A Visit to Gebby

My paternal grandmother lives in Chandler, AZ, and I wanted her to meet Isaac (she has already met Caleb). My Dad, Issac and I took a road trip from Provo, UT, to visit her. It was a long trip, especially for Isaac strapped into his car seat with limited diversions. But, he performed remarkably well and I was glad we made the trip. Gebby, as she is called by the grandchildren (an older cousin invented it trying to say grandma) has had a long and in many respects fascinating life. Some interesting facts about my grandmother:

* she is 91 years old
* her first name is Valentine (but she was born Val and later changed it and gave herself a middle name)
* she loves John Wayne and has seen every movie he ever made
* she has lived in over 50 different homes (her first husband was in the military and they changed residences often)


* she only ever wears purple - really - everything is purple, clothes, stockings, shoes, accessories, EVERYTHING
* she plays the piano
* she does not make long distance phone calls, never has
* her memory is like a steel trap, until only very recently she was able to remember astonishing details from her childhood
* she is an avid genealogist
* she used to write down all of her bequests on a yellow legal pad and regularly remind her various descendants of what they would be receiving upon her death - she has since parceled everything out
* she knows a MILLION finger plays and taught them all to us when we were kids and now teaches them to our children
* she is a great, great grandmother several times over
* for years she collected ceramic rabbits - she must have had more than a thousand when she finally stopped

Me, my Dad, Isaac and Gebby - our 4 generation shot
(notice all the purple?)

* she is 5'10" and has a son who is 6'7"

* her knowledge of LDS church history is astounding as she has read nearly everything ever printed

* her favorite movie is "San Francisco" about the 1906 earthquake - the movie stars Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald and was made in 1936 (she watches movies all the the time, so I guess nothing made since then has eclipsed it in her estimation)

* she has been married and divorced 4 times (twice from the same man)

* she once worked as a reporter for the local newspaper and also at a fabric factory called Spotlight - their signature fabric was polka dot prints in various colors - for years my Mom had remnants of this fabric in her sewing room and may still

* she is the oldest of 5 and her younger siblings called her 'Bag Sassa'

* she is my only living grandparent