Hi kiddo! Today is your Great Gramma Lang's Birthday so it gives me an opportunity to give you all the scoop on her so you can get started out on the right foot. Gramma turns 76 today! She has had a rough year this year with your Great Grampa Lang being sick and dying but she is a fighter! She is running her big old house on her own and she is mowing everyday just like Grampa would.
I would say that I am more like your Great Gramma Lang than I am any other member of my family. Your gramma is stubborn and doesn't forget those trespasses against her. Sorry kiddo, but your mom is the same way. Better watch your Ps & Qs around us.
Gramma has very high expectations out of her family and I already have the highest expectations out of you! It isn't like Gramma expected any of us to be doctors but she always expected us to give our best. That is how I feel about you too. Your Gramma Debbie asked me why I turned out to be a good kid. That was an easy answer for me - your Great Gramma scares me - and she still does. haha. Gramma would never beat you or anything - well, I do think she has swatted me a few times in the last year for being lippy - but I just would never want to disappoint her. I would not want to have to face the look and see that disappointment on her face. Grampa either - the look of shame over the top of his glasses - you just don't want to face it so you do your best to avoid it. Gramma may be more mellow to you since you are going to be all cuddly and an infant but don't worry, I have mastered the look to give you if you screw up :)
Gramma doesn't show a ton of emotion - I think I can probably count on one hand how many times I have seen her upset. Unfortunately, I don't show a ton of emotion either. I am working on it and I am hoping you will break that spell :)
Whether she would admit it or not, Gramma is SASSY. She shakes her head at how lippy and silly I can be sometimes but I am thinking I get that from her. Since Grampa passed away, she says whatever comes to her mind - her filter is gone. She is quick witted and sharp with her tongue. I asked her why this was coming out of her so late in life and she said that she had to put in double the feedback because she has to make up for what Grampa would have said. It was hilarious but I don't think Grampa would have said some of the things that Gramma comes up with :)
Your gramma has a huge heart - she would do anything for any of her family. I don't think any of her grandkids could ever say that we wanted something and she knew about it and she didn't pick it up next time she was out shopping. Gramma has spoiled me rotten on holidays, birthdays and many days in between. There were two unexpected gifts that were probably the most heartfelt unexpected gifts I have ever gotten. When your dad and I got engaged, Gramma gave me a pair of earrings. They were not expensive but it was so touching that she got me an engagement gift and those earrings meant a lot to me. When your dad and I moved in together (yes, we did live in sin together before we got married and I won't judge you if you do), Gramma gave us 2-3 boxes full of Christmas ornaments and decorations. I don't know that I fully appreciated it when she gave it to us but man, oh, man, Christmas decorations are so expensive and those boxes decorated our house! The gift was so unexpected and thoughtful. Every Easter, Halloween, Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving I would get a card with $1 or $2 in it. I asked her this past Easter where my card was with my $1 and she rolled her eyes at me. She basically said get over it, I am an adult now. Remember when I told you she was sassy?
When I was little, I would go over Gramma's house on Friday nights when your Grampa Keith and Gramma Debbie went bowling. We would have dinner and watch TV. Gramma would sit in her rocking chair as we watched Love Boat and Fantasy Island. If I was spending the night, she would make up the couch for me with a sheet, blankets and pillows. If I was going home, she would always leave a quarter on the table for me. That was a big deal for you mom kiddo!! A quarter won't be a lot of money to you but it was in the 70s and early 80s. Gramma has her rocking chair up in the rafters in the garage. I told her I would like it for the nursery. That rocker means a lot to me - it just reminds me of all things Great Gramma!
I saw a whole different side to Gramma this past year. When Grampa was sick with cancer, he was really sick for the last few weeks. Gramma took care of him with a patience and love that I hadn't seen in her. I am sure she was the same way with all of us grandkids but I was too little to remember that. Poor Grampa was on a lot of medicine and he was kind of goofy during parts of the day. It didn't phase Gramma at all. He would ask for food, then not eat it and she would just roll her eyes and take it back. :) When she talked to him with such patience, love and concern, it almost broke my heart because I knew that their time together was ending soon. Even with Grampa sick and on all sorts of medicine, he would still look at his visitors and tell us Gramma was picking on him again!
I know that your Great Gramma really wants an excuse to give me that rocker and she wants you here as badly as we do. She is nervous because of our history and I know that she is praying for your health. If you need any more incentive to stay in there cooking, that woman will love you up when you get here! Maybe you could give her incentive to bump up the Valentine's day cards to have $5 now :)