Grandpa Lessons Part 2

I think that the role my grandpa relished the most in his life was that of "grandpa".  I know that sounds weird and you might think "But, Rikki, he was a dad to his kids, and husband to his wife" but in my heart of hearts, I think being our grandpa was his numero uno.

I can only remember on time that he ever scolded me.  I was bossing Hemmy around and he said to me in a stern voice "Rikki, you are not his mother.  Please stop acting like it".  I was horrified.  I remember looking away so that he didn't see my eyes water and the redness in my cheeks.  But I learned my lesson.  I was never again bossy towards my brother (at least not in front of him!).

One of the greatest things about having him as my grandpa was how he was able to turn the mundane into something fun.  We were always going on little adventures with grandpa.  And he was VERY unconventional about our little escapades.

For instance, we had a cabin that was about a 90 minute drive from our hometown.  Now most adults would try to postpone potty breaks until about half-way into the trip.  Not grandpa.  We would get to the very outskirts of our town (about 5 minutes into the trip) and he would declare that we needed an ice cream break!  I kid you not.  My little heart would start beating real fast because I couldn't believe my good luck.  I didn't have to wait until we got to our destination for the fun to start, it began as soon as grandpa was around.

Then once we got to the cabin it was no holds barred.  We always had a playmate in grandpa (grandma too).  Golfing?  Biking?  Sandcastle building?  You bet!  He was up for it all.  Grandpa was never in a rush.  We were always able to enjoy the slower pace (not that he couldn't keep up if we did start going Mach 4...because he could).  Grandpa taught us that it was okay to enjoy life at a slower pace.  One of his favorite sayings was "We don't have to rush...we're retired!".

I remember one night at the cabin where Hemmy and I awoke to my grandpa asking us if we wanted to go for a midnight drive.  Like any kids who have permission to be out after dark we pounced on the opportunity.  The three of us slid in to the bench seat of his truck and drove down the country road in search of deer.  On the way to our destination grandpa kept taking off his glasses to clean them.  He kept commenting to us that he must have a really dirty pair of glasses because he couldn't see out of them.  He left it up to my brother and I to figure out the joke (that it was the filthy windshield, not his glasses) and we thought we were hilarious.  

When we finally got to the clearing where hundreds (I kid you not, this was rural Saskatchewan and they were everywhere) of deer were grazing, the three of us took in the scene.  We jabbered about the deer and grandpa's dirty windshield the entire way back to the cabin.  I will never forget that night.  Grandpa could have gone to bed.  But instead he took the time to do something special for us.  He was always doing stuff like that.

To be continued...

The Best Grandpa That Ever Was...

Grandpa Lessons Part 1

It has been over a year since he has been gone, but there is not a day that goes by where he is not in my thoughts.  My grandpa had a profound impact on my life.  I feel like it is my responsibility to share his life lessons on my blog (no matter how many people read it).

I am not sure what brought this post on...but I am going to run with it.

My grandpa was narcoleptic.  

Every swimming (or any other sport attempted) race that either me or Hemmy swam in, my grandpa missed because he fell asleep.  

Especially if it was down to the wire.   

He just couldn't handle the excitement of seeing his favorite people race their hearts out.

But we NEVER...ever...swam a race with him in the building, without hearing my grandpa bellow out "GO...RIKKI...GO! "(or Hemmy if he was the one swimming) at the top of his lungs.

I am sure that there were swim meets (even in our competitive college years) that Hemmy and I can both attest to, where we were in the crouched starting position with a smile on our faces because we had just heard our grandpa's cheer.  

It was heartwarming.

My grandpa was a penny pincher.  But in a good way.  He was no Scrooge, rather the opposite.  

He was one of the most giving people I have ever met.  

But he had a knack for finding a bargain.  

Although I didn't realize it growing up, my grandpa instilled in me, the thrill of a sale.  I LOVE checking out at Target or J C Penney and seeing the "full price" versus what I really paid.  There is some sort of weird buzz in seeing how much money I DIDN'T pay.  

Along those same lines,  I am a garage sale snob.  

I will never forget, being pregnant with HP, The Dude was 15 months old, and going to visit my grandparents in Arizona.  

It was awesome because Grandma was more than happy to get up with The Dude at 6:00 AM while I slept in.  And Grandpa and I were able to go to garage sales (while my grandma showed her great-grandson off to all the other retirement village residents).  

My grandpa had very strict rules that governed over garage sale worthiness.  For instance, if a sale was sloppy, or had poor signage...forget it.  My grandpa wouldn't even grace you with his presence.  He was old school.  You had to take time and effort to set up your sale!  And if your prices were not competitive...look out.  My grandpa could dicker with the best of them.  You wanted $.25 for your old nappy picture frame?  My grandpa would offer $.10.  

He taught me that I should always seek out people/businesses that are willing to make their customers happy.

My grandpa was a maverick (and not in the lame John McCain sort of way).  He was the real deal.  

He taught me life lessons that only now, as a parent, I am starting to be able to appreciate.  

I hope that his life lessons can pay a testament to the time I was blessed to spend with him, while serving as a cyber-diary for my kids when they are grown and are curious about their family.

To be continued...