Grant and I love playing Scrabble. I vividly remember one evening very early on in our dating, when I was not 100% sure if I was totally “into” him. We went out for dinner and then went back to his apartment and played our first-ever game of scrabble together. It was that evening, through much laughter and authentic conversation that I began to have a HUGE crush on Grant Wollenhaupt. Because of that evening, scrabble will always have a very special place in my heart! We love playing a game while eating dinner, and the other night’s game was epic. You see, I am really great with spelling…which can come in handy in this game. But Grant has a crazy talent for remembering random facts and words that no one else would know. And that REALLY comes in handy! Needless to say…he always wins. Except the other night. I started off on a roll and never stopped! The sweet thing is, it was also our very first time playing ALL of the letter blocks!My genious word: Brewery. Began as just brew. and then I added the “ery” for a whopping 30 point word! :) ahaha I’ve never felt so clever in this game! And below for the proof of my final winning score…yeah! Don’t worry, love. this time was one a hundred. You’ll be back to winning next time ;) As I was thinking about this fun word game, I couldn’t help but to think of my delightful 98-year-old great-grandmother. She is a remarkable woman! Although I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with her since she lives in a different state, I am always amazed by her. Her ability to always be on top of the things going on in her great-grandkid’s lives is unbelievable…and I often believe she has a memory far better than my own! She and a close friend of hers used to play a “game” that inspires me whenever I think about it. Her friend would get the newspaper in the mail each day, and he would read it cover to cover. While he read, he would highlight the words he didn’t know, look up the word, and write the definition beside the word. He would then pass the newspaper along to my grandmother, who would take the challenge of learning those words and finding any others in the paper she didn’t know.

This story inspires me because at 98 years old, she has not lost her craving and commitment to learn new things. I can’t even begin to imagine living that many years, and not losing my zeal for life and curiosity to learn new things, sharpen my memory, and continue to become more and more the woman that God has designed me to be.

To my grandmother: You constantly amaze me! You have left a marvelous legacy in my life, and I love you very much!