Happy Birthday Grandma!

Yesterday was my Grandma's eightieth birthday. My Grandma is an amazing person and we love her so much! Here are 80 reasons she is so special to us! (In no particular order.)

1. My Grandma makes the BEST apple pie ever!
2. She always has the PRETTIEST Christmas tree.
3. She has had the same perfume since I was little and I LOVE it!
4. She still loves Del, Grandpa, and I even after the magic show at the fancy restaurant!
5. Little Cottage In the Woods...
6. She has an awesome piggy bank collection.
7. Christmas is her favorite holiday.
8. She always plans a dessert with dinner.
9. Her finger nails are always pretty.
10. When I was in third grade she took me to Yellowstone and taught me my multiplication tables. We practiced so much on that trip! When I got home I was the best in my class (except for that math freak Daniel Baker!!!!)
11. As a little girl I always looked forward to spending the week ALONE with Grandma and Grandpa! And she never failed to make it memorable.
12. She loves collections, and thanks to her I have an incredible Barbie collection.
13. Twenty Froggies Went to School.
14. She is the BEST shopper in the West!
15. She loves antique stores.
16. She used to set up their bucket seat truck with a pillow in the middle so one of us grand kids could always ride with her and Grandpa.
17. She loves her coffee!
18. She makes a lot of donations to people of need.
19. She is VERY involved in politics.
20. She loves the Olympics... especially the winter Olympics.
21. She tells the BEST stories!
22. She is always right (in a good way).
23. She would come to Vernal twice during the school year while I was growing up and she would ALWAYS take me to Bitter Creek Book to buy my class a story. After much thought and deliberation we would buy the book, and then she would come read it to my class.
24. She has a delicious Spinach Salad recipe!
25. Santa's Village is FULL of great memories with Grandma!
26. Her licensee plate.
27. She loves her doggy kisses.
28. I will never forget riding the bombardier into Yellowstone with everyone! It was so exciting.
29. She is always fair.
30. She makes some GREAT fried chicken, but I hear she learned from the best!
31. She loves to see wild animals.
32. She has nice curly hair (I think Brilee got it from her!).
33. Her left index finger has a cool scar/bubble thing under her nails.
34. She gives good back tickles.
35. She shops for Christmas ALL YEAR LONG! By January 1 she is asking us what we want the following year!
36. She loves to follow ice skating.
37. We're going on a bear... Can't go over it... Can't go under it... HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT!
38. She used to always get paper bags at Stater's and my Mom always got plastic... I never understood why they didn't get the same.
39. She always finds the prettiest Christmas ornaments and gives us one every year.
40. While we were walking into the zoo Saturday I learned a lot about myself. Grandma and I walk with the same speed while we are trying to get through crowds (fast and assertive). We are both pretty good at it too!
41. She loves to travel.
42. She is always very supportive and encouraging.
43. Her Christmas nails are the best.
44. She is a great singer. Brilee loves it too!
45. She always is working on a crossword puzzle.
46. I have never met someone who loves to take baths as much as her... AJ is close, but not there!
47. When I was 11 they took me to Yosemite to cross country ski. There was no snow so we did a lot of hiking. I loved it. She felt bad though, and so the next year she sent Stac, Mom, and I to Yellowstone for some guaranteed Cross country skiing.
48. She buys See's Candy for everyone she knows at Christmas time.
49. She never gets ripped off.
50. She is VERY competitive.
51. Cherry Cheesecake.
52. Our day after Christmas shopping trips are SO FUN! Stacia and I look forward to them yearly.
53. It is so fun to go to the Village and feed the ducks with her.
54. Walking the Sewer Pond walk sounds gross, but it is always a good time.
55. Her advents are always the coolest. (Just ask Brilee!!)
56. When I was 12 I stayed in Lake Arrowhead for a week without my parents. Amy flew out to hang out with us too. The day before she came I told my Grandma and Jackie about Amy's new toy, the Tomagchi. They bought me one. I raised the little thing up until Amy came. We had so much fun with our toys. Two days later we went to Santa's Village. My poor Tomagchi fell out of my pocket on the Bobsled Roller coaster. I didn't want to tell anyone I lost it, and so Amy and I pretended the rest of the week hers was both of ours. It was hard, but we managed.
57. I hear she was a VERY IMPRESSIVE water skier.
58. She taught me how to swim, and I love swimming so here is a big shout out for that!
59. She is the baby of her family. Five brothers and two sisters!
60. She knows of a great waffle house in the Village, and always takes us there.
61. She LOVES to read. All my life I have watched her and Mom trade books (mostly Grandma giving Mom books) and I think that is one of the main reasons I love to read.
62. She has made hundreds Christmas stockings.
63. She loves watching bike races.
64. Some of my favorite memories are fishing with Grandma at Calder's. She is a very patient fisher, and I am a very impatient fisher.
65. She makes a beautiful baby afghan.
66. She used to win a lot in Mesquite, and all her winnings came right to us Grandkids
67. Unlike Stacia, she NEVER cheated in Sorry!
68. Her sugar cookies and sandies are the best things ever!
69. She taught me, and most of Lake Arrowhead how to read.
70. I was always so jealous of her water bed... BEST NAPS ever!
71. She hates when her dogs bark in the backyard. Every time we go to Cali. she has a new trick on how to get them to stop.
72. She was a die hard Dodger fan. Billy Russell's #1 fan!
73. When dinner is made and on the table Grandma's job is to make sure everyone has their drink.
74. When my Mom was preoccupied with Stac (she was a week old) Grandma taught me to ride my bike. (I think I owe her credit for my triathlon success.)
75. She takes NO CRAP from the ref's during football games. She yells at the TV just like the ref is standing right there.
76. She keeps the girls in our family outfitted with the finest jewelry.
77. She always order Orange Peel Chicken at the Chinese Restaurant in Blue Jay.
78. She introduced us to the best caramel apples out there!
79. She has a huge heart, and would give anybody the shirt off her back.
80. She is a great hostess, and her house is always so homey.
WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA! Happy Birthday!