Happy Birthday, Grandmother.

Today marks my grandmother's eightieth birthday. Although I don't think she'd like me disclosing her age allover the cyberweb, I am particularly proud to have a grandmother who is not only eighty, but is active and healthy too.

As an individual studying health day-in and day-out, I often contemplate the lives of my grandparents and what I can learn from them in order to have a long life myself. I've always loved hearing about my grandparents' younger days (and I don't necessarily mean their youth, for oh how times have changed even within thirty years!). The world is changing at such a rapid rate. I imagine the many, many things that have changed during my grandparents' lifetime; I can only imagine what I will see in mine.

I am fully aware of my similarities to my dad and how well I get along with and act like my mother, I like to think that I very similar to my grandmother too. Although we've never discussed it, I believe that my grandmother and I share are a lot alike:

We both love routine and are we morning-birds; but we are busy-bees and like to get things done; we both like to cook, bake, and feed the people we love; we both like to live simply and cleanly, not liking clutter, junk, or messes; we are both a bit plain, not caring too much for fashion; we both worry too much; we both have nice penmanship; we both like walking and sunny weather makes us happy; and we both like connecting with family over the phone...

It may seem like I don't get to talk to my grandparents very much due to the busyness of my ND program, but I actually get to talk to them everyday, through this blog. It's funny, but during the first-year of my undergraduate degree, nightly phone calls from my grandmother kept my spirits high, and now, during the first-year of my post-graduate studies, nightly blog posts (in which she reads) keeps me motivated! I wonder if my grandparents ever thought that there would come a day when they could communicate with their granddaughter--who is miles and miles away--through a metal box that sits in the sun-room. Although we don't chat daily, you are in my thoughts, especially today on this milestone of a birthday.

Happy Birthday!