Yikes! It’s been too long since I posted. I’ve been having trouble bringing myself to write this post, because I’m afraid I won’t be able to accurately put my feelings into words, and give it the justice it deserves. I also couldn’t find the right picture, and that was upsetting. But anyway, we can’t sweat the small stuff, so here it is.

Today’s post is about my grandmother. Growing up, I had the best grandma in the world. I know, everyone says that, and I also have the best mom in the world, but it makes sense because she was raised by an incredible woman. If this trend continues, that would make me… just kidding 🙂 OKay but really, my grandma was an incredibly amazing woman and I, her favorite granddaughter, of course. I don’t talk about her a whole lot since she passed away about 7 years ago; actually, it was 7 years ago last month. But, she is my something old, and will forever be a part of who I am today.

She often played the role of mom, considering I grew up with a very busy single mom who worked in a high-stress, time-intensive job. In fact, when my mom moved to Arizona, she left me and my siblings with my grandma for 6 months before we moved to join her. We had a very special relationship and it was a difficult time, to say the least, when we lost my Grandma to cancer.

I will never forget the ice cream dates (Sonic 99 cent banana splits and dairy queen peanut buster bars), poking the funny bump on her nose, sitting on her lap playing solitaire, triominoes, solving crosswords, and our road trips to and from Kentucky and Tennessee.

She was always up for an adventure. If we made a wrong turn in the car or got lost, she would smile and say, “all roads lead to Rome” or “we can always make a uU-turn” This was a big change from my mom’s rushed personality, always wanting to go the right way, the first time. Now that I think about it, my grandma’s personality perfectly contrasted my mom’s and allowed me to see the world in different ways. They created a great balance. On vacations, since my mom was always too busy to sit down, you could find me on my grandma’s lap, even into my teen years.

I remember one day we went to mcdonalds and she parked the car. I was confused, since we always went in the drive-thru with my mom. My grandma would say, “honey, lets enjoy our time together and go in and sit down!” What a concept.

She taught me how to sew and knit and we spent hours inside Joann’s fabrics. She played board games after school and loved being a grandma more than anything in the world. She lived to make other people happy.

The best days were getting off the school bus and walking inside to find her making brownies, and of course saving the batter for me. I cannot describe the excitement of licking that bowl – every, last, drop. I can almost taste it now. Of course, she also had a home-cooked meal prepared every night, which I definitely took for granted at the time.

My mom was never a chef. In fact, just the other day she said “I feel like at *insert mom’s age here* I’ve become a cook. And I have you to thank for that.” My many food challenges have brought my mom and I to cooking and we spend hours in the kitchen every weekend. My grandma on the other hand was a natural in the kitchen and knew how to solve every problem. My mom and I often find ourselves wondering how grandma would make this recipe taste better, or what ingredients she would replace, and we smile at how much she would have loved this challenge; she loved to problem-solve. She would be so proud of my mom and how she’s helped me in the kitchen.

My grandma loved coffee and had one cup every morning, and another every night. Now, when I drink my coffee, I think of her, and remember the wonderful memories and times we shared. I know she’s looking down on us from heaven and smiling, just waiting until we will one day make brownies, play games, and go on adventures together again. I love and miss you, gramma!