I always loved going over my grandparents house when I was younger. They would babysit me all the time and when they were "off duty," I always wanted to go over there. We had sleepovers, played Skip-BO together and I always requested we would eat tacos for dinner and homemade waffles for breakfast. Also, my grandparents loved the computer.

My grandmother, Shirley, loved to play Bubble Spinner and Angry Birds so we spent a lot of time in the computer room trying to compete with each other. My grandfather, Henry, codes a railroad website and knows everything about computers which we talk about a lot. He also taught me how to play Mahjong and I watch him play Solitaire because I am horrible at it. They taught me a lot when I was younger but, unfortunately my beloved grandmother had passed away in 2012.

After my grandmother passed away, I became really close to my grandfather ("Papa"). We needed each other at that point because my sister, Haley, was graduating high school and moving to New York. And my other sister, Calli, was pregnant with my nephew, Brantley. So, we had a really busy year in 2012 that started with a heartbreak and ended with a lot of new beginnings.

Papa and I started hanging out every week which included him taking me to figure skating practice and then going to our favorite place to eat which is Zorbas Coney Island and we continue to do that now, in 2018.

Papa continues to teach me new things every time I see him. This year he's been laying down a lot of life lessons about moving away and going to college. I'm ready to be on my own and leave Downriver but, I'm not ready to leave our weekly "dates". I will still see him every once in a while for breaks or when he drives to Ypsilanti about once a month. We will get to explore Ypsilanti's restaurants together but, I'm going to miss going to Zorbas with him every week.

My Papa deserves all of the credit in the world. He has been a great Dad figure to my Sisters and he's the best grandfather to me and a magnificent great grandfather to my nephews. So this is my thank you to you, Papa.

Thank you for telling me stories. Thank you for coming to every skating thing possible and taking the best photos and videos from them. Thank you for being patient with me as I have grown and changed throughout the years. Thank you for teaching me things like how to drive (and sorry for scaring you a lot while driving). Thank you for everything. Our relationship is something I will always cherish. "I lovez youz tooz".

I wish more people in this world would spend time with their grandparents. Or when they're with them, I wish they would live in the moment and ask them a ton of questions. I have learned so much about my mother's side's family history through my Papa and father, and I know so much about him. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother but, I still regret not seeing her more than I did.

Now, I am the girl who would rather hang out with her Papa than people my own age. Please call your grandparents today if you can and tell them you love them.