We all affectionately refer to my grandmother as Nanny, which originated from my cousin Eric. She only lived about 45 min from us, so we were able to see her quite often growing up. We really looked forward to Nanny's visits, often waiting at the window for her car to pull in and then running outside yelling "Nanny!" We would then help bring in all the goodies she brought with her, including her famous apple sauce and pies. Even our dog Rugby, couldn't contain his excitement and would wiggle and whine until Nanny gave him some of her best ear scratches.
Rugby getting some ear scratches
Every year we spent a week at Nanny's house, and we all looked forward to it. The first week my sister, our cousins Eric and Rachel (on our mother's side) would stay at Nanny's and then my three brothers Nathan, Jeremy and Jacob would go the second week. Since having two Rachels got confusing, everyone included our middle names so I was called Rachel Anne and my cousin was called Rachel Kara. Rebekah and Eric were similar in age, and Rachel Kara and I were similar in age so we teamed up accordingly. Bekah and Eric usually beat us in any games. I remember one Christmas in particular when we built snow forts and had a snowball fight. Our fort was pretty pathetic and was toppled easily. Bekah and Eric basically built an impenetrable ice fortress and crushed us. Each day of our week at Nannys we all did something fun. One of the days we would go to an old carousel where each of us would grab rings as we went flying by and try to fling them into a clown mouth. If you were lucky enough to get a golden ring, our carousel time was extended by a free ride. Another day we would go to a movie, but first we had to stop at a store to get candy to smuggle in in Nanny's purse. We would spend a day at what we considered to be the best playground ever because it had a pirate ship fort. Sometimes we would stop at McDonalds for happy meals on the way home, something that was a rare treat. Nanny always had the best kid food and the week was filled with Celeste mini pizzas, spaghettios and her amazing homemade mac and cheese. Even if we spent the day at the house there was plenty of fun to be had. Nanny had skateboards and bikes in her garage and we would ride back and forth in front of her house. There were all sorts of bats and balls to make up games in her backyard. She had two trees in her front yard and while most of us could make it up the small dogwood tree, you were the ultimate tree climber if you could climb the large maple tree. We weren't supposed to go behind the big trees in the back but would often try to sneak back there and explore. On rainy days Nanny had every single Land Before Time movie and we watched them all. We were such big Land Before Time fans that she had all of the character cups. We would fight over who got the best ones but somehow I always ended up with Spike. Spike is not portrayed as being very bright in the movies... This prompted my siblings to then give me some Spike related gift every Christmas.
Some of my Spike gifts
Nanny had a couple shows she loved to watch in the evenings including Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. She often fell asleep during the shows, and we were supposed to be asleep in the giant bed (at least it seemed giant when we were little and could sleep four across) in her guest room. We would sneak out into the hall and try to see how much dancing and giggling we could get away with without her waking up. Remember those monkeys you would hang together by their arms? At one point we even dared to try and see how many we could hang on Nanny without her waking up. I was always amazed that every night she would meticulously put rollers in her hair and then every morning the rollers came out and she fashioned her hair into her characteristic style. If we weren't outside playing, or watching Land Before Time or out on one of our day trips, we would play with Nanny's lite brite, pick carrots and other vegetables from her garden, or we might all play the No Name Game. The No Name Game was a large wooden board with holes for marbles. It was similar to Parcheesi but you played with playing cards and the cards you drew dictated what moves you could make. I can't remember all the rules now but it was one of our favorite games. Those weeks at Nanny's house were some of the best parts of my childhood.
Nanny often came to visit us for a few days at a time. If it was a holiday, everyone looked forward to her famous apple pie. Luckily she made an extra for each family. She also made homemade bread and applesauce that had to rationed out so that the kids wouldn't just eat that for dinner. I can't remember a time when Nanny ever raised her voice at us, but we all had the utmost respect and admiration for her. She seemed to grow with us. She played with us when we were younger and spoiled us with the kind of great food that little kids love. As I got older Nanny and I sat at the kitchen table and just talked. When you could get her talking, she was a great story teller. Mostly I wanted to hear all her stories about her pets. She had a sister with a dalmatian named Princess and Nanny had two cats named Lucky and Simone. She loved animals and Rugby was usually nearby pawing at her for some scratches. We didn't talk much about my grandfather, who passed away when my mom was five. It always just seemed like it would make Nanny sad. I do remember her sister telling us that all the ladies liked my grandpa Albert and Nanny was the one to snag him. Nanny also had incredible style. Even late in life she always had her hair done and a nice outfit on with matching jewelry. I love looking at pictures of her when she was younger because she had this classic and elegant look. I especially love the pictures of her in a nice skirt, blouse and heels playing on the floor with her grandkids.
