MAKING MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME

Some of my favorite memories as a child involved my Grandmother. I spent the night at her house on the weekends, and I loved listening to her tell me bedtime stories each night. She collected Cuckoo clocks, and I can still hear them chiming in the middle of the night.

As I got older, I still created wonderful memories with my Grandmother, but it was with trips this time. She had always wanted to visit Thomas Jefferson’s house, Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. One year, my mother, daughter, and I had the best time with Granny when we took a weekend trip with her and got to watch as she experienced Monticello for the first time.

The other big trip we took with her was to Asheville, NC, to visit the Biltmore. This time, my sister and my two nieces also joined all of us for the memorable trip. After we all toured the  Biltmore, we went back to the hotel since we were exhausted. My Grandmother, who was 98 at the time, decided to show us how to do the Charleston dance.

Granny was my lifelong inspiration for living life to the fullest and making memories that would last a lifetime. She was what inspired me to create memories with my grandchildren. Creating memories was made easy with my AARP Member Benefits. I’ve received discounts on restaurants, flights, and hotels. Saving money is always great, but it’s not the discounts that matter the most; it is what you do with those discounts. Like the 4 generation trip with my grandmother, trips are possible because of the savings you can get using AARP Member Benefits.

This weekend, I had a movie date with two of my grandchildren. They can be rambunctious, so I told them that I had a fun surprise for them if they were good. Look how good they were!!!

I gave them each an empty bucket and said SURPRISE! They looked inside the bucket, then at me, and asked me, “what do we put in the bucket?”

Movies aren’t complete unless you have delicious popcorn to eat while you watch. As an AARP member, I can save on delicious assortments from The Popcorn Factory. Save 20%, or $20.00 off your order of $79.99 or more from The Popcorn Factory with your AARP membership. My sister gives tins of popcorn and movie tickets to her nieces and nephews each year. The Popcorn Factory has many themed popcorn bundles that make it a convenient gift for family and friends.

I ordered the 3 1/2 gallon Simply Red Popcorn Tin with four delicious popcorns to choose from. Because I knew that a fight would break out over who got to hold the large bucket, I got the smaller buckets so they could fill them with their favorite choices.

They were so excited to see all of the different and delicious popcorn choices.

It didn’t take long for them to start grabbing popcorn by the handfuls. Emersyn proclaimed the super crunchy caramel popcorn to be her favorite, while Beckham seemed to prefer the buttery delicious classic popcorn best.

I kept them entertained for a bit by showing them how to throw my favorite cheesy popcorn into the air and catch it in my mouth. My puppy loved cleaning up after my “misses.” Lol!

The Home Alone movie had all of their attention as they continued to munch on the popcorn. That was until they looked at their fingers and discovered they had “cheesy fingers.”

The game of “let’s wipe our cheesy fingers on NeeNee,” soon started.

They were having a blast and started squealing, “Cheesy Fingers” at the top of their lungs.

They thought that since they had two against one, they could win our little game. That is when I turned the tables on them and started my own game.

It was called, “tickle them until they squeal!” Even though I was outnumbered, I think that they thoroughly enjoyed my tickle game.

I am thankful that I could create these memories with my grandchildren that will last us both a lifetime. The benefits I get with my AARP membership allow me to create memories, live life to the fullest, and save money all at the same time.

*You can easily sign up and become an AARP member and get access to these great deals and discounts too! Join AARP today and take advantage of The Popcorn Factory Discount.

 I am participating in a promotional campaign for AARP Services. I am receiving a fee for posting; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am not an employee of AARP Services and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.