80

My grandma turned 80 this month.  We drove down to Ft. Walton Beach to surprise her.  Little man opened the door, and she was very excited to see us.  You know that posts about Grandmas?  The ones where she was the sweetest lady, never drove, would never say anything ugly, or hurt a fly?  Well, that isn't my grandma.  My grandma is a hoot.  She loves jewelry, purses, and accessories.  She hides things in her house and then can never find them.  I am not sure what Valerie and I will find in that house once she is gone.  She doesn't really have a filter especially in her old age, she just says whatever to whoever.  I guess she figures, why not, what does she have to lose.  Gregg said I have tendencies like her...great.  She has buried two husbands, raised to boys, and now lives the life of a  true "Southern Lady".  That of course includes a trip to the local Golden Corral, bus trips to Mississippi for gambling, and the beauty shop each week.   She tells me to wear more make-up and would notice if I didn't iron my shirt.  She has been a diet as long as I have known her all the while eating candy and junk like she isn't.  She is a worry wart...I mean a worry wart.  When we first moved to the big city of Atlanta 25 years ago, she would mail me news articles about how girls were raped in the bathroom at school.  Of course, the sad thing is that it is true now, just not when I was going to school.  She worries about so much that I don't have to worry about anything.  She will do it for me, stuff I didn't even know I was supposed to worry about.  I love to call her and tell her that I am flying down 85 talking on my phone eating a burger while talking to her.  It sends her over the edge.  She leaves the craziest messages on my answering machine.  She loves her family and that has been her number one calling in life.  We would always go to her house on Christmas eve and open presents.  She would have piles of things we put on layaway at Kmart wrapped up in exact order so everything was even.  She bought me a bunny on Easter and kept it at her house, so I could come and visit it.  I spent every Friday night of my first 10 years at her house, McDonalds for dinner and Black Angus for breakfast.  She was a huge help to my single parents, would pick me up from school, and take me to the dr since I got sick a lot.  She probably still has Jello-Pudding Pops(I know you can't say that with the Bill Cosby accent), canned fruit cocktail, and Fruity Pebbles just in case I came over.  Happy Birthday to my Grandma Lorriane Helen. 

I love you Grandma...     

Callie liked the cake too...this little girl is the messiest eater.