Grandma Cris

Hi.

Before jumping into the crux of my letter, a few things:

First, I had the wonderful opportunity to babysit my precious niece last week, guys.  I don't know about her, but I had a blast.  Although watching her play in her Jenny Jump Up and making her laugh was fun, the best part was snuggling as I rocked her to sleep.  So sweet.

Then, thanks to hunting season, Jered and I were able to spend a three day weekend at my parents'.  It's amazing the difference one extra day can make- I felt better rested, and we were able to do so much more.

Anyway, I mentioned last time that I was going to try to do a mini series of letters similar to the ones I wrote about Mom and Dad.  I would have liked to have finished this by the time November is over, but now that that's only a week away, it's seeming a bit unattainable.  So, hopefully by Christmas, you will be able to read a letter about each of my grandparents.

I'm thinking the format won't necessarily be the same each time.  My goal is just to tell you a little about some of the people who have greatly shaped my life.

I sometimes forget how blessed I've been to have six grandparents that I'm close to.  I think Jered only knew two of his grandparents, and he's never really been that close to them.  I know other people who never really knew any of their grandparents.  I'm so thankful that this is a foreign concept to me.

So, to get to the point, I've already told you about my wonderful Grandpa Bill, and now, in no particular order, I am going to tell you about my five other grandparents.

Today, let me tell you about Grandma Cris.

In case you don't know, Grandma Cris is my dad's mom.  She's a Watson, which means she's got an ornery side to her.

Some of my earliest memories with Grandma Cris include eating mint chocolate chip ice cream in their Ohio apartment, watching figure skating there, wearing matching Christmas outfits with all of my cousins that she sewed, learning that butter is the best frosting for homemade spice breads, watching and smelling her make her fake nails, learning to ski on the bunny slope, not being allowed to touch windows, and doing chores.

Doing chores?  Yes, when we spent the night at The Farm (Grandma and Grandpa's house) we would receive a list of chores that we had to finish before we could play for the day.  They were always simple, but they helped teach us that work will be expected from us in order to do what we want.  We also weren't allowed to come downstairs from our rooms before we were dressed, brushed our teeth, and made our beds to Grandma's high standards.  (No wrinkles on that bottom sheet!)

One of the highlights of spending the nights at The Farm: Grandma's waffles and bacon.  And probably grapefruit since it's Grandma that I remember teaching me how to eat it.

Grandma has that wonderful hoarse laugh that my dad has.  I can't help laughing when she starts laughing so hard that no sound comes out.  She tries to talk, but can't get anything out.  Watching her laugh that hard is one of the happiest things in the world.

She loves games.  I remember playing board games on New Year's Eve one year when all of us grandkids spent the night at The Farm.  And when it snowed?  And we went outside to play Fox and Goose? (A form of tag, in case you haven't been blessed to play it yet)  Grandma was right out there playing with us, even though it resulted in a broken toe.

She is also a ruthless, blood thirsty card player.  This is most enjoyable if she's on your team (as she was last night).  Then you get to enjoy when she sarcastically says, "Oh, that's too bad!" to whomever doesn't have a card good enough to beat her.

Grandma is stylish.  Every week at church, Grandma had on crazy high heels with the pointed toes- I never understood how she walked in them.  She also has a variety of gorgeous fur coats and bling.  She rocks the casual look too.  This weekend, I saw one of her flannel shirts hanging up, and thought, "That is an awesome flannel."

When I think about gifts from Grandma, my mind immediately jumps to blankets.  I still have my baby blanket that she made me.  It goes on every major trip with me, and it is still located right next to my bed in case I need to snuggle with it again.  It has been washed so many times that the fabrics used to make it (from some of Mom's maternity dresses) are faded, and some of the embroidered animals are hard to see now.  But it is soft and cool, and one of my greatest treasures.  I also have a large flannel blanket and a beautiful, heavy, soft, loopy afghan that I adore.

One of my favorite things that Grandma gave me is a book.  It's a book specifically for granddaughters from grandmothers, and it's sort of a journal.  It has writing prompts about what life was like when your grandma was growing up and that kind of thing.  I read it all the way to Florida once.  Learning about my grandma's life when she was my age and younger helps me appreciate all that she is even more.

I also like that she gave me ridiculously long toes and fingers. And a love for soaking up the sun.

Grandma Cris has always been good at challenging me to be better.  I think she must have given my dad that trait.  They've always taught me to work as hard as I can, to be the best I can be.  To utilize a talent if I've been given it.

My Grandma Cris has most importantly been a great spiritual influence in my life.  My entire life she has been teaching me about God in some way.  And I don't think there has been a single event or decision that I've had to make that she hasn't prayed over fervently.  

As always, I could go on.  I could list a million little quirks that you should know about my grandma, but I think you get the idea.  I love my Grandma Cris so very much for the impact she's had on my life.  I imagine without it, I would be a very different person.

I love you, Grandma.

Aimee Lou