The Best Weekend EVER...

When he worked, he really worked.
But when he played, he really PLAYED!
                                    -Dr. Seuss

I am all about making memories. Memories that paint pictures of an experience for my grandchildren. Memories that will last far beyond my years. Memories that start with the sentence..."You will NEVER believe what we did!"

When our Grandson Jacob was about to have his 13th birthday, my husband Bert and I set out to make a memory-filled time for the "young lad," as my Grandma used to say. We wanted to go all out, to fulfill a dream of his and in the process one of our own.

We didn't have to think long and hard. After all, Jacob is a die-hard Seattle Seahawks football fan. The kind that loved the Seahawks before they became famous. He knows all the players, all the statistics, who has been traded for whom. He knows it all and watches every game on tv with such zest and vigor and raucous yelling and jumping up and down that it makes us all laugh until we cry.

And since this Nana LOVES to put surprises together, we decided to get Jacob some Seahawks gear for his birthday. The bag was decorated with huge Seahawks balloons and there was a puzzle inside, incapsulated in different envelopes. Jacob loved the Seahawks hat and the book about the players. And then I directed him to a series of envelopes. I informed him he had a puzzle to solve. Since Jacob has always been quick to do puzzles, we knew the grand finale would be seen in short order and would be jaw-dropping.

Jacob opened the envelopes, read the clues, put the puzzle together and then in wide-eyed disbelief...looked at us. He read the puzzle again and his mouth fell open. He whispered, "I can't believe it." Jacob looked up and said in almost disbelief, "We are going to a Seahawks game, a real, in-person Seahawks game!!!"

And so we did.

We flew on an airplane to Seattle, where both Bert and I were born, stayed at an amazing hotel, went swimming, had room service, had a town car take us to the stadium, and had Seahawks rain gear ready to roll. Now please understand, this is not our usual way to travel. But since we are a tad older, and I was not about to drive to Century Link stadium with the 67,4000 other people attending the game, we opted to have someone take us.

It was such a thrill. the noise. the screaming. the touchdowns. the sad loss to Dallas. the trip to get our bags. the flight home. All of it... AMAZING.

But most of all, the talks and sharing, the glimpse into the life and heart of our dearly beloved grandson...that's what Bert and I will remember. We will never forget the look on his face when we finally got to our seats. Seats way, way, WAY up in that huge stadium. That joy-filled moment will stay with me forever.

And beyond the trip, Jacob's thank you note, delivered as we dropped him at his home Sunday night. That thank you letter that made us cry...lots and lots of tears. In it Jacob expressed with such love what we mean to him, that we had inspired him, that he dearly loves us and loved spending time with us.

It's the kind of letter that gets framed, that we'll read on days when we might be a little down. It's the kind of letter most parents and grandparents wait for their whole lives.

Yes, it was the best weekend EVER. A memory maker for sure.
We love Jacob with all our heart and were there at his birth 13 years ago. We were there when he took his first steps. We were there for his first day of school and every Christmas and birthday he has celebrated. And now, we are here as we watch him become such a fine young man. We could not be more proud of him for the excellent student, son, grandson, brother, friend, and young man of faith he is. Jacob has character and we see it in how he lives his life every day.

And  while we all work hard, this weekend we played hard too.
Boppa, Nana and Jacob. We had a blast. No papers to grade, no homework to do. Just fun and lots of it. Memories made to last a life time.

It just doesn't get any better than that!

God Bless!
Love Linda