With my mom and dad
At my parents wedding
With my sister Rebekah
With Rebekah, my mom and our cousin Eric
She always was filled with such spunk and joy
Nanny and I at my first birthday
Playing on the beach with my cousin Eric
It looks like Rebekah was ready for some special ops spy endeavor
Instructing on proper pinata swinging technique
The first birthday for my twin brothers Nathan and Jeremy
Sitting on the floor with the kids in her skirt and heels
I didn't seem to inherit her sense of style but hopefully I got a few of her other great characteristics
A quiet moment with my youngest brother Jacob
A trip out for some balloons
A day at Nannys with all her fun toys
In front of the dogwood tree in her front yard
With my brother Nathan, she had a lot of love to give
Nanny used to paint us t-shirts. She knew I loved animals and my favorites were usually the ones with some kind of puppy dog.
Nanny's famous pies one holiday
I was very fortunate to be able to visit with Nanny in her last few days. Her health had deteriorated this past year. In August she had some compression fractures in her back, and her memory was beginning to fail her. On January 8th she seemed to be having a good day. Nanny had trouble hearing and would mostly sit and listen when we visited. She had just gotten her hearing aids fixed so was very conversational. I brought us some sandwiches, and pulled out the same plates I had eaten her delicious mac and cheese from when I was very young. We sat at the table eating sandwiches and sipping tea and chatting. Mostly I told her what was going on in my life and showed her pictures of our dogs. We looked around her apartment at some of the trinkets I had given her as a kid. Nanny collected tea pots and I teased her about one that had an elf face, calling it creepy. She looked shocked and exclaimed that it was her favorite one. We talked about a clock she had in her kitchen that looks like a painting board and how we could never tell what time it was when we were younger. I hadn't originally planned on being home last week, so I feel very grateful that I had those last few moments with Nanny. I gave her a hug, told her I loved her and drove home with my mom.
My last pictures with Nanny during a visit in September. Brian was also with me. We were able to visit with her over lunch and then we went up to visit her sister Florrie and brother in law Frank who was a former Marine and liked chatting with Brian.
At my sister and I's graduation
I am also very grateful that Nanny was able to attend our wedding in 2012. She gave me her engagement ring and my sister has her wedding band. I feel that these rings not only tie me to my grandma, but also to my sister. The diamonds in the two rings belonged to my great grandmothers broach. I love the following pictures from our wedding because I feel they capture her style, spunk and incredible wisdom.
Pre ceremony
Being escorted by my youngest brother Jacob and then sitting with my paternal grandmother
Sitting with my paternal grandparents and mom, Brian and I with all my grandparents
I love this picture
Always sassy, she was probably getting after my brother for taking pictures of her eating
My favorite picture on the left, I hope I inherited just a little of her spunkiness
I honestly can't remember what we were talking about, but I'm sure she was either laughing about something or giving a new bride some great advice
It is very difficult for me to try and encompass the character that Nanny was in words. Her greatest quality was the amount of love that she had to give. I rarely saw her without a smile, even later on when her health was declining. She always seemed overjoyed to spend time with her grandchildren. When I called or visited she never wanted to talk about herself, but loved to sit and listen as we updated her on our lives. As I mentioned, the one thing I could really get her talking on was her former pets (Lucky, Simone and her sister's dog Princess, or sometimes her different recipes. She was very spunky, often doing a little dance around the kitchen or giving someone a little unexpected zinger. She was sassy and if we got out of line would quickly and quietly remind us how to act. She had a great outlook on life and imparted a lot of wisdom and advice, but was never condescending. She seemed to know what the important things in life were and encouraged us to overcome all the little trifles and troubles. She genuinely loved being a part of everyone's lives. I am grateful for all of the time I spent with her and the lessons she imparted to have a loving and selfless attitude and to remember the importance of time with family.
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