Jillibean's Grandma

Today was an absolute perfect fall day! Well it would have been a little better if Lil Sis, Big Sis, BIL and Lil E were here... but as close to perfect as we could get.

I started off the morning being productive and lesson planning for the week. Not super fun, but it was good to cross it off the list. I also got my weekly student teaching reflection done before noon. Usually I'm rushing to get it in by five when it's due...

Then Momma, Daddy and I picked up my Grandma C for the afternoon. Gma C is an amazing grandma! I love her so much! She's in her late eighties, but as healthy and active as ever. She lives in retirement community, but dresses up every year for Halloween, reads with elementary students every week and goes on a cruise with her daughters every year! She amazes me. She has such life and energy! I hope that I will age with as much grace as pizazz as she has. She has been such the rock in our family since my Papa died about twelve years ago. Such a strong woman of God. Umm also she had nine children!! Crazy. I can't even imagine it. And she raised them all to be such great people. She has about 21 grandchildren and over ten great-grandchildren! She is the best!

She is also an amazingly talented painter. She didn't know she could paint until she moved into her retirement community and started taking classes, but she's fabulous. She mostly does landscapes and they are beautiful! Sadly she has passed none of her artistic talent on to the rest of us. I can't wait to get my own place someday soon, because getting your own place means you get one of Gma C's paintings to hang on your wall.

Anywho, today the four of us headed out to the best apple orchard in the world! The weather was so beautiful!!! We got to drive through some beautiful autumnal scenes.

(I didn't take these today, forgot my camera :( ... and today it was a thousand times more beautiful than when I took these pics). The sky was sooooooooooooooooo blue and the trees were sooooooooooo beautiful!!! The oranges, the yellows, the reds. Gma C was saying that she couldn't paint those colors if she tried, only God could make colors that beautiful. So True! God's creation is so awe-inspiring!

The apple orchard was amazing, as always. There was a craft show going on. I got a free Amish Friendship Bread starter. Score! So excited to make it and share it with five of my closest friends.

Then we got the most amazing Apple Cider Slushies of my life! They are so so so so delicious! We wait all year for them, and they did not disappoint. Then we ate the most delicious, piping hot donuts covered in messy cinnamon sugar. Delishspice. And tried not to get attacked by too many bees. But the weather and the trees were so gorgeous that we didn't mind a few bees.

Then we headed back to our house to Skype with Big Sis and Lil E. Gma C has only seen Lil E in pictures, so she was excited to Skype with her, even though she had no idea what she was in for. She was so amazed by Skype :) It was adorable. As was Lil E, she's growing up so fast!! But they're coming for Thanksgiving, yay!

After a lovely chat, Daddy grilled up some tasty hot dogs :) Possibly the last barbecue of summer :( But the weather was still so lovely and the company so fabulous and the food so delectable that no one thought about that.

Today was truly a blessing!!