My Incredible Grandparents

When I first started this blog, I had this great idea to spotlight someone in my family every week. Unfortunately, I didn't keep up with that more than a few weeks in a row. I still plan to do it, but maybe I won't tie myself down to a time limit this time. Over a year ago I asked my Grandma and Grandpa Thorup to write 100 things about themseves and give the list to me. Although they are great at keeping their own personal history (especially my grandpa), this assignment was a bit overwhelming to them. A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to go to lunch with them alone. Just the three of us. It was so nice. On our way to lunch I asked if we could stop by the store and buy a notebook so I could start writing down 100 things about them. We didn't get to 100 yet, but here is what we got so far. It was a lot of fun learning more about them, especially about their childhood. I love being with them!

I have been really lucky to be close to these grandparents all of my life. I spent a lot of time at their house and camping with them. We took a minimum of two camping trips together every year to places like Moab, Zions, and the Tetons. I grew up hiking with them. I love camping, hiking and everything about nature in great part because they introduced me to it's beauty and helped me enjoy it. Many of my favorite memories include them.

I haven't really proof read this but sometimes I feel like it's better to share things rather than sit on them and wait until you perfect them. If I waited to perfect every journal entry I ever created I would have next to nothing. Grandpa and Grandma, if you find any mistakes let me know!!!

100 Things about my grandma, Jeanne B. Thorup

1) Favorite color: red

2) Favorite place visited: Switzerland

3) Favorite place to visit more often: Colter Bay in the Tetons

4) Loves to look at scenery

5) Born in Provo, Utah

6) When she goes to a movie with beautiful scenery she often pays more attention to the scenery more than the movie.

7) December 14, 2009 – Ordered a chicken salad at Mimi’s café while dining with me (April) and Grandpa Thorup

8) Weighted 3.5 lbs at birth

9) She was so small at birth that the nurse handed her over to her parents in the palm of her hand.

10) She loves to hear the sound of water rushing

11) Wears glasses

12) Started wearing glasses at about 14.

13) She remembers the first time she had glasses she was so excited to see how clear the stars looked.

14) Favorite flower: a two-tone rose called a Double Delight (it’s red inside and white outside)

15) Favorite bird: hummingbird

16) She remembers her parents sitting on the back porch of her house on Evening Star and the hummingbirds would come right up to them when they sat still.

17) Loves the song, “Oh Holy Night”

18) Met her husband in the ward choir

19) At three years old she used to sing and dance on the stage. It was the time of Shirley Temple so her mom had her hair done up in ringlets and she wore lots of lots of cute costumes.

20) At three she sang, “On the Big Ship Lollipop”

21) Absolutely loves to look at any body of water but she is kind of scared of being in the water.

22) Had a very happy childhood

23) Was a popular girl in school and probably had all the boys ask her to dance

24) Used to help with her brother with Morris Code flags

25) She loves Olive Garden Salad Dressing (it is her favorite). She can’t find it anywhere else.

26) As a little girl in American Fork her fried almost drown when falling in a well. She couldn’t do anything to help but pray.

27) She had a big tree she used to spend a lot of time in when she was little. It was in the front of her house with big low branches. She says she used to live in it and her mother said she used to live in one too when she was a girl.

28) She was really close to her brother and he was her protector.

29) Used to sneak out of the house when her mom was asleep.

30) Used to love playing dress up.

31) She remembers cutting out paper dolls from the newspaper and playing with them.

32) She used to live within a couple feet of railroad tracks. The tracks were directly out her bedroom window.

33) As an adult she had a kid swim up to her in the swimming pool and tells her that she was the ugliest person he had ever seen. She is beautiful though (read #23).

34) Has a lot of good memories hiking the Narrows.

35) Doesn’t like contention.

36) Likes to laugh.

37) She is an optimist.

38) Used to have “a ball” in the trailer with her family and grandkids.

39) She had hepatitis when she was little so now she can’t give blood.

40-100 to come later :)

100 Things about my grandpa, D. Wallace Thorup

1) Favorite color: blue

2) Favorite place to visit (nearby) is Colter Bay in the Tetons

3) Absolutely loved visiting Switzerland

4) Can think of 50 places he has visited and loved.

5) Loves how unusual and beautiful the trees are in New Zealand.

6) Loves to travel.

7) He was the first one in his family to be born in a hospital.

8) He helped me (April) make a gorgeous wood chair.

9) December 14, 2009 he ordered a sweet and sour chicken wrap at Mimi’s café while dining with April and Grandma Thorup.

10) Loves woodworking and has ever since Jr. High School when he took a class.

11) Wears glasses.

12) Started wearing glasses around grade school age.

13) When he was Jr. High age he went downtown to the old Deseret Gym during the summer. He would swim, play handball and work in the woodshop there.

14) Rode the trolley to the Deseret Gym with other friends in the neighborhood.

15) The Peace Rose is his favorite flower next to a bright red rose.

16) His favorite bird is a cardinal.

17) He first saw a cardinal in Tennessee on his mission.

18) He wishes people sang Christmas carols all year long.

19) Sang base in a quartet on his mission in Nauvoo.

20) When he had a cold, he was so surprised with himself when he was able to sing the low note. He thought he could sing base better with a cold.

21) He had a high range because he also sang the high tenor in a men’s chorus at the University of Utah.

22) One of his favorite places is to drive along the west coast.

23) Once while driving on the coast he only gave Grandma 15 minutes to stop and look at the ocean because they were in a hurry. She thought that was terrible because she could have sat there for hours.

24) His favorite dessert is white cake with chocolate icing.

25) Was in the Navy.

26) The cook on his ship used to make the best peach pie.

27) After being at sea a long time they got weevils in their flour and had to eat them because there was nothing else. The weevils crunched when they ate them.

28) He never had to lock the doors of his house until he moved to his house on Evening Star Drive.

29) Built a club house out of lumber he got from all of the surrounding houses that were being built.

30) Remembers climbing up and down clothes shoots as a kid.

31) His father was rarely home even on Sundays because he was working a lot.

32) As a little kid he took a hammer and nails and put nails all around a drawer in the hall. When he was done, he couldn’t close the drawer.

33) Doesn’t like carrot cake all that much.

34) Favorite hike: Angels Landing in Zion’s National Park.

35) Likes to fix things.

36) Loved working in Centerville at the Burton Lab making intravenous systems. He was the project manager and loved the challenge.

37) Loves to play games.

38) Perfectionist.

39) Doesn’t like to go hunting or fishing.

40) He was 6’ tall when he was 12 years old.

41) He was diagnosed with a murmur in his heart at age 12 and the doctor suggested he didn’t play sports (which he didn’t mind too much).

42) Entered the ROTC in High School.

43) Was on a salt free diet as a teenager because he had nephritis (blood in the urine).

44) In the Navy in San Francisco he could have a day off each month if he gave blood.

45) He went into the service the day before he turned 18.

46) The first Christmas away from home he spent the whole day waiting to make a call at the Pepsi-Cola service station and never could get the call through. Later he missed his bus and hitched a ride with some really nice people who fed him dinner and treated him really well. He really appreciated those people and is sorry he didn’t remember their name.

47) The last month of his training for the Navy, the WWII ended.

48) Wears a size 14AA shoe

49) His shoe size is the same size as his brother.

50-100 to come later :)