When I was born I only had one full set of grandparents in my life but they will always be the greatest gift I have ever been given to have in my life.

Every day after grammar school, their house was my second home to work on homework, hang out with friends in their neighborhood and have a safe place outside of my own household. Growing up, I definitely was a stubborn child who would sometimes give my grandparents a hard time when it came to wanting to work on my homework or begging them to let me hang out with my friends when I still had assignments to work on or tests to study for.

My grandma was strict when it came to being inside her house at a certain time which for us was when the street lights came on. She always told me to act my age and not my shoe size which will always be my favorite saying of hers. She instilled in me that if I wanted friends and for someone to love me someday, I would need to treat others the way I want to be treated.

I wish I could take back all of the times I have ever been stubborn or mean in any way towards my grandma because she is truly an angel in disguise.

She showed up to all of my sporting events in grammar school and high school, my musicals, band concerts, drove me to my first job when I didn't have my license and was always willing to pick me up from school when I didn't feel good. I love that she is always a phone call away when I want to vent to her about the stresses of being away at school, missing her and my Papa, or just wanting to hear her voice. I hope that when I am a grandma someday, I am at least half the woman that she is. Whenever she goes to church, she never fails to remind me of how much she prays for me and lights a candle for me whenever she can.

My grandma is the person I can always count on to calm me down when I feel like giving up on myself.

Last semester, I was going through a really tough time within the first month and half of school and she let me drive to Chicago to spend the weekend at her house to relax and decompress even if all I did was slept and watch Netflix in my aunt's old room. She'll always have one of my favorite meal ingredients on hand when I stop over after work or come home for a school break. My grandma is the reason I have made it this far in my life because she has always been my personal cheerleader.

When I have zero motivation or faith in myself, she'll always be there to build me up. She is also the reason I have such great music taste even though my parents and siblings might beg to differ! Every Sunday morning she would wake up, make breakfast and get right to cleaning with the Jersey Boys soundtrack playing in the kitchen.

I will always cherish every single memory I have ever made with my grandma. I love you so much gram!