her roots. Her brother is the same way. They love to laugh!

Anyhow, May 6, 1968 was pretty spectacular. I WAS BORN after all!!! :) I have found some neat information about that day, though, that I will share here.

• The Eiffel Tower officially opened to the public
• Here's an interesting one: Arkansas secedes from the union on May 6, 1861 (I wonder what happened there since we are clearly PART of the United States now???)
• Who knows where people get this stuff, but evidently my LIFE PATH number is 8 which means I am a natural leader. It represents experience, authority and endeavor. Hey, it says I am not only gifted with the capacity to be a natural leader but GREAT WEALTH. Something has gone wrong.....or maybe it doesn't mean monetary wealth. THEN...it is DEFINITELY TRUE!!
• I know that I am a TAURUS and my birthstone is an EMERALD. Interestingly, May's mystical birtstone is Sapphire according to Tibetan origin. Sapphire is also the zodiac gemstone for Taurus. Yet, the Pearl is the stone for Monday.
• Bobby Goldsboro's song 'Honey' was the #1 hit song in the US when I was born.

And how about 1968 in general:

• Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
• First successful heart transplant (Dr Christian Barnard)
• First Big Mac goes on sale at McDonald's (49 cents)
• Emergency 911 telephone service is started in the USA
• Robert Kennedy was mortally wounded when he is shot by Sirhan Sirhan
• The peace movement had continued to grow and more and more Americans were against the war in Vietnam, and once again more riots occurred throughout cities in America
• The music scene was once again set by the "Beatles" and the "Rolling Stones" 
• Fashion flirted with see through blouses and midis and maxis skirts joined the Mini Skirt as part of the fashion trends
• There is a Flu Pandemic in Hong Kong 
• The first Black power salute is seen on Television worldwide during an Olympics medal ceremony 

I obviously have too much time on my hands today as I write this. While ALL this happened on my birthday so many years ago all throughout the world, I know is a small hospital in Castro Valley, California two parents were beaming over their first born ... a daughter they would name Denise.

I was born in Castro Valley, California at Eden Hospital. I found these pics on the internet and actually watched a short youtube video. I actually watched a couple videos since the OLD hospital was torn down to make a much newer and nicer one in 2012. Interesting!

 

I know we lived in San Lorenzo. I don't remember much about living there, but went back later in life and what I remembered to be a substantial home, was really VERY small. I remember only a few things about San Lorenzo. I remember a huge car accident down the road....it seemed orange and fire like and bigger than life itself. I must have been VERY small. I remember the coat closet at the front door. That is about all I remember. I remember the motorcycle ride from a neighbor and a boy and his wagon.

While I can't ACTUALLY remember the DAY itself, I know my mom has told me a lot about the days leading up to it. She would peel a pomegranate and take the bowl of seeds to the pool. She would set the bowl on her large tummy and float in the pool eating pomegranate seeds! How fun is that?!?!?!?  I have a couple pics I will add from when my mom was pregnant. Wasn't she cute?
(PIC)
And this is how she let her parents know I was on the way! My mother is so creative!!!
(PIC)

WHAT WERE YOUR GRANDPARENTS LIKE?

My grandparents were wonderful!!! I heard many stories about my Grandma Moen, how she was a rock star! She would take the scouts on their hikes. She was WonderWoman for sure. She was ALWAYS going going going, doing doing doing. I remember Grandpa Moen was way more quiet and reserved. I loved their house. You never entered in the front door - except once we surprised them that way since no one ever used that door. We rang the doorbell and we all on the porch. How fun was that!!! But we usually entered from the back door by the garage. We would walk through Grandma's laundry room where I remember the coats and gloves were stored. I'm sure many more things were in there. But we usually went on Thanksgiving and there would be snow. We would need the cold weather gear. I also remember the dishwasher was portable and had to be screwed into the sink faucet. I remember that Grandpa had converted the garage into a family room and that is where we spent most of our time. I remember the old stool and their old dog, Rags. I remember the deck (mostly because I ran on it barefoot and got a sliver the width of my foot on time. My grandmother made me lay on the ground in front of her. She burned the end of a needle to sterilize it and held my ankle in between her strong knees so I wouldn't move...then proceeded to get it out. It hurt SOOO bad). And the tall tall pine trees. I remember eating tuna fish sandwiches on the picnic table in the back.

A couple stories about my Grandma and Grandpa Moen that I will never forget:

My grandma was a go getter, as I have mentioned. One day while I was there she wanted to get my picture. I didn't want her to so I ran from her. She ran after me, chasing me through her house. It was so fun. I beat her to my uncle's room and slammed the door JUST BEFORE she got there! I had won!!! I waited and waited and finally heard her footsteps walk away (or so I thought...she was crafty like that). I waited and then opened the door! She had been waiting for me and snapped my picture. It is my favorite pic and memory of my grandmother. :)

Before my mission, my Grandpa Moen and I would sit in the living room looking at the Atlas. He LOVED to travel. (and so do I). We would map out trips to where all my friends were serving. He had traveled enough around to know a little about a lot of places. It was fun to spend this time with him. I remember lots of other things too, but this means a lot to me since he passed away WHILE I was on my mission. I remember his little green truck (I think), and how he walked with pigeon toes. I remember he was diabetic so I loved that he had candy and peanuts whenever we traveled. But he also had a bag for urination, and therefore wouldn't stop enough when we had to use the bathroom. I remember his hair and his smile. Goodness, it has been a LOOOOONG time since I've seen him. I remember his wing tip shoes and his grandpa Moen shirts. I remember the little notebook he kept in his car to record his mileage and gas mileage. I remember his smile.

