Grandpa Hamblin

On Friday night, I had a dream that I was walking out of a church building, and I saw my cousin and his family get off an elevator.  I started to talk to him and it was obvious he didn't recognize me.  I took off my sunglasses and said, "It's me!  Emalei Smith!"  He then recognized me, hugged me and took me into the gym where some of my mom's family were sitting in a row.  They all stood and in the row of people was my grandpa.  I went down the row giving hugs to my cousins and aunts and uncles...and my grandpa.  I specifically remember reaching up to hug him.  He was tall, and he always gave the best hugs.  The next morning, Fabio came and woke me up and told me that my dad had let him know that my grandpa had passed away the night before.  Knowing this made my dream all the more sweet.

I felt loved and adored by my grandpa.  He would always greet me by saying in his jubilant voice, "Hi Em!" and then embrace me in one of his great hugs.  He had a wonderful sense of humor, often saying, just to make me laugh, "For darn rude!" 

Some of the fond memories I have of Grandpa are:

• He loved chocolate chip cookies, sans the chocolate chips.
• We visited him and Grandma in Lovell one summer (Abbie and I), and he had a wonderful garden that year that we helped him tend.  He always wanted us to try swiss chard, and was devastated that Abbie and I didn't like it.
• He would get really upset when we would waste food.  I'm pretty sure it had to do with being raised during the Great Depression.
• That same summer in Lovell, he would take us on tandem bike rides after he got home from work.  I was always so scared, but trusted him so much at the same time.
• Grandma would always prepare lunch for him, and he would come home and visit with us while he ate his sandwich.  We looked forward to that time so much.
• He loved to take us around and show us the buildings in which he had supervised the construction.
• He loved to make us malts in his malt maker.
• His favorite meal was steak and potatoes.  He usually made the steak and potatoes and Grandma would make the rolls.
• Grandpa thought his "hotcakes" were the best and encouraged an annual hotcake eating contest at the cabin.
• I often told him that I was his favorite granddaughter.  He would just laugh and say, "Oh, Em.  You're my favorite oldest granddaughter."  (I still secretly harbor the belief that I am his favorite, though.)
• That same summer in Lovell, we were going to have a picnic in the mountains.  The weather forecast called for a hail and a thunderstorm, but he insisted it would be OK.  Well, we got up there, got out all our food (grandma had made lasagna I remember) and as soon as we were all set up, it started to hail and thunder and lightning like you wouldn't believe. We rushed to clean up and take shelter and spent the rest of the time in the car waiting for it to pass over.  We never let him live that down.  :)
• Grandma and Grandpa took Abbie and me to Mt. Rushmore.  I remember stopping at several WalMarts and they would let us pick out any treat we wanted.  We usually wanted Oreos.
• Grandpa was always so busy with projects at the cabin, but he always had time to visit and play with us too.  I specifically remember playing endless games of Rummikub with him and Grandma.
• Grandma and Grandpa came to take care of us a few times while mom and dad went on a vacation.  One time Dane got really sick and ended up in the hospital.  I remember grandpa being really worried, and also wondering if taking him to the hospital was the right decision.
• Grandpa loved history.  I took many trips with them to see church history sites.  Most recently, I went to visit them when I was at BYU.  We went to Martin's Cove and stopped along the way to see other lesser known sites.  We also thought it was so neat that you could still see the ruts of the Oregon and Mormon Trails.  He was always a sucker to stop at those signs on the side of the road that had some historical information.
• Grandma and Grandpa went on a cruise with us several years ago.  I remember hanging out with Grandpa late at night at the back of the ship, eating at the all night pizza bar and him telling us stories of when he was in the navy.  He told us about girls, concerts, dancing, and the children he cared for.  I could always tell it was a time in his life for which he had great fondness.

There is so much more that maybe I'll add later as I remember.  I'm sure my cousins will agree, there really was no better grandpa.  He was so fun loving, so kind, so loving, so non-judgemental, so funny and just made you feel so good to be around him.  I will miss that feeling.

I dug up some photos of him, although my mom has many more.

The memories I have of Grandpa at the cabin are endless.  This picture represents a sweet, classic fixture in my memory.

Grandpa met some of the granddaughters in SLC during the Olympics.  I am sure we were quite the spectacle.

Him and Grandma were the witness couple when I received my endowment.  They always made it to important events and celebrations.

This was taken at Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary celebration. 

 I set the timer up on his camera to take a picture of us at a site where several Pioneer Saints died due to bad weather conditions.  It was on the same trip where we stopped at Martin's Cove.

I was soooooooooo excited to show Grandma and Grandpa around the historic sites on my mission in upstate NY.  They had never been there before (if I remember well), and of course, Grandpa was in awe.

One of the last times I saw Grandpa was when he spend a week at my parents house in the summer of 2010.  My dad took us to a friend's farm where they were harvesting peas, and Grandpa was so interested in the process.  We got to ride in the harvester, and he loved eating the peas straight from the ground.

That same summer, Grandpa and I spent some time on my parent's balcony just talking and catching up.  I was trying to help him figure out his cell phone here, and I took a picture of him with mine.  He thought that was "so neat."

One of the last times I remember Grandma being somewhat lucid was when they came to visit my family when we were vacationing in Park City.

Even though Grandpa would never admit that I was his favorite granddaughter, I don't hesitate to admit he was my favorite grandpa.  My life has been enriched because of the time we spent together.  I will miss him immensely.