Our mom's parents, David and Anne, are the epitome of a 60+ year marriage. They bicker incessantly and make-up with a simple wink. Grandpa leaves his fly open and Grandma just giggles because there's really no telling him to fix it like she has a thousand times before. Grandma binges on Judge Judy and Grandpa scoffs because he'd rather be watching (or falling asleep in the recliner with the TV on max volume) some black and white show depicting a historic war. They are the roots of a family that has grown to almost 50 people and has reached it's fourth generation.
My Grandpa taught me how to drive a truck all around the farm when I was 12. My Grandma is the reason I have a creative, artistic side of me. On any given weekend "at the farm" you'd find us either four-wheeling through muddy cornfields or tagging along at a craft show. I can thank my Grandpa for building up my immunity by letting me drink water from the dirty lawn hose and I can thank my Grandma for all the hand-made matching outfits my sister and I wore as kids. She even made additional outfits for our American Girl Dolls!
They are the reason we have so many family traditions. Rummaging through Black Friday ads on Thanksgiving at "the girls' table," opening presents on Christmas in ascending age order only to eventually have that plan fall apart, and picking up sticks on Easter. Let's take a second to dive into that last tradition. Picking up sticks on Easter... When I was 4, I thought it was simply the first half of the Easter egg hunt. That it was all part of the game. Who could pick up the most sticks in the yard, while Grandpa drives around on the four-wheeler with a trailer on the back! Found out 10 years later that it was a chore; that Grandpa really just needed his large yard free of sticks so he could start mowing in the spring.
Our grandparents love us so much. They live 3 hours away and made multiple trips every year to watch us play basketball, even in college! The photos in this blog post are the result of 10 minutes during one of the visits they made to the Twin Cities, just to have dinner with us.
We owe so much to our grandparents. Fond memories, deep values, family traditions. Do us a favor and thank your Grandparents for everything they've done for you, give them a hug and kiss, and tell them you love them!
With love,
Lauren