September

September has been tragic, beautiful, frustrating, happy, and every other adjective.  Losing Grandma Great at the beginning of the month changed our world, but life has a way of going on.  Hiking tends to be the most healing activity for me, and I really enjoyed hiking this month with some of my cutest people.  Plus, it was glorious to watch the progression of the leaves.  What a beautiful season!

The day after the funeral we actually had a family wedding.  My cousin Mark married Ashlee, who is just the cutest!  A wedding is just what we all needed that day, and we enjoyed celebrating life and love in a more joyous way.

Warden has done an awful lot of growing this month and I'm not so sure how to feel about it.  He's growing up so fast!  But it is so fun to see him develop his sweet little personality.  I love how he interacts and smiles with us now!  Here he is playing with the crab we got him in Merida back in May.  I love him so much!

To illustrate just how much he's grown, here he is compared to Kess's cute little Kirkham, who is 5 months older than Warden.  You can tell that Kirkham is older by the way he holds himself, but the two boys are just about the same weight!  I snapped this picture at the luncheon after Grandma Great's funeral and I think it is so cute!

Have I mentioned how much Bailey and I like Trader Joe's?  This month included several trips to that blessed grocery store.  We are obsessed!

I guess it is safe to say that we are obsessed with food in general.  My aunt and uncle Corinne and Mike can understand this deep love.  They took us to their favorite Japanese restaurant for some delicious ramen and sushi.  They also had us try mussel shooters.  Look them up and then go try them - they are so good!

Memories of Grandma Great

Ever since I can remember, my Grandma Great has been part of my life. Some of my earliest memories involve her, especially because I spent the first three years of my life living just a few houses away from her. I remember following Seiji, who would be riding his tricycle, to visit grandma who was always ready to play with us and feed us tootsie rolls. 

As I got a little bit older, Grandma Great would babysit me upstairs at my grandma’s house while my mom was downstairs teaching preschool with all of my aunts. I remember having her undivided attention, and she always made sure that I felt so loved and cared for. My favorite activity to do together was draw, mostly because I wanted her to draw princesses for me. Looking back, I clearly remember the simple cartoon-like figures she drew, but in my eyes my Grandma Great was the best artist around. 

On holidays grandma would prepare special lunches to serve between the AM and PM preschool sessions. Even when I was in Kindergarten, my mom would pick me up between sessions and take me back to spend the rest of Valentine’s Day at my grandma’s.  Waiting for us would be bread, meat, and cheese cut out into the shape of hearts. I thought it was the coolest thing! I have never liked sandwiches, and as a kid I only ate sandwiches when Grandma Great prepared them with so much love for these special occasions. 

Sandwiches weren’t her only specialty. She made some seriously delicious Spanish Rice, and her brownies are to die for. Mostly because the recipe includes six cubes of butter and eight eggs! Grandma Great always shared her brownie making gift with us by making brownies for every event. Even as she got older, she continued this labor of love. We never got sick of those brownies.

Speaking of events, Grandma Great never missed one. She has 6 kids, and each of those kids have kids and grandkids of their own. I don’t know exactly how many grandkids and great grandkids she has, but I know it must be a ridiculous number. Yet Grandma Great had a way of making each of us feel loved and so important.

She never missed a birthday. Every year I could look forward to a call from her and grandpa, when they would sing happy birthday over the phone to me. Sometimes they would be the first to wish me happy birthday, calling me at 6 in the morning! Sometimes I missed their call, and they would leave their song on a message. How I wish I had saved those messages in a safe place!

I remember when I was about 8 or so, Grandma Great organized a sleepover for Allie, Kess and me. Allie and Kess are my mom’s cousins, though they are closer in age to me. Of course, the three of us had seen each other at family events, but it wasn’t until Grandma Great (who is just their normal grandma) brought us together that we became best friends. Because of Grandma Great doing that, I have two of my best friends in my life. We had a magical childhood together, sleeping over at Grandma Great’s, eating green dyed eggs for breakfast (that she made upon Allie and Kess’s brother’s request!) and playing in the park behind her house. 

When Christmas came around everyone looked forward to her pink Christmas tree!  The ornaments were her mother Luella's, and Grandma Great had carefully preserved them so that we could enjoy them from year to year.

Grandma Great was always there to help with the canning. In fact, she was the expert! Right now the peaches are ready to be canned, and while we do that (hot and tiring) task, we all can’t help but remember the hours of work Grandma Great put in to make sure each of us learned the skill perfectly.

Last Thursday morning, Grandma Great passed away peacefully in her sleep. She had been in the hospital for a while now, but she was just about to come home because she was feeling better. And just like that, she’s gone. 

We all thought we would be ready for this. Grandma Great has lived a long and full life. We knew she was at the end of it, and we knew she was ready. I’m happy to imagine her in heaven, being able to walk easily again and not be in pain. But it’s hard not to be sad to know that someone I love so much is no longer here.

I am so blessed to have been able to know my great grandma for 22 years of my life. That is a blessing that most people aren’t given. She has touched all of our lives, and has left an example of love that we will never forget. I will always remember how she made me feel like I was the “favorite”, and how she was willing to help out with anything, even when she probably physically couldn’t help. She loved like no one else could love, and has taught us all to (try to) do the same.

I will love you forever, my Grandma Great.