No Wine-ers Allowed

 

Don't think I'm gross (or do, I don't really care), but this sweater was my Grandmother's.  And I got it when she passed away from my Grampa.  And I have never washed it.  And I never will.  It still smells like her.  It still has some makeup smeared on the collar.  Every so often, I find one of her hairs woven in the fabric.

This was my Grandma's favorite sweater.  She wore it to church, on holidays or even just around the house.  I can still picture her sitting on the couch, with a Marlboro Light lit in one hand, a smile on her face, one leg under her butt and one on the floor.

My Grandmother was a Southern woman.  She had a twang in her voice and a passion for home cooked food of which there was always plenty.  She was a fan of the more the merrier and she loved kids.

She valued education and she treasured history.  As kids, we were never taken to Disneyland or Six Flags with my grandparents--we went to the Molly Brown House, the Denver U.S. Mint and Fort Laramie.

My Grandmother was a fighter--don't mess with her and especially don't mess with her kids.  She loved Christmas, music and any reason to dress up.  She loved the city, or going "downtown".

My Grandmother was talented in every way.  She played piano, cooked like it was nobody's business and could knit and sew.

My sister and I were really close to my Grandmother.  We spent a lot of time with her and my Grampa in our youth.  And I cherish every moment of it.

My Grandmother passed away in 2004.  She was fine Christmas 2003.  January she had some pains in her hands.  She saw the doctor in February and was diagnosed with cancer.  She passed away in May.

I have to say, I've been blown away and saddened by death numerous times in my life, by my Grandmother's was by far the hardest.  I still miss her and think of her everyday.

What is really cool is that a lot of people say I am a lot like my Grandmother.  And I see it too and I think that is, as my Grandma would say "pretty darn special."  And my mom is the same kind of grandmother to my kids as my Grandma was to me.  And that's "pretty darn special" too.

 Sweater-Grandma's; Shorts-Marshall's; Wine Colored Tights-Target; Striped Socks-Target; Shearling-lined Lace Up Booties-Mossimo