my best friend.

Let me tell you a few things about my best friend:
1. he is the cutest,
2. he has beautiful blue eyes,
3. he has the most loving heart,
4. he is super funny,
5. he loves his cereal,
6. he is beyond stylish,
7. he is in love with my grandma,
8. he is 88 years old,
9. he is my grandfather, &
10. his name is FRED.

Grandpa Fred has obviously been in my life long before my life even existed, but as long as I have existed, Grandpa Fred has been my best friend.  I blame him!  He turned to me one day & said, "Are you my best friend?"  & obviously the answer was (& still is) YES!  To this day he knows who his best friend is. We are just 2 peas in a pod! 

See! Best friends since the beginning!

He is a man of many habits... habits that have defined him practically my entire life.  He ALWAYS wakes up wearing his pajama shorts set, he ALWAYS showers & gets pretty right away, he ALWAYS blow drys his hair, he ALWAYS eats his "Grandpa Fred's cereal" of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, & half a banana, he ALWAYS has a glass of water with him at ALL times, he ALWAYS wears his white tennis sneakers, he ALWAYS gets coffee at McDonald's (pays sometimes with "refillable" cups & makes friends with the managers), he has ALWAYS been a neat freak (napkins in the car, garages cleaner than bedrooms, & cabinets shut before you have a chance to look up), he has ALWAYS been stylish & devilishly handsome, he has ALWAYS been active & he has ALWAYS been a man who everybody loves to be around.

It has always been a running joke in our family that my mom once said, "I'm so glad WE married Fred" because he bought her a brand new car.  But in reality, that is far from a joke because Grandpa Fred is the best.  I mean what would we do without him?  Heck, "I'm so glad WE married Fred."  He is good to everyone; good to my adorable Grandma, his three children, my mom & her sisters, & of course ALL of his grandchildren, like me!  Also, he makes everyone feel like you are HIS favorite, like you're the only one that matters (but I know the truth... I'm the favorite! Shhh, don't tell anyone!).    


Anyway, this past semester I had the pleasure of spending a whole (surprise) weekend with my grandparents.  It was a quick decision, but one weekend I packed up my bags & headed toward St. Pete for an impromptu visit.  I called their house phone as I pulled into their driveway, walked up to the front door with my grandma on the phone, knocked, & waited for the surprise.  She walked up to her frosted front door & said, "who is it?"  I responded with "me," which apparently was not enough information because she retorted with a "who's me?"  It took her a few minutes to register the name Rachele because coincidentally she was on the phone with that same person.  She cocked her head in confusion & yelled out to grandpa that his best friend was here (he didn't need any other explanation  because he only has one best friend... Duhhh).  I walked into the kitchen & he just stared at me like, wait... what?

Heist complete! I foiled the grandparents!  They never saw it coming!  But the weekend was a success & my favorite part was seeing that grandpa's "wit & wink" tactics were still going on strong.  He was always a jokester & sometimes my grandma just misses the punch line (we love her that way!!!)... & when that happens, I get this knowing wink from my best friend (we tricked her again!).  His secret is safe with me!  There is so much youthful energy in my best friend!

But I will tell you, one of the fondest memories I have of my best friend was the time we took a pit stop at Publix for a few provisions.  My grandma popped in while my grandpa & I hovered around the lot waiting for her.  We were parked in front of the store when she walked out & headed for the car.  My grandpa stared for a moment & looked back at me with pure love in his eyes & said, "Isn't she just the most beautiful gal you've ever seen?"

I don't think I will ever forget the day he said that to me.  Somehow it was moving & made me think back to the "I'm so glad we married Fred" because I know my life (& everybody's lives) wouldn't be half as perfect without Grandpa Fred!  We aren't just glad he's in our lives, we are lucky! 

To end this post, I would like to show off more of his charm with a story my Aunt posted on Facebook: He was sitting in the hospital when the CEO walked in to make sure he was comfortable.  He asked if there was anything else my grandpa would like & he responded with a joking twinkle in his eye, "you could bring me an ice cream sundae."  Can you guess what happened?  Yep.  My grandpa won over the hospital staff too & dined on a perfectly good hot fudge sundae.

Life is good when Grandpa Fred is part of your life. Love you BEST FRIEND!