I'm Officially in my LATE 20s!

This is by far the most depressing birthday so far in my life. Things are great, it's just that I feel officially "not young" anymore. I am now 26 and in 11 days, Branden will be 30!!! Now, expectant parents will have to check a different box to view our profile :). Branden is really nervous about 30. It didn't help that he recently got glasses. He is convinced he is falling apart. Oh well, at least we have each other!

Happy Birthmother's Day (May 7th) and Mother's Day (May 8th)

Happy Mother's Day to moms of all forms. There are moms, grandmas, mother-in-laws, pseudo-moms (like my Aunt Leah), and best of all...Birthmoms! Some of us are even kitty mommas. Next weekend we will be honoring birthmoms at an adoption walk at Provo High. Pray for sunshine!

Semi-Annual Haircut

As akward as it is to take pictures of yourself, I had to do it so I could post a picture of my new haircut. Star cut off 6-7 inches and thinned my hair out a ton. I actually really like it.

Birthmother's Day

Birth Mother's Day is the Saturday before Mother's Day, so it falls on May 7th this year. As a member of the FSA (Families Supporting Adoption) Board, we are planning the Annual Birth Mother's Day Walk. It will he held on Saturday May 14th at the Provo High Track from 10am to Noon. Bring the whole family including kiddos to support adoption. Signs and Banners Welcome! Spread the word and come support Adoption!

Funeral Pics

This is how I prefer to remember grandma. This picture hangs in my picture wall in my house. My dad and I made cupcakes with Lavender frosting (a very significant color to my grandma, and now to us) with little white flowers on top for the luncheon the was held after the funeral. My dad was very proud of himself for making the flowers! Shelley, Grandma's best friend Wanda and I got to dress Grandma in her temple clothes before the viewing. Shelley did Grandma's hair and I painted her nails (anyone who know her knows that she would've been upset with no polish on!) Rick (Shelley's husband, Jourdyn's dad) drew this picture for my grandpa 2 Christmases ago. My grandpa wanted a picture of their family with the temple and God and Jesus in the background. The picture is amazing! We displayed it at the viewings/funeral. We also loved the pic of my grandma in her teens that was on the guest table. (also the little purple bird on the table has a sign about our pass along cards and our pass along cards underneath) Rick drew a portrait of my grandma a few days before the funeral that we displayed at the viewings/funeral. Shelley and I gathered pictures from our own houses and even found a stash of pictures at Grandma's house from when she was young. My Uncle Jimmy (Heidi's husband) made a video with Italian music and lots of pictures of grandma with friends and family. It was beautiful. Jimmy was so thoughtful! After the viewing and funeral, we went to the cemetery for the graveside services. The headstone isn't hers, hers goes at the other end of her casket. It was anoying to have to look at the "Snoke" the whole time though. This AMAZING violinist played during both viewings, at the funeral, and was the first one at the cemetery. When we arrived he was playing the most beautiful music. He played during the graveside services. When we drove away in the limo to go back to the luncheon at the church, it was so sweet to see that he stayed there after we were all gone and played songs just for grandma for a while. I really appreciated him! The pall bearers removed their corsages and put their flowers on the casket, then we passed out roses to others at the funeral that wanted to say their last goodbyes and put a rose on her casket. It was awesome to see how many people showed up to the funeral. Everyone was seated in the chapel and the family came in last following the casket. When we got into the chapel and saw that even the overflow at the back of the chapel was packed, my grandpa stopped walking and wept. My grandma was the most loving person and she touched so many people. Our whole family was there, except Jourdyn, who was there in spirit. She is serving a mission in Independence Missouri and she couldn't have lived her life in any different way that would make grandma more proud! Everybody that wanted to took a few final minutes. This is Megan, my grandma's first grandaughter, with her 2 daughters Brekyn and Daisy. Grandma was an only child, but she had 3 cousins, Donna, Elaine and Bonnie that she was very close to. The relief society was so good to our family. Meals were brought all week leading up to the funeral and the luncheon after the cemetery was perfect.

Tanner, Daisy & Hattie at the luncheon (Dayton and Lacy in the background)

Lilac Trees are Blooming

A few hours before my grandma left this world, we gathered around her bed and sang a song to her that she used to sing to us (still working on remembering all of the words since the ones she sang weren't the official words): "Lilac Trees are Blooming"

• Lilac trees are blooming in the garden by the gate


• Mammy in her little cabin door


• Curly headed picanniny coming home so late crying cuz his heart was sore


• All the other children with their skin so white and fair


• with him would never play


• so mammy in her lap took the weeping little chap


• and said in her kind old way


• ???????????


• Don't mind what the white folk say/do


• ??????????? Just stay in your own backyard

Love you Gram! Lilac will always remind me of you!

In Loving Memory of Grandma Jan

Janet Sue Corlis Whitaker

Grandma Jan married Grandpa Russ 53 years ago. She has the most beautiful Italian blood in her and I often silently thank her for my curly hair!

At their 50th, wedding anniversary a few summers ago

I love this picture. It is a picture I have in my home. The 3 most favorite & special people in my life are in it.

I LOVE this picture of both Jourdyn and Grandma. They both look so happy and I can feel how much they love each other by looking at it. Also, I can't help but think about how alike their features look in this picture.

This picture was taken at my wedding reception (obviously). I have so much love for my Whitaker family. I have always felt a closeness to them and a desire to be around them that I can't explain. I am so thankful to my Aunts Heidi and Shelley and to my dad for taking such good care of my grandparents the last few months. Heidi was truly an aswer to my personal prayers!

For one of my college graduations, my Grandma Jan gave me a cake decorating kit. The gift was so significant for 2 reasons. The first is that my grandma was the most fancy food decorator. She made the most beautiful cookies and cakes and pies and other treats. The gift came from her heart. The second reason this gift means so much to me is that it has changed my life. This gift help me find a true passion for decorating cupcakes. I have been able to use that gift for good. Most recently I was elected to be a board member of Families Supporting Adoption and I am in charge of food for all Birthparent/Parent activities at our adoption agency. Giving me that gift that meant so much to her has literally changed my life.

After she gave me the decorating kit, I spent a day with her at her house and we played with frosting and sugar cookies. I love this picture because it reminds me so much of her. Her hands are exactly how I picture them in my mind and she is using them to do something she loved that she passed on to me.

One thing I love so much about my grandma is the fact that she was just as independent as she wanted to be. She started her own wedding, catering, reception, gift and floral shop in Bountiful in the old Colonial Square. The name of her business was Colonial Gift. I remember playing at her shop when I was little. As she got older and closed her reception center, she still assembled the most beautiful gift baskets in her shop at home. She would make hundreds of baskets for area schools and hositals for holidays. I remember watching her make beautiful bows by the hundreds in the living room. She would travel to "Market" every year in Vegas/LA to buy supplies to put in her baskets and to order the baskets themselves. Many of our family members have memories of "going to market". If I was as brave as she was, I would have the strength to start a business of my own doing something I love.

Another thing Grandma was famous for were the most elaborate and semi-rediculous Christmases. Because she would have open houses displaying her Christmas baskets, Christmas at her house started in the fall. She would decorate the "play room" upstairs so she could display all of her products and she would have at least 8 Christmas trees around the house that were decorated with a different theme (one with Raggedy and and Andy, one with white birds and feather boas, one with pretty green fairies, etc) and every banister in the house had to be wrapped with garland, lights and ribbon. Nativities and statues must be set out. And no one will ever forget the entire living room that would literally be packed with presents (you can't really believe it until you see it, I will have to find a picture).