3.6 My Amazing Day That Turned Awful

I'll never forget the day my grandma died. March 27, 2014, it was supposed to be a happy day. Chad and I were shopping at Cabela's in Woodbury, MN.

Earlier that day, we had our first appointment at RMIA in Woodbury to begin our long, exhausting IVF journey. It was exciting knowing we were finally going to be having a baby together. After the appointment, we went to lunch and then shopping at Cabela's. While we were walking through the aisles, my phone rang. It was my mom. I talked to her daily, so I figured she was calling to see how the doctor's visit went. Instead, she called to tell me the news. I froze.

I knew my grandma wasn't well. She had been in the hospital for a while now and didn't know anything. I still remember the heart-wrenching day I visited her in the hospital. It was the last day I saw her alive. She was running her bedsheet between her fingers, saying, "I want apple soup." I knew my grandma was gone. It destroyed me.

My grandma and I had always been close. She lived next door and babysat me since I was a baby. I will never forget watching her run around the bases after I pitched her the plastic ball, or putting rollers in her hair. I always miss her at Thanksgiving when she doesn't show up with her mouthwatering pumpkin pies. Most of all, I miss her laugh. She had the best laugh. I wish I had a video of it. It was always the deep belly laugh and tears running down her face with an occasional toot in between.

She was even the best great grandma; my two older daughters call her "Great Grandma with all the candy" even to this day. Every time we went to visit her, they each left with a baggie full of candy. She kept that candy dish stocked just for the girls. I wish Grandma could have met our IVF baby. She would have loved him, and I could have enjoyed her laugh just a little longer.