My Grandma

A year ago today, heaven was blessed with a new angel. In memory of my wonderful Grandma, I thought I'd take a little time to share the awesomeness that was Betty Carter.
My Grandma was one of those old women who said what they wanted...whether it was funny or serious. And when she was funny, oh man... she made you laugh. One of the best memories I have of her was one day when we were visiting her we went out to eat at this restaurant called Big Boy. It was me, her, my mom, my cousin LeighAnn and my aunt Karen. We had just sat down and the waiter came to take our drink order. We all order and my aunt was the last to order her drink. Now mind you, we were very uncertain about the sexuality of our waiter. The person had a feminine name, but had the bone structure of a man (very defined chin and the like). After my aunt ordered her drink, my grandma (under her breath) said "Thank you....sir." I thought the rest of us were going to fall over we were laughing so hard. That was my grandma's kind of humor... very quite and to herself. I think sometimes she may not have even wanted anyone to hear it. Another fond memory I have was at my cousin Erin's high school graduation party. They have a pretty big yard and so some of us had set up a game of softball in the side yard. My grandma and mom were sitting together under a tree and the ball rolled over, just out of arms reach. My grandma stuck out her hand, motioned for the ball to come to her, and said "Come on." Maybe it was one of those times where you had to be there, but it was seriously so funny! Not only did my grandma have a great sense of humor, but she shared so many things with me about her life.
My grandma lived in southern Ohio, so I didn't have the privilege of seeing her very often...unlike my 2 cousins. But she was still very active in my life. She loved to learn and believed strongly in education. If we got good grades, she'd send us money. $9 for A's & B's and $10 for all A's. I remember her saying once that we were going to make her go brankrupt because we were such good students. My sophomore year of high school was a very rough year for me... for several different reasons. I remember getting home from school one day and seeing a letter sitting on the counter from my grandma. She and my mom were very close so my mom had talked with her about some of the things that were going on with me. Because she loved me so much, my grandma decided to take time to write me a letter about how she had experienced some of the same things I was going through. Her heart had gotten broken just like mine and she had had a hard time dealing with it just like I had. To me, that was the greatest gift ever. Knowing that someone I had looked up to and respected so much had been where I was made me feel so much better. And not only did it make me feel better, but it gave me someone I could go to if I needed. I remember thinking how cool my grandma was. I still have the letter today, sitting on my dresser. It's something I will always cherish.

Grandma-- you were one of the coolest ladies I have ever known. I'm so lucky that I got to spend 20 1/2 years with you. I miss you more everyday and can't wait to see you again! I love you!