A Spanish Flunkee Learns a Lesson by James Bowman, grandson

One memorable experience I have of Grandpa was when I was in high school as a sophomore. I failed Spanish class and was grounded for the whole summer. Since I couldn't do anything, I asked if I could stay with Grandpa and Grandma for a couple of months. That was one of the best choices I made as a Spanish 'flunkee.' I have always loved and cared about my grandparents but, to be honest, I did not know about their life prior to being, well, my grandparents.

One day over this summer, we had a story time where Grandpa pulled out this old photo book and told me stories from when he was a fireman, his upbringing as a child, how him and Grandma met, his time serving in the military, etc. And Grandma shared with me stories about her upbringing and raising her kids and other stuff.

I loved that time because that was the first time in my life I knew and understood who they both were and I appreciated the sacrifices and how they overcame the challenges that they did.

Another memory is brief, but I decided to stay one winter off track at BYUI and had the opportunity to see my grandparents quite a bit. One day we went to help Aunt Luann paint the inside of her home and, as a reward, Grandpa decided to get me, Grandma, and himself burgers. Well, he liked to be cheap; I mean thrifty (lol).

And so he got this deal from Burger King - 5 burgers for 5 bucks (definitely too good to be true). I remember we were sitting in the car at Aunt Luanns and we puled the box out and opened it up. Lo, and behold, they were the 5 tiniest burgers I have ever seen (and Grandma made a funny remark which I can't remember).