Cleveland Bound!

My grandparents are the best. They met in the Navy, where Grandma was a nurse and Grandpa was a dentist; Grandma says she saw Grandpa on base and told a girlfriend, "I'm going to get that guy." And then she did.

Can you find my mom in these pictures? Hint: she's the one who looks like me! Bonus: Find my dad in the last picture.

Grandpa was our dentist growing up, and Grandma was his assistant. They lived about 30 minutes away from us and have been in the same apartment for as long as I can remember. My grandpa's favorite memory of me is that one night, I was having a sleepover at their house and they promised they'd drive me home if I got homesick.

That night, I puked in my bed and got it all in my hair. (I have no idea why this is my grandpa's favorite memory of me but he tells it literally every time I call.) Even though they gave me a bath, I still wanted to go home.

So they drove me home, and when we got there, I had fallen back asleep; the next morning, I woke up and had no idea why I wasn't at their house.

My grandparents had six kids, and my mom is special because she's the oldest. She was apparently a great big sister. When her brothers were little, she'd crawl into their cribs and give them their bottles before going to school - or so the story goes. Obviously, my grandparents have a lot of grandkids (and now some great-grandkids, too), but I know we're their favorites.

I'm pretty sure this center photo is the first time they met Matt.

My grandparents always send us really thoughtful gifts. When we got engaged, they sent me a silver ring-stand. They send flowers every year for Passover so we have a beautiful centerpiece for our seder.

When Matt's Nana passed, Grandma wrote him a card and sent a gift for his ceramics studio so he could make something in her memory. She somehow always remembers to send birthday and holiday cards on time, and even though my grandparents are Catholic (we used to celebrate Christmas at their house), they always remember to send cards on Jewish holidays, too.

Grandma is also the best cook ever. The last time we visited, she made her special lemon meringue pie, which has a meringue crust, lemon filling, and homemade whipped cream topping.

When I visit, we eat this for breakfast every day, and Matt is always horrified by it...but in a loving way!

Don't let that sweet side fool you; Grandma loves to have her fun. She's the one who taught me to play cards and she loves to gamble!

My grandma has been having some health issues of the past year; she and my family are all very practically-minded about aging, but it sucks. Of course it does.

This summer, I overheard my mom on the phone with my sister as they discussed plans to visit Cleveland. Apparently Mom's high school reunion is coming up and she still goes to these things, and Steph saw an opportunity to jump on board and visit my grandparents.

Of course I wanted in.

And then, of course, Matt wanted in.

So we're on our way to Cleveland this weekend to visit my grandparents! I can't wait. With the tropical storm out there in the Gulf, there's a chance we'll have a delayed or canceled flight. There are supposed to be tornados Friday night, too. So keep your fingers crossed for us, because if this trip falls through, I'm going to be very disappointed!

Tell me something about your grandparents!
When did you last travel "home"?

ABK