Happy Birthday, Grandma!

The family is throwing my grandma a 90th birthday party this weekend.  Her birthday is technically on Monday - and I'm sure that she'll get plenty of love and attention all weekend long, straight through to her actual birthday.

I can't wait to see my aunts, uncle and assorted cousins, second cousins, etc!  It's going to be a wonderful weekend.

As part of my grandma's party, I'm organizing a photo/memory book as well as "grandma trivia".  It's been such  a blessing getting to put together her memory book.  There are some wonderful stories that family members have submitted!  I just wish that more of my cousins had participated...  Who knows, maybe once they show up, I can nudge them into writing something. Ha! :-) {Side note: My mom has named me the human spell check and grammar check. I wish some people wrote in full sentences!}

This party has also had a few depressing moments. I asked my grandma one day who she wanted to invite, only to realize that so many people that are important to her have already passed on. But I'm so glad that she gets this party! I want her to live many more years... but at 90, she has lived a full life. I feel so grateful for the time I've gotten with her. God forbid, but if she happens to pass away soon, I would feel at peace that she's has gotten a last hurrah and knows how much people love her.

Here's what I'm contributing to the memory book:

When I was two or three, grandma decided to teach me how to eat Oreos, and not your typical “dunk, nibble, repeat” either.  She taught me to twist the Oreo open, eat the cream center and throw away or “give away” the chocolate cookies.  I still prefer the cream center to the actual cookies!

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 Not many of the grandkids will remember grandma driving.  I also have the distinction of recalling her missing part of the driveway and ending up in the gulley by the well grandpa had dug. Oops…

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Even as a little girl, I knew that my grandparents thrived on socializing and throwing parties.  I loved year after year of Thanksgivings, Christmases and 4^th of Julys packed with family, fun and food.  They both loved being advisors for Rainbow and Demolay too!  Getting to be present for a few of their pool parties with the teenagers was so much fun.  Those kids must have really admired grandma and grandpa to let me bother them so much. Watching her through the years taught me a lot about party planning, food prep and being a good hostess.

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Grandma has inspired my love of shoes.  Or…I could say that I blame her for passing on the gene for hoarding shoes.  J If you find a shoe you like, buy one in every color!  Having traveled with her, I also learned moderation in packing those shoes.  The summer I turned sixteen, we (mom, Josh, Lori, grandma and I) did a tour of England, Scotland and Wales.  I kid you not that there was an entire suitcase of hers dedicated to shoes!  I wish all the shoes she brought made it back.  Sadly, there were casualties…or as she said, “a reason to buy more shoes”.

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She’s also provided some useful observations:

·         No matter how dainty you look…some women can, in fact, snore loud enough to shake the walls. 

·         Sleeping and knitting at the same time is an art form!

·         Smiling and nodding can get you through most situations.

·         You never get too old to play “beauty shop” with your grandma.

·         There’s always room for dessert!

·         If there’s a fire alarm in a foreign country in the middle of the night – she WILL stop to get fully dressed (including make-up).