Here's to you, Grandpa...

I am embarrassed at how long it has taken me to write a new post since the end of the semester, but I promise I've been more busy than lazy!  In the time that has passed since my last post, there have been the usual Christmas festivities (beginning on Christmas Eve eve this year with the Mallalieus), but also the visitation, burial and memorial service following my Grandpa's death after a long battle with Alzheimer's.  Christmas was chaotic but heart-warming to be with all of the family again.  Today is the first day since December 20th that we haven't had friends or family visiting or staying with us!  As opposed to the expected reminiscing of Christmas memories and traditions on my first post after Christmas (it is tempting!), I'd rather share some of the memories I have of spending time with Grandma and Grandpa over the years in memory of Grandpa.  There are many more, but here is the list I wrote in my notebook while sitting in the waiting room at the sleep doctor's office.

• Grandma letting me eat brown sugar in a bowl
• coloring in coloring books with the crayons Grandma kept in a purple basket
• painting each fingernail and toe nail a different color with Grandma's nail polish
• playing Phase 10, Skipbo and Mexican train dominoes at the kitchen table with Grandma and Grandpa
• eating bowls of Grandpa's cereal - Quaker Oat Squares - dry, as a snack
• sorting their glass marbles by color on the living room floor
• playing house in the bedroom in the basement
• Grandma and Grandpa's dog, Peanut, jumping and barking when I came through the door
• mixing Welch's grape juice and ginger ale as a special treat
• Grandma always re-stuffing and "re-squeaking" the dog toys
• trying on Grandma's wedding dress
• trying to figure out the doctor's office-style scale in the basement bathroom
• singing karaoke to Titanic's theme song "My Heart Will Go On"
• playing badminton over the clothes line in the back yard
• Grandpa pitching to us in the back yard when we played softball
• going out to the meat shed to get ham for Grandma to fry up
• riding in the back of the "5-wheeler"
• organizing the TY beanie babies in their cabinet and cataloging them
• helping Grandma make noodles
• joking that Grandpa blew holes in his underwear when Grandma was folding his laundry
• giving Grandpa a Listerine breath strip when he was ushering at church - he got it stuck to his upper lip
• going to the back of the sanctuary to sit with Grandpa and get candy during church
• riding along with Grandpa and Dad to cut wood
• Grandma getting the dirt and dust off our clothes with the air compressor
• sitting with Grandpa in his La-Z-Boy and doing word searches with him
• being fascinated by Grandpa's touch lamp

I'd like to share more, but Mom just walked in the door and I'm contracted to write the Christmas letter - well, New Year's letter, I guess - and if she sees that I'm working on something other than that, I'll be in trouble.

Please have a fun, SAFE New Year's Eve!