Grandma's Grave

Grandma when she was young, what a babe!

Noah, Julie and baby Lauren. Noah is a very proud cousin.
Seth organizing a race for all the cousins

Sunday we met my family at my Grandma Rose's gravesite at Rose Hills in Whittier. She died Memorial Day weekend 2005 and I have dearly missed her since. My grandma was the best grandma anyone could ever have. If you talk to anyone in our family, everyone agrees and has such special and fond memories of her. My grandma was sweet and loving, she loved you unconditionally and made you feel like the most special person in the whole world. I remember what her hands felt like, they were soft and warm and so comforting. Her voice is in my head and I hear it all the time, I hope it never leaves. Going to grandma's was the best thing in the world. I luckily got to spend a lot of time there as a kid and cherish those memories so much. Here's a few of my favorite memories from grandma's.

Me and Grandma at Mom's wedding. Grandma made my dress, complete with bloomers!

We always had to wear socks because the kitchen floor was cold and we could catch a cold.

Grandma had a chalkboard in her kitchen, when you would come visit you would write messages on there to your cousins and they would leave you messages too.

Marinated carrots, none of us liked them but grandma and Julie loved them.

Breaded chicken, my grandma loved breaded chicken and in her later years it was all she made.

Spaghetti and meatballs. I still remember what they taste like and I have never tasted anything similar, it was the best.

Mocha Mix ice cream, Wheel of Fortune and Golden Girls. My grandma and I are both lactose intolerant, when I would stay with her after dinner we would have Vanilla Mocha Mix ice cream cones and watch Wheel of Fortune and the Golden Girls. It was the best! I still watch Wheel of Fortune, yes I have spin id, and the Golden Girls. It makes me think of grandma.

Toy City! Toy City was a HUGE toy store in Buena Park where grandma lived. She would give me $5.00 to get a toy.

Walking to Albertsons to get a movie. I would always get the same one and grandma never cared.

Powder on your bumb. Grandma would always squirt powder on my bumb after a bath. I was little, this ended when I became much older.

I have three absolute favorite memories of grandma and they sum up how kind and loving grandma was.

When I would stay with grandma and we would go out to dinner, when we came home grandpa would let grandma and I out of the car while he would park. We would go into the house and I would hide behind the black leather chair by the fireplace. I would tell grandma, dont tell grandpa I'm back here. Grandpa would come in the house, "Where's Amanda?" Grandma would say "Oh, she's left us". Grandpa would boo hoo and I would jump out from behind the couch and yell surprise. I did this every time I came, multiple times a day, days in a row and it never got old, or tiring and I never felt silly for doing it. Grandma and grandpa would get just as excited to see me jump out from behind the chair as they did the first time I ever did it.

When I was in college I came home for Christmas, I had a really hard semester and was really down on myself. At the family Christmas party grandma wanted to see me. I went to sit with her on the couch and she said she wanted to hold me. I felt silly because I was so big but she was insistent. I layed next to her and layed my head on her chest. She just held me and told me how much she loved me and how special I was to her. It made everything I had been going through better and I loved that time with her.

When Sam was born grandma couldnt really move and really couldnt talk. I went over to her house one day with Sam and Harrison. Sam was 1-2 months old. Grandma hadnt seen him yet and I didnt want to bother her and make her hold him. She was lying in her recliner and looked so uncomfortable and out of it. I sat on the couch nearby and the whole family was there to discuss grandma's hospic care. We were all chatting and pretty loud like we normally are, suddenly in a raspy voice as loud as it could go we heard "Sammy, Sammy, Sammy!" Grandma wanted to hold Sammy. It didnt matter if he was too heavy for her or if she was too frail, she wanted to hold him. I quickly took him over to her and she held him and kissed him and tried to talk to him.

I could go on for hours about grandma, she was the greatest and still is. I miss her so much but I luckily have so many great of her and so many of her things in my home that remind me of her. Her sewing machine, I am sitting on her sewing chair right now writing this blog entry, her stool, they boys use it in their bathroom. The copper music bell that used to be in her kitchen, it is now in mine. You pull at chain and it plays a song. I have pictures of her everywhere. I love her so much and hope I can as wonderful as she was.

Sean and Julie with Grandma and Grandpa, I love this picture!

Jim and Lynette in front of grandma and grandpa's house in Menifee with Pokey. Best dog ever!