Who stands 4’10” off the ground, full-blooded Italian and the funniest person ever? If you guessed Snooki, you are wrong. (Snooki is only 4’8” anyways.) We’re talking about my ever so fabulous Nana. I know you’re probably thinking right now: “Lex, are you seriously writing about your grandmother?” Why yes my marvelous readers. Yes, I am. Nana is my maternal grandmother, best friend and next-door neighbor. Though she’s 79 years old, she acts like she’s still in high school. By that I mean she is ‘Krazy’ about her Kardashians, loves Married to Jonas and most recently read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I dare you to name another 79 year old that would indulge in such youthful activities. In addition to keeping up with these programs, she loves to travel all over the country. She visits Los Angeles or southern Florida every year, as well as anywhere else she feels like going. Her current obsession is going to the Mall of America. I give it only a matter of time until we make a trip to the Disney World of shopping malls. (By ‘we’ I mean Nana, my mother and myself.) Did I mention she only flies first class? It’s a rare moment if you see one of us without the other two. We are completely inseparable. We all have the same passions and interests, which stems from the top with Nana. Her current obsession: Toms shoes. If you are unfamiliar with the Toms movement, their motto is “One for One.” You purchase a pair of their shoes and they donate a pair to someone in need in Africa. She has a little maltese dog, named Humphrey Bogart who goes by Bogie. Bogie is a spoiled little pup, to say the the least. He has a sweater for every occasion as well as a Louis Vutton collar and matching leash. Bogie has a car seat and loves when his “mommy” takes him for rides. Needless to say, she loves her dog. My favorite thing about Nana is her cooking. You ask for a snack, she makes you a five-course meal. Her spaghetti is outrageous; it’s better than Olive Garden and Buca De Pepo combined. It’s nothing out of the norm for her to call you up and say she has fresh banana bread right out of the oven for us to enjoy. Thankfully, over the years, she’s taught me how to cook and bake—a skill I will value for the rest of my life. Of course Nana wouldn’t be complete without more crazy obsessions. #1: Towels. The last trip we took to LA she had towels shipped back home. Her excuse: “They had pretty, pink ballerinas on them!” #2: Don’t you dare be late for church. Being an old-school Catholic woman, you MUST be a half hour early to church. So, if church starts at 11:00 and it’s 10:31, she’s leaving without you. #3: Her clothes. I’ve never seen the woman wear the same thing twice in all my seventeen years. #4: Her home. It seriously is like a hotel. It is spotless, from the stained glass windows in her bathroom to the fact she irons her sheets. This is just a small snippet of life with my Nana. She’s easily been the biggest influence in my life, my best friend, my confidant, my wardrobe director and everything in between. Just don’t mess with her when she’s watching one of her TV shows.