Happy 80th Birthday, Nanny!

My Nanny is 80 years old today! That's 80 going on 60! She's the fittest 80 year old you'll ever meet. My parents built a house a few years ago so that they would have one floor living as they get older. What do they do? Build a loft for my grandmother to live in! Yup, stick the old lady on the 2nd floor. We like to joke about that one a lot. No really, there's an extra bedroom on the first floor, in case the stairs become too much. But for now, she has extra room and extra privacy on the 2nd floor, and the stairs keep her young!

What a life she's had! So many stories to tell! I love to listen to her talk about her life. She married my Pap in Las Vegas (love it!) and raised two daughters. At one point, she and my Pap owned and operated their own corner store. She worked part-time up until about a year and a half ago, when she decided to finally retire. She babysat my sister and me when we were little, while my mom worked as a teacher, just like my mom does for me now. She's always been a big part of my life, and I am forever grateful to have known her so well. She loves to read, play games on the computer, and play nickle slot machines.

Because she lives with my parents (mostly for companionship, because she certainly is independent!), she gets to see a lot of Lucas. And, if I had to pick Lucas's favorite person in the world, it would probably be her. He adores her (and she him)! As soon as he sees her, he sprawls to her and gets really excited. His hearing loss has been tough on her too, but even she has learned some signs to use with him (milk, eat, cat).

She's my Nanny, and she'll always be Lucas's Nanny too. My mom is Oma and Nate's mom is Grandma. She gets to keep her Nanny status, because she's the one and only. That way there's no confusion.

Happy 80th Birthday, Nanny! I love you so much! Here's to many more healthy years ahead of you!