Perfecting Imperfection

I swear my memory gets more and more faded every year.  I was laying in bed last night trying to remember my first year of teaching.  I remembered bits and pieces but nothing vividly.  Then I tried remembering the big move I made from Kindergarten to Third Grade - again, I can't remember much.

I blame it on the fact that I have too much on my mind.  Most days a running "to-do" list fills up my brain.  Other days it simply shuts down to have a break.  I'm hoping that I can jog my memory a bit by continuing to write these Sentimental Saturday posts.

I had a really tough time thinking about what to write about today, though.  My mind is more clouded than usual these days.  I thought I would just share a few memories I have of my grandmother who will be visiting next week!

My Grandmother and Dad at my wedding

My Grandmother moved to Florida when I was . . . umm . . . 12?  It was around then, I think.  However, she has been here for every important event in my life.  She came to my High School graduation.  She was here when I got married and she was here shortly after my babies were born.  :)

I also spent time in Florida with her and my Aunt Anita.  I remember our trip to the Keys and I remember how we went out and had a drink together after I had turned 21 and went down to pick up my "baby" cousin - who is now 21 himself!

I remember bits and pieces of things we did when she lived here.  I remember sleep overs with my cousins.  I remember seashells spread out on a carpeted floor with quarters, nickels and dimes hidden underneath them.  I remember BIG Christmas Eve dinners.  I remember my Grandmother dressed up for Halloween.  I remember her singing in the pew behind us at church.

I also have a lot of memories from her visits throughout the years.  She would stay with us when she came up and I always LOVED that was with us when we went to bed and still there when we woke up the next morning.  Those mornings were always my favorite.  Having breakfast in our pajamas.  I remember a salmon colored robe that she had (she may even still have it) that was silky.  I can see her sitting at our dining room table eating some buttered toast and drinking a cup of coffee.  I remember one Christmas when she came up and I decided to turn my bedroom into a hotel.  I can't remember what all I did, but she still has the notes I left her thanking her for staying at our hotel.

My room was in attic and there were three windows that looked down on the whole street.  I remember her calling the police one night when she saw people opening car doors and going through them.

One of the best memories I have of my grandmother from her visits up here is when we waited until everyone was asleep and crept down the stairs from my attic bedroom to have cookies and milk together by Christmas tree light.  :)

A little over a year ago - when Grandma came to meet the twins

I can't wait to take a new picture next week!  She's going to be amazed at how much they have grown!

I don't know how old my Grandmother is - but however old it is I can assure you that you would probably have a hard time believing that she has 8 (soon to be 9) Great Grandchildren!  She posts messages on my Facebook page and reads my blog.  My friends are amazed when I tell them that I get email from my Grandmother.  There are a lot of times when I wish that we lived closer to each other - but I find my Grandmother a great source of support and inspiration.  Every time we talk to one another she tells me how much she just loves my husband and how lucky I am that I married one of my friends.  She made me feel normal when I wasn't feeling normal.  She told me about how she went through a lot of the same emotions I have gone through in the past 6 months.  She had 3 children and knows how tough it can be with a lot of little ones.  Above all things, she has shown me the importance of being a strong woman.  I admire her for so many things but mainly for her outlook on life.  She enjoys it.  She lives it and she loves those who she had a part in giving it to!

Can't wait to see you, Grandma!

Who knows if this will stick - but today I had a brilliant idea about a weekly post that I could try out...since I'm working on trying to be a more "organized" blogger.

My idea is to do a Sentimental Saturday post where I talk about something from my past that has a story that I am comfortable telling my children.  At first, I thought it might have too much of a My Life (the Michael Keaton movie) vibe but I soon remembered that a big part of the reason I blog is so that my kids will have a way to look back and get to know me and remember things we did while they were little.  :)  So, I'm giving it a shot.

Part of the reason I came up with this idea in the first place was because I made a conscious decision to wear these boots when I went to meet up with some friends from high school last night: