My Nonnie... Hmmm, where should I start??? Well, I have a lot of memories from my childhood about Nonnie. I remember a little bit about the day I locked myself in the bathroom at our house. Most of it I know because she always tells the story... We lived down the street from Nonnie so she came down to our house a lot. I had locked myself in our bathroom this day. I must have been about two... The bathroom door required a key to unlock it and I had the key in the bathroom with me. I refused to come out and my mom and dad were at the door begging me to open the door. But I knew my dad was going to spank me if I opened that door so I just kept saying, "No". Finally, Nonnie came to the door and asked me to come out. And I did. She had promised that she would not let my dad spank me if I opened the door and, true to her word, when my dad reached for me, she grabbed me and took off running back to her house with me. She must have looked funny to the neighbors, especially since I had covered myself from head to toe in band-aids, but she didn't care. She had made a promise to me and she kept it.

The thing I remember the most about my childhood and Nonnie is going to the lake. They had a little house there and we would go there and stay for a few days and go fishing. Man, Nonnie loved fishing. I was always scared to touch the crickets so she always had to bait my hook and then she would tell me to be very quiet and the fish would bite. So we would sit there all day, under that tree, and fish. What fun I had then. Something else that always reminds me of my childhood, the lake and Nonnie is "Bloody Bones". He was a monster in the stories she used to tell me. She would tell me these stories while we were lying in the bed in the dark. And when Bloody Bones always got his victim, Nonnie would grab me and make me scream and giggle. What a deranged kid I was... Most little girls wanted to hear about Cinderella or Snow White but not me... It was only Bloody Bones I wanted when I was at Nonnie's.

After my parents divorced and we moved to Nashville, we still got to see Nonnie and Daddy Jack. They would come visit and stay or sometimes she would come by herself. After she made us clean the house from top to bottom (LOL), we always had fun playing games or doing a puzzle. I rememeber the first summer after the divorce. We had stayed with our dad a little but mostly with Nonnie. I remember when we left, I looked back up at the door and Nonnie was standing there crying. I have never forgotten that and don't think I ever will. I realized then that Nonnie really did love us. Seeing her cry like that was a little comforting in a way. It showed me that I was important to her.

During my teenage years, I got a little rebellious... Did I say a little??? Okay, I got downright bad. Nonnie and I went round and round but in the end we always made up. Sometimes it took a few days but eventually we came around. I grew up and stopped arguing with everyone... So ever since then, Nonnie and I have had a good relationship. She always tries to get me to spend the night when I go see her and if I didn't have 3 dogs and a cat, I would. She is a "hip granny"... My mother has told me that this is not the same woman that raised her... Sure she is; She has just changed as times have changed. As I have grown up, she has gotten more acceptable of young people. And now that I am adult, she no longer has to "baby-sit" me. When I go see her now, it is just for pure company. I think that's why she is more lenient of things now. I think if my mother had done half of the things I have at this age, my grandmother would have grounded her... Even at 25 years old. But my grandmother is pretty cool and I love being around her.

I remember a few years ago, Nonnie and I went to a concert. See, my mother had a broken ankle and would have had to go in a wheelchair so we had handicapped seats. Well, my mother couldn't go so Nonnie rode in the wheelchair and went with me. During one of the best songs, Nonnie all of a sudden screams, "Yay!!!", and jumps up from the wheelchair... I could have died right there on the spot. It was so funny. But that's Nonnie. She is a lot of fun to be with. We just laughed about it later because the people around us just looked at her. They had the funniest looks on their faces.

I love My Nonnie more than she will ever know. She has been the best grandmother in the world. She has always tried to have fun with us and be there for us when we needed her. She is a strong Christian who knows that the day she is called Home, she will be at peace with that. In the meantime, she is having fun and making memories for me that I will keep with me when she is gone. I have to give her some credit for making my childhood a little easier. Thanks, Nonnie!!!