Granddaughter Susannah

If you want to be greeted by a beautiful smile, then say hi to our Susannah. If you are real lucky, then you will also get one terrific hug. Now, that is a great way to be greeted! Just as the sun can go behind the clouds, so can she, and at times it can wear on her family. A year or so ago, we decided to travel from Omaha to Ann Arbor by train to see Kim and family and then return. We thought it would be fun not to drive and to see what train travel was like these days. Am Track is alive and well, but we found out it is not always punctual. We decided that we would take along one grandchild and after much consideration decided to ask Susannah to go with us. Her parents agreed that she could go, and her siblings wanted her to go since this time had not been particularly sunny weather. This way all got a break, and we got her to ourselves.

The day arrived for the trip, and early in the morning we went to the train station, where after an interminable wait, the train arrived. It is a LONG trip to Chicago, with many stops at little towns all along the way. We snacked and walked around to check everything out. At times Susannah would read, visit, look out the window, or wander about looking at the inside of the train. She learned the fun of playing Solitaire on the computer, and became quite adept at playing Aces and Kings. Since we missed our connection in Chicago, we went to Toledo, to be met by Kim, who drove us home to Ann Arbor, and the adventure continued. Kim has two younger boys, so Susannah got to be the oldest sister and developed nicely in this role. We even got to go to the Michigan State Fair where we tried out chocolate milk, rides, animals, and exhibits, and spent a small fortune. Everyone went home happy, full, and tired. She wasn't too happy being wakened by the boys but figured out how to be pleasant about it. We never had one melt-down during our week away. The trip home seemed to take a long time, but we heard no complaints, and all were glad to see us return. Everyone had a great vacation.

Susannah has also enjoyed making stained glass windows. She has only done a few but has real talent and sticks to her project until it is finished. She does very precise work and does not complain about the occasional cut or scratch, which happens in the glass business. She also likes to cook or help her mom or Grammy in the kitchen. When we make cookies at Christmas, she is willing to get right in the project, one year being Nana's (my mom) helper. It was fun too since her nickname is Nana. Maybe someday she will be the chef on Food Network, and we will say, "There is our Susannah, chief chef."

When she was just a week old and riding with her family in the car to drive Grammy to the airport in San Francisco, sister Keilah heard a Christmas song on the radio, singing, "Hosannah in the Highest," and said, "Mom, they are singing Susannh's song!" How they laughed.