Family in the Digital Age

Sorry to have been so silent for the last month; even though the semester ended for me on April 26th, I was really tired when it did end and I just didn't feel like writing. So, let's see. What have I been doing for the last month? Well, I'm getting ready for my Ireland study abroad trip, have been home a couple of times, started working full-time in the English department office, then dropped down to part-time for two weeks (this and next) because of my summer school class for my study abroad trip; I leave for Ireland in 10 days!!! I'm also working on paleography and Latin with my department head/faculty mentor (which is awesome for a nerd like me), writing conference abstracts to submit for the fall, and oh, have I mentioned that I'm going abroad in 10 days? Super, super excited about that! Hopefully I'll get to a computer a few times while I'm there to update, but if not, there will be lots of pictures when I get back. Needless to say, however, my life is not dull :)

However, I have another reason for writing tonight other than catching my friends far away up on my terribly exciting life. My grandparents have joined the digital age! Now, some people might want to hide their online activity from their grandparents, but I try not to write anything that I wouldn't want them to read anyway. So in honor of their recent technological leap, I'm going to indulge myself and tell the internet about how wonderful these two people are, even though it will embarrass them (I will, however, respect their privacy and not post a picture of the three of us, no matter how badly I want to).

There are so many people who have influenced me in the last 23 years, but my Grandma and Grandpa are the twin pillars who, along with my mom and dad, are always there, supporting and encouraging me. In all of my childhood memories, we are physically close to each other:

I remember sitting with Grandpa in his big brown chair to watch cooking shows, then practicing peeling potatoes with his hand over mine, guiding the peeler.

I remember Grandma sitting on their guest room (the "cherry bedroom") floor, letting me do horrible things to her perm with a spray bottle of water, a comb and her amazing collection of scarves, playing beauty shop.

I remember Grandpa sitting next to me on the piano bench, listening to me play and reading the music along with me, helping me when I hit a hard few bars.

I remember Grandma sleeping in the cherry bedroom bed with me during my sleepovers almost every weekend, singing songs and reading stories so I'd go to sleep quickly.

These are just a few of the million moments, big and small, that I've shared with my grandparents. I've always known I can count on Grandma and Grandpa to be there for concerts, recitals, and graduations, even if they don't care about the even itself; they come because they care about me and being supportive. They have always been close by, and now that they have internet and a webcam, we can skype since I'm now 4 hours away. It's not quite the same thing as being in the same room, but being able see their wonderful faces on my computer screen runs a close second. So, Grandma and Grandpa, welcome to the internet! I'm glad you've joined the digital age!