My Grandma's 88th Birthday

Today is my Grandma's birthday. She is 88 years old. I wish I could invite all of you over to her house to meet her and have tea and shortbread cookies. She is an amazing woman.

My Grandma has always been super crafty. She crocheted little outfits for my Barbie dolls (dresses, jackets, and hats), and made furniture for them. She can sew anything. When I visit her, she still goes through my suitcase and alters all my clothes to make them fit perfectly.

In all of my childhood memories, this is how I picture my Grandma and Grandpa (those adorable kids are my cousins). When I was little, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us every couple of years in Florida. My mom would pull out her fancy china tea cups, and we would have tea each day. I wore sponge curlers in my hair every night while they visited, because Grandma likes curls.

This picture makes me laugh, because it is the one and only time I remember my grandparents sitting on the sand at the beach. I think my mom talked them into doing it for just a second to snap a picture, and they popped right back up after it was taken.

Grandma is a planner and organizer. The summers I spent in Arizona, she always had a stack of books waiting for me, and a full schedule planned. One year we got dressed up and went to a fancy theater down town to see a stage production of Oklahoma.

The year before that, she and Grandpa took me to see the movie Beethoven. I remember it clearly because it was the only time we went to a movie theater together, and afterwards we walked through the mall and she took me to Macy's. For a kid growing up in a small town, Macy's was a big deal (even if it wasn't the Macy's in New York) and she bought me a purple sweater with white puppies on it that I wore almost every day until I outgrew it.

One summer she tried to teach me how to paint. She used to paint, and was very talented (I don't think she passed that painting talent down to me). My paintings were fairly awful, but I cherish those afternoons we spent together with paintbrush in hand. We laughed a lot.

Grandma is a card player. You can see her look of concentration while she stares at her cards - immediately after this pictures was taken, she beat Katarina in a game of Spades. But her real game is Canasta, and she taught me how to play. We always play cards and put together puzzles when visiting Grandma. I love seeing her and Katarina do many of the same things together that I remember doing with her. It is so special.

Four generations of Judge women.

My Grandma is 88 years old, today. She was married to my Grandpa for over 50 years. They had four children together, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When my mom was three, they left Canada and started over in a new country, because my mom's doctor said the desert climate would be better for her health. Grandma worked several different jobs to help bring in money for the family when times were tough.

Grandma is a woman of God. I have spent so many wonderful hours talking with her about the Bible and the Lord. We discuss books, and life, and politics. She is an inspiration to me. She makes me laugh. She has faced many health challenges with great strength, never complaining, but always hopeful. She still drives. She sometimes sends me sweet notes - some of which have made me cry - and I've kept every one of them, because they are so special. She is a blessing, and the best Grandma in the world.

Happy Birthday, Grandma. I love you!

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