My Nanny and Unkie

I have not done as well as I hoped I would with updating this blog. It's been a busy week of trying to get my classroom back in working order before school starts...which is coming all too quickly.

Tonight was my night to cook dinner for my Nanny and Unkie. And this could probably use an explanation. My Nanny is in her late 80s, and for lack of any better description, she is a pistol...and a fiery one at that. She has an evil eye like no other, and she can hold a grudge for at least 80 years, I'm sure. Definitely not someone you want on your bad side. Earlier this year, she fell in her kitchen. She was standing on the top step of a step-stool, putting her cake plates on top of her fridge. (Did I mention she was independent?) In her words, she "got them up there just fine," but on the way down, she got caught up on a step and fell. My Unkie (fill you in on that in a moment) came home about two hours later to find her in the floor. An ambulence was called, to the hospital she went, and she had broken her leg/hip and her wrist. While she has recovered quite well, she is still not up to standing at the stove long enough to cook, so different members of the family have taken nights to cook dinner. Thursday is our night, and we love it.

My Unkie (one of my most favorite men in the world) is my Nanny's 90-year-old brother. He is a former military man and a family man who moved here from Florida to live with my Nanny right before I was born, and nearly 25 years later, he's still here! He is the only grandfather I've ever known, and I have always thought of him that way. Because I was the first "grandkid" he was here to see as soon as they were born, I have always been "his," and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cooking for them over the past few months has given me so many special opportunities, but it has made me deeply regret not spending more time with them over the years. Their age is really starting to show, and it makes me sad that they aren't physically able to do all the things they used to love to do. I am thankful for the time I spend with them each week.