First Doll as an Adult (long and sappy, sorry)

My grandma passed, and I still honestly haven't recovered. But while I was helping clean out her basement, I found most of my collection that I thought was lost or donated between moves. It felt so special and right, and since then I have been able to thrift pieces I have always wanted or that I remember my grandma and I liking. My biggest regret is not getting interested in them again sooner, so they could've been one more thing we could share together. I remember her wanting to go to the official AG store when we moved to St Louis, but I had just started college and didn't make the time. We still went to the outlet mall but soon even that closed.

This is a long story into the void, but I wanted to get my words out and this is the only place that would get it. I recently came into some money that she left me, and while it needs to be spent wisely for important things, I find myself wanting to spend just a little of it on a new American Girl Doll. It feels silly and slightly irresponsible, but Nana would have loved it, and she would have loved sharing this with me. Personally, I want Truly Me #15 so that I can make her into Caroline or one of Kirsten's friends, but I know she would have wanted Claudie, and I can hear her saying "she has such a sweet face" the way she always did. She wasn't allowed dolls as a child, and didn't have the resources to be spoiling me with AG things like she did, but it sparked something in her too and gave her a reason to finally play with dolls. I miss that, and her, but I'm excited for this bittersweet (but mostly sweet) purchase.

If you stayed with me, thank you, I hope it wasn't annoying. I'm just a girl grieving and loving and being nostalgic. I was really lucky to have the collection I did but was even luckier to have someone to share it with ❤️