Don't eat juicy tacos in my suit!

Pretty Penny had something to say about Grandpa also. She has a blog too, but I love her memory so I wanted to keep it right next to mine. I remember this day (the seemingly unrelated title of this entry is a had-to-be-there joke from that very day), I was really looking forward to spending some time with my beautiful new bride getting to know my iconic Grandfather. I was proud to show Grandpa my catch…

Jenny says:
About a year after Matthew and I were married, we made a trip down to Arizona to see everyone. Before we left, Matthew had been telling me some funny and interesting stories about Grandpa Joy. We had been discussing how we would really want these stories to be preserved for our children. Matthew said that Grandpa wouldn't be comfortable sharing the stories on camera or recorder. So, as Matthew and I plotted and schemed, we came up with an idea to secretly record Grandpa's stories. Matthew went out and bought a tape recorder - a very small tape recorder. We planned every detail even down to the shirt he would wear so that the tape recorder would not be noticed. Matthew even planned where Grandma and Grandpa would sit so that he could get a good recording and catch Grandma's comments also. Upon arriving at Grandma and Grandpa's we had a fantastic lunch of Green Chili Stew. Grandma prepared it, but Grandpa was close by the whole time. Once the meal was cleared from the table, we headed into the family room. In accordance with our plan Matt arranged Grandpa in his comfy chair, Grandma sat opposite him in the other comfy chair. Matt pulled up the rocking chair close by. Matt started by asking a couple of questions and there we sat for the rest of the afternoon. We talked about the Mexican train (it rained Mexicans that day), and Grandpa and Uncle Joe discovering electricity. We learned about the rationing of gasoline during the war and the extra friends having a rare commodity can make for you. We also heard about his fake heart attack and the real aneurysm that Grandma didn’t fall for. We sat and laughed for hours. Once you got Grandpa going, he could keep going and going. Every once in a while Matthew would rearrange himself or ask Grandpa to speak a little louder. Grandpa was a quick one because after some time he asked Matthew what was wrong with him and Matthew had to confess his crime. Luckily for us, it wasn't until after we'd finished most of the stories and as it turned out, once Grandpa learned of the recorder he seemed flattered and happy to tell a few more for the record.

By the time I was 15, I had lost all but one of my grandparents. I did not have the opportunity to spend time with them as a grandchild would like, so the most important story that Grandpa and Grandma Joy shared with me was a story of love, kindness and acceptance as one of their grandchildren. I was not born into the Joy family, but with them it did not matter how I became part of it - but that I was part of it. Being married into the Joy clan did not make me an in-law, in their eyes and in the eyes of my "other" mom & dad (Bob and Rox) I truly became a Joy when I married into the family, their love for me was no different than the love they'd had for Matthew who had been their grandchild for 23 years at the time. I will miss Grandpa AND Grandma Joy.