1. The last time I was able to visit my grandma was this past January. It happened to be her birthday during my visit and we all had the chance to celebrate together. Instead of cake, I made baked apple fritter doughnuts, which were always her favorite. She ate the entire thing and even said, “mmmmm, I like this!!”

2. Throughout my grandma’s last few years there were a quite a few parts of her personality that never faded. We were so lucky for this.

Her infectious smile, laugh, and happy demeanor.

Her sweet voice.

Her calm personality.

Her ability to say “I love you!!” even through her last days.

Her chattiness. She was always a talker!

3. My grandma passed almost exactly 1 year apart from my grandpa. You have never met two kinder souls. And their generosity…don’t even get me started.

4. My grandma wanted everyone to be well-fed. Whether that was with a full meal or a pile of candy, it didn’t really matter. Only my grandma could justify why goldfish crackers, an ice cream bar, or marshmallows were healthy. “Well, the crackers have cheese and the ice cream has milk!”

[photo from my bridal shower]

5. She was the ultimate food-sharer. For years and years her breakfast was a cup of instant coffee and 6 saltines topped with margarine. Literally, SIX. That’s it. And if I was there she would always give me at least 2 and save a few sips of coffee for me. Eventually, she would just take the whole sleeve of saltines out for me.

5. I am forever thankful my grandparents helped celebrate our wedding day, nearly 5 years ago.

6. In 5th grade I decided to start playing the cello along with the flute. I remember on Wednesdays, I would come home and have to lug the huge cello off the bus. Grandma was there to greet me on Wednesdays and always helped me haul that thing inside.

7. Whenever I was sick and had to stay home from school it turned into a play day at grandma’s. I loved being sick for this reason. We would watch TV all day long and I would curl up with her on the couch and fall asleep while she watched her soap operas.

8. My grandma LIVED for her grandkids. All she ever wished for was our health + happiness. Her love was always felt so strongly. She always used to say, “I could just eat you right up!!”

9. My grandparents were huge Las Vegas fans. It was always kind of funny because they never had a gambling problem, didn’t drink a lick alcohol, and were not partiers, but their favorite place to vacation was Las Vegas. They typically went 3-4 times a year for 25+ years of their life. They taught me how to play blackjack when I was about 5 years old, and I was lucky enough to get to Vegas with them a few times. The most memorable trip was for my 21st birthday. My grandma taught me how to play craps and stood with me while I won a nice chunk of change!

10. I had a special bond with my grandma that I just can’t quite put into words. She was my favorite person ever, and I just hope that throughout my life I can be half as good of a person as she was.