My Grandma's

Well growing up we moved ALOT!!! about every 4 years or so. I think the longest we stayed somewhere was Idaho. My dad's mom, my Grandma Howery lived with us for most of my life and she was kinda like my "best friend" growing up. When we moved she moved. She always had her little apartment right down stairs. with a kitchen and the whole set up at every house we were at. So i would go crawl in bed with her in the morning. Or if I got scared I would be in her bed. She made us special breakfast on our Birthday at "her house" each of us kids were really excited about that. She was also an "older" Grandma but that didn't slow her down by any means. When we moved to Idaho she had started in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's that was hard on the whole family. And it became so much of a risk to keep her at the house that we had to put her in a home where she could be monitored 24-7. My mom pretty much had the duty while she lived at our house and it just got to be to much. She would run away.. she tried to cook which almost started a fire... and so on and on.. So we put her in a care house which was SOOO hard on my Dad and me. I was super close to my Grandma and it was hard but I totally got it. It just wasn't working at the house her dementia had set in alot! So I faithfully visited her 3- 4 times a week. Brought donuts in on Sundays played there games with them did makeovers with ladies. And as you know in Alzheimer's they just completely lose it.. So she had no idea who I was. I was some different lady that came in every time I came in although her most famous one was that I was married to her boyfriend!!! LOL Anyways. So in 1998 my grandma passed away. And it was such a blessing she had lived with this disease for so long and it just seemed to be miserable. My Grandma was not my Grandma for many many years. I was at Bible School when she passed away.

Being that we moved so much we never lived near my mom's mom, my Grandma Clark. We would visit her in California about once a year. And for those couple of years we were back in Cali. we were there for Christmas and Thanksgiving. But I don't remember being there a lot. It wasn't until I had Abbie that I started getting to "know" my Grandma. My Grandpa had passed away shortly before Jon and I got married. And as WE ALL know.. I got preggers right after that.. So Abbie came along pretty quick. I had such a great relationship with my Grandma Howery and that relationship was so important to me. I wanted to have that same thing for my kids that I had. Being around grandparents but even cooler a GREAT GRANDMA. My Grandma Clark was and is the only Grandparent I had at that time. So I lived in Ventura, CA and my Grandma lived in Long Beach so it was about a 2hr drive.. on a good day! :) (gotta love the LA traffic) So I would try to come out about 2 times a month. We both had Disneyland Passes so that is mostly what we did. We had some special times out at the Resort where just "us girls" went (US meaning my grandma, me and Abbie) and of course do some shopping. I didn't have these kinds of times with my Grandma growing up so I was so blessed to have those times with her as an adult and with Abbie!

My Grandma moved last month into a Retirement Center. (Not one like my Grandma Howery's) like a College dorm for OLD PEOPLE!!! LOL! Anyways, after 60 years of being in that house in Lakewood,CA she made the move! I haven't been there yet but I am looking forward to be able to visit. But she seems to be having a great time at her new house. Involved with KICKBALL and everything (LOL)

Last night my parents got in from being in California for almost a month!!! I was so glad they are BACK!! But they brought alot of stuff cause my grandma had to downsize in a MAJOR WAY!! She brought alot of pictures.. alot of photo books that I had made for her along the years that I totally forgot about. I bought my Grandma some "golden mickey ears" on one of our special trips to Disneyland. That I had personalized for her and Abbie, and hers says "G.G" Talk about a flood of memories.. So I was looking through all of these treasures that she stored and kept CRYING MY EYES OUT!! And I am just one of 7 grand kids and 10 great grand kids. All these "treasures"

I am so thankful for her! :) And I can't wait to go see her new bachelorette pad! :)