I have been lucky enough in my life to know my grandma. And now only know her, but we had a great relationship together. I remember when I was in elementary school and my mom showed me how to dial her number on the phone. She lived in California in an awesome custom redwood and cedar home that smelled like a cedar chest. Really though the walls were cedar and redwood, and so was the outside. I think it is one of the reasons she lived so long......the house was preserving her. ;0) I was in elementary school in Utah. I remember a few times a week I would get off the school bus and run home to call my grandma. I even memorized her number. Now that I think about it.....I called her a lot and would talk to her for long periods of time not understanding that it was long distance and probably costing an arm and a leg. But I was oblivious to those things at that age.
Growing up Grandma would come visit us every summer in her R.V. I loved that thing. It was awesome. She would drive to Utah and spend a week or so with us. And she never failed......every time she arrived, she had a box of animal crackers in the circus box for me. I looked forward to those. lol We were like to peas in a pod. We would do everything together. Take long walks around the neighborhood, and gather firewood together. I would get to sleep at night in her R.V. which was a special treat, and in the mornings she would make me the yummiest breakfast. I called it eggs like grandma makes. ha ha ha She would make me soft boiled eggs and place them in one of her 70's style Corel cups. Then she would make toast and rip it up into tiny pieces and stir it into the eggs.....mmmmmm yummy! I loved breakfasts in her R.V. She would teach me about star constellations, and even bought me a book about them that I still have. She showed me where the big and little dipper were, and the Milky way. She bought me a little book on birds that I still have and taught me how to identify all the different ones in our yard. She took me camping once after I had got my brace off from breaking my collar bone. She was my buddy. Grandma and I got along great! We were best buddies.
When we would visit grandma in California, she always had the most interesting things in her house. And she lived right by the Ocean. You could look out her kitchen window and see the Ocean. We would always go play at the beach, and then have to get the sand hosed off of us in her backyard before we could go in the house. She had some amazing trees in her yard that were perfect for climbing. One in particular was the perfect climbing tree.....I spent a lot of time in that tree.
My grandma has lead an interesting life, and even lived in Cuba with her husband and kids for a while. She was a different person to me and one of my cousins than she was to her kids and the rest of her grand kids. We were the chosen ones.....lol All through elementary, middle, and high school we talked and I shared things with her. I could always be honest and tell my grandma how it was and she didn't care. She understood me when I thought or felt no one else did. She was still my buddy when I was a bratty teenager.
When I got married and moved to California to be with my husband, I didn't know anyone. I felt alone as I was a newlywed, and my husband was a busy Marine. My grandma became my best friend. We would get together usually once or twice a week, and hang out. I would help her around the house with things she needed to get done. We had a great relationship. When Chuck would have 24 hour duty, or would go into the field I would spend the night at her house.
I was very privileged to know her and hear about the amazing life she lived. I love my grandma so much, and even though she passed yesterday....I am so glad that I believe she is in heaven with my grandad and is healthy, young, and pain free.
XoXo-Andrea Carla
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