It’s not everyday you get to meet your grand daughter hot and fresh out of the oven. That was the case for Olga. I was born suddenly on the bathroom floor on a cold May morning while she waited patiently on the steps until she could meet me for the first time. When they handed me over to her, I was wrapped in a foil blanket to stay warm and she said it was like holding a hot potato. 

But instead of referring to me as her little hot potato as I grew up, she always called me her China doll because I was so “dainty” and delicate. Luckily for Grandmom, she got a real China doll in the form of my cousin Olivia who joined our family and made it even better years later.    It’s funny, because I legitimately thought I was her favorite grand daughter all along. I mean I have written proof right here. Granted she put “favorite grand daughter” in quotations so I’m not really sure what that means. But the point is she loved all of us unconditionally and made us all feel like we were her favorite. We all had a special close bond with her.    Jenn and Christine got to enjoy years of great memories and privacy with Grandmom until Zach and the rest of us rascals came along. She even got to see them get married and provide her with great grandchildren. What a gift that was for her.    Then Emily, Colin, Tyler, and Adam got to have her to themselves 24/7 when she lived with them. Words won’t be able to describe the jealousy I feel. I could have racked up 6,552 back scratches if I lived with her.    My cousin Chelsea and I always demanded back scratches. We’d always just push each other off the chairs so grand mom could only focus on one back at a time, but she always treated us equally and well, God gave her 2 hands for a reason.    Sometimes Chelsea, Grandmom, and I would drive up to NY to stay with Aunt Julie, Uncle Bill, and Margot (pre-Olivia years) for a weekend. And sometimes that meant Uncle Wayne or Aunt Anna needed to come get us on the turnpike and drive the rest of the way because the semi-trucks scared her and she needed to pull over whenever one passed her by. Luckily, that phobia isn’t genetic.    Whenever my parents went on vacation to the Caribbean without my brother Jarrett and I, the only way to make it up to us was the fact that grandmom was staying with us for the week. Who cares about snorkeling and tropical weather, bye! Jarrett and I couldn’t get them to leave fast enough so we could have some quality Grandmom time.    My grandmom and I always had a great relationship. Even when I went off to college we would write each other or I’d call her on my way home from class to chat. She told me how much she hated what was going on with her - she hated knowing her memory was slipping and there was nothing she could do. She called me on my 20th birthday 6 times to wish me a happy birthday. I told her not to worry, that just means she doesn’t need to call me for the next 5 years. I always tried to reassure her that everything would be okay. That even if she forgets who she is, we won’t. We will remember for her. So as hard as it is being up here today, I wanted to honor who she was and stay true to my promise.    We filled her with so much love, it was all she had left in her in the end. Up until my last few visits with her she would always tell me she loves me. Sometimes she’d tell me I make her laugh or she’d look at me and say, “those eyes!” - like maybe she recognized them in some way. That’s all I needed to hear to feel better. We loved her good and hard, and we were so lucky to be greeted with a smile whenever we saw her. It was enough to make us feel better, even though we still missed our real girl.    Back when we were younger and when grandmom would tuck us in at night, she would always say, “Bless you!” My brother and I thought she was confused and we’d always reply back, “But Grandmom, we didn’t sneeze!” I obviously now know what she meant, so my parting words shall be, “Bless you, Grandmom. I love you and I hope you come to me in my dreams to scratch my back real soon. Like tonight.”

Mom had several one liners that she said all the time. Here are some of them. 
If you remember some of her "gems of wisdom", please share them. 

“You can’t choose your family. You can’t choose the people you work with. But you can choose your friends – so choose them wisely.”

“It hurts to be beautiful.” (said when combing our tangled hair).

“It’s not about the gift. It’s the thought behind the gift”.

“DON’T CALL HIM!” (as in: He’s Just Not Into You)

“Never hold a grudge." 

“Never go to bed angry." 

"I'm doing the best I can." 

"I may be angry but I still love you."

"Don't cross this line!" (a line on the linoleum floor in the kitchen which we weren't allowed to cross that separated her from us when she was cooking). 

"Eat - the children are starving in China!"