Being the youngest grandchild by 20 minutes has given me a chance to see a different side of my grandma. My earliest memories were at 30 Hillside Road, where grandma would bake and help build forts with Sarah and I in the basement.

But when I was about eight, I found out that grandma and grandpa were moving in with us, which at the time seemed like the best thing ever. It was now going to be grilled cheese and sleepovers all the time. I wouldn’t have to go to Mt. Holly to have grandma’s chocolate chip cookies or be able to look through all the photos of my dad when he was younger.

They were going to be our new neighbors. Sure, I was going to miss the old house and the mount with the creepy alter in the forest, but now my grandparents got to be with me. They got to see me practice for field hockey, softball or dance. They got to hear me sing terribly in the hallways.

And best of all, I could go and play with my grandparents when my parents got too annoyed with me. Having grandma and grandpa live with us for over 10 years has been the best experience.

Sure, it was odd now having someone listen to mass every Sunday in the morning or that I could hear every night the intro to the Andy Griffith Show, but having that time with both of them is something I will treasure forever.

My memories with my grandma are filled with baking apple pie, watching "Little House on the Prairie," baking cinnamon buns on Christmas or even playing Uno. And let me tell you my grandma was one competitive Uno player.

Or the time when my sisters and I were playing tennis at our tennis court and to our surprise seeing grandma at 87 coming and playing with us. Let me tell you that was a sight to see.

A trait that I sometimes loved about grandma was her honesty. Let me tell you, grandma was honest to a fault. I would always go over to show her my new outfits and watching her pull my dress or shorts down to an appropriate length. I hope I have her stamp of approval today.

Having grandma in my life has made me learn that family is everything. Hearing the ups and downs of grandma’s life is amazing. To see how far she came and the faith she had even at the toughest of times is astounding. To think of what she went through when she was my age is amazing.

I hope I have half the courage and faith that she had. Grandma was always about facing your fears. She was fearless. I remember coming home from school one day and reading grandma this paper I wrote that had to be presented in front of the class.

I was so nervous, but she sat down with me and listened to every boring word I wrote about Henry VII. To this day, I believe grandma had no idea what I was talking about, but she sat there and listened to all five pages. Afterward, she gave me a huge smile and said that paper is perfect and that I was going to do great.

I believe grandma’s lasting mark on this earth is us. Her family; because for her, family was everything. To see her light up every time I came over to see her or whenever anyone from the family came to see her was a face filled with pure happiness.

She talked about her family proudly and always talked to friends or even complete strangers about how proud she was of her children, grandchildren and even great children.

I am so proud to be a descendent of this women. Grandma was one of the most fascinating, adventurous and the most loving woman I have ever known. What other woman would come visit me at least five times a day, checking to see how I was after my wisdom teeth got removed, or even when my dad catching a cold and my grandma offering a cough drop.

What other woman would think of being stuck in the air from a flight back from seeing family in Florida with her two granddaughters to be an adventure. When in reality, we were stuck in the air for five hours with a screaming baby right in front of us. Grandma has led a full and fulfilling life, and now I believe it is up to us to honor her legacy. We are her proudest achievements. We are her legacy.