Remember When...

Grandma and Grandpa

Remember when they used to sell the chocolate round mints by the registers for 5 cents.  I do because that was my favorite part of the meal.  My grandpa always bought me one and I never had to ask.  That is just what you did after you ate, you bought a mint.  I traveled a lot with my grandparents when I was growing up, so we ate at a lot of diners and we visited a lot of family.  I used to sit in the front seat between my grandparents.  That was before they started putting cup holders and all the compartments in the middle.  There was even a time when my grandpa had a CB radio.  I don't know what CB stands for but all the truckers had one, you know what I am talking about.  Me and my cousin used to chit chat in CB talk, you know 10/4 big buddy.   We each had our own handle, handle being like a nickname.  One of us was mash potatoes, I think this was me because I loved mash potatoes, but honestly I can't remember.  I just remember that these days were fun and simple.  I only had to worry about when grandma and grandpa were going to stop and what and where we were going to eat.  I usually got a grilled cheese sandwich.  I loved those diner grilled cheese sandwiches and the pickle that always accompanied my sandwich.  You can't have one without the other.  Our trips were pretty predictable.  Always the same.  We would travel by car always and always we would go see family.  I mean who else would we go see.  Now days it is harder to get the time to do this and my grandparents are older, older but not older.  They still get out and travel but just not the distances they used to and they do their traveling now without me, but they have added my mom.  I am pretty positive that their trips are not as much fun with my mom in tow.  She truly tries to keep those two kids, (grandma and grandpa) in line. 

It is funny how times change and it happens so gradually that you sometimes don't see it until one day you are remembering when.  This happened to me the other day with my girl.  She was just standing there looking at me and suddenly I saw the changes in her.  The taller, older girl making her own dicisions and mistakes.  I am not sure how or when it happened but she has changed.  She requires less from me at bedtime.  You know the rubbing of the arm and maybe a song or two.  Those times are disappearing and how and when did this happen?  What is next?  I don't want to be remembering when just yet with her.  I still need that little girl that is standing at the top of the slide yelling look mom as she jumps the full length of the slide, (our swingset slide) I will always remember that moment but I will be adding new moments with her as she coninues to change and grow. 

Her first airplane flight, when she was nine.