This one's for you, Grandma

My grandmother has always been one of my favorite people.  I could easily go on about how the best meals I've eaten have been cooked by her, the best clothes I've worn have been made by her, and the best life lessons I've learned have been taught by her (in addition to my amazing parents, of course!).  However, in order to avoid sounding too cliche or trite, I'll try to save publicly expressing my feelings about my amazing grandma for another post - one that will hopefully do more to communicate all the reasons she's so incredible.

But seriously.  Look at her.  She's totally incredible.

One special memory I share with her, though, is how she gets "homesick."  To her homesick is never about a place - it's about people.  For example, she tells the story of her first time moving away from home as a young, teenaged woman and how she felt so homesick for her Mother and Dad.  Later, when her children left for college or career, she was homesick for them although, technically, they were the ones away from home.  So, I knew exactly what she meant the first time I called from China and she said she was homesick for me - I had the same feeling.  Since then, Grandma's affectionately reminded me that when I'm homesick for her, I can picture where she's at, but she has no idea what my place looks like.  I (ashamedly) kept putting off taking pictures of the apartment (after all the changes/improvements that have been made - originals of the apt from last year can be found here) because I feel like there's always still so much more I want to do.

Well, I finally realized that there will always be projects and it's not really fair to keep my poor grandma in the dark because of that.  Especially considering that today is her 92nd birthday.  (Happy Birthday!)  So, this post of me cheesily acting out daily life in pictures is for her - I figure she, of all people, has already seen me at my cheesiest.

Every morning when I wake up, I look at the trees outside my window and try to guess what kind of weather the day will hold.

Our bathroom may be a little small, but it gets the job done!

Of course I need to include a picture of making my bed so that my parents and grandma can all see that their years of hard work paid off.

When I spend a little time reading and reflecting before beginning my day, things just seem to go a little smoother.

Depending on the weather, I might grab a jacket, scarf, or umbrella before heading off to class.

I try to use creative methods to help my students better understand whatever topic is at hand.

After my morning classes, I might grab lunch with some friends or colleagues. 

If I have free time after lunch, I might go for a walk or practice my Chinese.

On Tuesday nights, I cook for the other foreign teachers and whatever friends happen to join us for dinner.

Our table's a little small for everyone to gather around, but we call it cozy and make it happen.

If my evening's free of paperwork or meetings, I might work on a special project, like knitting squares for a blanket.

Before I know it, it's time to give thanks for all the blessings in my life and crawl back into bed.

Do you ever feel homesick for anyone, either because you've moved away or they have?  At the risk of sounding like the blog version of Delilah, leave a comment if there's someone you'd like to share about.