As I sit and write this, I remember the feeling of being with my grandparents. They were adventurous and as different as night and day. They were fun and they were real. I loved spending time with them. I think of them often when I am doing odd things. When I feel compulsive in keeping track of things, I think of Grandpa. Grandma comes to mind when I am doing things in the kitchen. I wish I could have spent more time with them! I think one of my biggest regrets is the day Grandma sat me down in the bedroom to offer me the dolls she had made. I was a tomboy and didn't care for dolls AT ALL! So I said no! Sadly, now I wish I had a little piece of my grandmother. Not sure why since I wouldn't really display them, but I just wish I would have cared more back then.

My paternal grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Sproul, I don't know as well, nor have the same amount of memories with. My parents divorced when I was young and I didn't spend as much time with my father. But when I WOULD be in Idaho with my father, we ALWAYS went to see my grandparents. They were older but hard workers. I remember their home. In fact, the last time I drove to Idaho I stopped by Blackfoot to snap a pic of that home. (PIC)

I remember how it smelled and the smell of the soap in the bathroom. I remember cooking toast at grandma's house, and putting electrodes in the backyard to get the earthworms to come up with grandpa before fishing trips. Funny, I don't remember the fishing trips. I remember his HUGE garden and the larger than life iron swing set they had. It also had a really cool teeter totter. We all used to play on it the entire time we spent there. I remember once wearing shorts and getting a HUGE sliver (slivers must have been my thing as a child) in my backside. Oh, that was NO FUN having it removed!

I remember that Christmas parties with the ENTIRE family (they had 9 children, which meant MANY cousins). Grandma loved Christmas! After Grandpa died, I didn't see Grandma much. She moved in with some of the other children who didn't live near my father. I remember when my grandpa passed away. I had been in Idaho just a day or two before. I was a sophomore in college and pretty selfish, I imagine. Sadly, my relationship with my father wasn't too good and I'm sure I was just excited to get home. I kept saying I wanted to get back to my boyfriend. Ha! Boyfriend...I don't even remember his name now and we were really JUST starting to see each other, but were really good friends. I wasn't even going back to school for a few days anyhow. Oh the stupidity of youth!!! Anyhow, as I drove home from Idaho Falls I got the feeling that I should stop and see Grandma and Grandpa Sproul. I pushed it away. It came again. And again I pushed it aside. The third time came stronger and I should have listened, I almost did, but again just wanted to get home. What a mistake!!! Another of my regrets, probably my BIGGEST REGRET in life! I didn't stop. I thought about them the rest of the way home. And then the next day or the next just as I was heading out the door to go skiing with my family, the phone rang. It was my father, letting me know that my grandfather had suffered a major heart attack and passed away. I couldn't let my true feelings show. I was angry! Angry that I hadn't stopped. My life at the time was in a lot of turmoil. I was trying to really figure out WHO I was and how I fit into my broken family. Yes, my parents had been divorced a long time, but I still didn't feel normal at times. Why hadn't I stopped? Why didn't I let myself love the Sproul side of the family? Hindsight and still a lot of tender feelings. I missed that opportunity....and from THAT experience, and others, I now make sure I never let moments pass. I never want to feel that again. I went to his funeral, hardened and angry. Not until the casket was being closed after the family prayer did I realize how very much I LOVED my grandfather and would miss him. I anguished for my hasty decision to not stop and take my precious time to see them. I now advocate for time with loved ones. SOME things are just more important than others....family is one of them. I still err and am not perfect, but my children know I love and support them. I try to be at EVERYTHING. I try to let my own parents know I love them. I try to see them as often as I can. I used to spend time with friends when I went home, now if friends want to see me, they come to me. My family is who I am there to see.

I was lucky enough to have two more sets of grandparents. When my parents remarried I gained Grandma and Grandpa Brown and Grandma Zona. How lucky am I!!!

I loved my Grandma Brown's lemon meringue pie. She was the best! And my Grandpa Brown loved how athletic I was. He was a funny man, but I enjoyed talking with him. I used to ride my bike up the Provo canyon and then park it at my grandparents trailer across from Vivian Park before I'd go hiking. I used to stop in and see my grandpa just to talk about things. Sports usually came up, but so did other things. I loved hearing the stories of when he was doing construction in California. I remember once when we were waiting for someone to return from their mission (a cousin or maybe Dave) I was on one of the moving sidewalks. When everyone was coming the other way he told everyone that I'd probably just volley over to the other side rather than riding it to the end and having to catch up. Funny...that is EXACTLY what I did! 

I am grateful for a good family! I am grateful that I had good grandparents and good parents too. I am happy for my life!

Pictures to come when I get home!