Remember this

So today's challenge at FCCB was a little bit of an emotional one!  It is Remember this and we were challenged to remember a person, time or anniversary.  Well I guess I could have chosen to remember the Disneyland trip, or our time in Washington DC, or Legoland.  But I decided to remember something a LOT better.  My Grandpa.  He was a FANTASTIC man.  I remember a lot more than I had room for on this one little project. 

Here is a list of stuff that didn't make it onto the project.  NOT because of importance, more because of the lack of tie-tacks for the occasion!

1.  He loved his wife more than anything and we all knew it.
2.  He loved his kids and grand kids a very close second.  :)
3.  Hugs and kisses kept him alive 80+ years.  He would tell me as I hugged him that this is what is worth living for.
4.  He was a do-er.  He loved to fix stuff that he noticed was broken, no matter where he was.  Even at the hospital when he had Dr.  appts he fixed the sink!  I remember him in his mid 70's walking through his neighborhood picking up trash and fixing sprinklers. 
5.  He was a TON of fun.  He had 4-wheelers and we would always want to ride with him because he was "crazy"  Silly guy hurt himself a couple of times... He went off a curb on a bike in his I think 70's and hurt his back. 
6.  He collected antique tools and catalogued them so we would know all about them too.
7.  He loved to work on a miniature train set and it is GORGEOUS.
8.  He loved his mom and was a really great son.  (I remember him being so thoughtful and patient as he watched his mother age and then pass on)
9.  He could always make you feel at ease with his smile and warmth of personality.  He wasn't the loudest guy, but he made everyone feel loved.
10.  He and my Grandma were great examples of what a marriage can be.   They would bicker all the time and sometimes they would argue about the same thing and really they were agreeing, but nobody would know it but them.  But they LOVED each other so much that at the end of the argument they would laugh at each other and themselves. 
11.  I remember him saying that you are only as old as you feel.  And then later he said "I remember when jumping in the shower meant getting into the shower quickly.  Now it is more of an idea. lol . Then I remember him saying that he takes his morning pills to keep him alive until the evening and his evening pills to keep him alive until the morning.   :)
12.  He had a great sense of humor as does my Grandma check out this picture:

This was their Christmas card one year.  How awesome is that! :)

Ok, I know I could go on for a REALLY long time talking about my wonderful Grandpa.  He really was a FANTASTIC man.  But I will get on to the project now.

All the little embellishments are his tie-tacks.  My grandma said I could have them, so I decided to make them into a remembrance book, and now I have finally started!  I have soo many more.  He got a lot of them from donations he had made throughout the years.  The one on a chain is a Boy Scout of America symbol.  That is a program he loved!  All the flags show how much he loved his country and are from donations to different organizations.  The little gold on  says USA and the olympic sign.  The shotgun shell was from his funeral, he was a veteran and got a salute in honor of his service to his country.  He LOVED airplanes and had his pilots license and took would take us on plane rides.  (I told you he was fun!)  That little airplane was one of his tie-tacks.  He also had a saw tie-tack, but my hubby claimed that one!  The circle with a bird on it was from the Christopher Reeves foundation.  In 1999 my cousin was in a car accident and was paralyzed from the neck down.  In fact I remember hearing that she broke it in the same place as Christopher Reeves.  She is amazing, but anyway he then donated (as far as I know) every year to that cause as well. 

  The pictures are of he and my Grandma at his 80th Birthday and my two oldest that last time they saw him.  We love him so much and miss him a lot.  I believe this life is not the end and that we can and will see him again.  But that doesn't mean we don't miss him!  :) 

P.S.  I hate my handwriting, but thought it would be better if this particular project were a little more personal.