Memory #27: Grandma's Cookies

I went to college at the University of Illinois.  Because I grew up in Champaign-Urbana, Campustown had always been in my backyard and a part of my life.  While I loved that, I also wanted to have the "away from home experience."  So, my freshman year I decided to live in the dorms.  I was assigned to the "Six Pack" (now Ikenberry Commons) and ended up meeting some great friends there.  For the first semester I managed to resist the temptation to go home to Urbana for free laundry and I made my first trip home over Thanksgiving break.  A lot of people thought it was weird that I wouldn't go home for home cooked meals and free laundry, but I stuck to my guns (that changed second semester :).
One of my favorite things that first year living in the dorms was when my Grandma Nelson would send me a shoebox full of her homemade chocolate chip cookies.  On visits I would always sneak cookies from the box she kept in her freezer at home in Florida, so when a box would arrive at my dorm it was an extra special treat.  Getting mail alone was fun, but when those cookies arrived not only was my tummy happy, but my spirits were lifted as I got to share them with my roommates and neighbors.  I'm pretty sure I made a lot of friends that first year just because of those cookies.  Remembering that now brings a giant smile to my face.

Grandma Jenkins, Me, Grandma Nelson on my high school graduation

In Florida celebrating my Grandma's birthday