Timeless May 2020 | Page 18

under the age of 2. She also cherishes memories of travels taken with anoth- er grandson, Micah Redmond, who died in a traffic accident in 2012. Last fall, several of the grandchil- dren – including one of the infants – went to Disneyworld in Florida. Disney is a favorite destination of the couple, including Scott Sanders, who the family says is a “total Disney junk- ie.” Several years ago, the oldest two grandchildren went to Ocean Springs to learn about artist Walter Anderson. They lounged around a fancy pool, bought some pottery, and visited a museum dedicated to the artist. Before they went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Sanders said she had the grandchildren sign a “contract,” promising several things. They had to agree not to stay on their phones too much, not to bicker with each other, and also to do what their Gigi asked to keep them safe and the trip running smoothly. There was another import- ant rule – they had to bring Gigi a Starbucks from the hotel coffee shop first thing in the morning. “I thought that was a good thing to throw in there,” she said, laughing. On another trip, Sanders took the grandchildren to Southern California. They visited Disneyland, Universal Studios, and several other popular, seemingly kid-friendly destinations. But it was a trip to Ronald Reagan’s presidential library that really wowed the kids, she said. “They really enjoyed it,” she said. “The people working in the museum did a good job of helping them get interested, telling them some of the things that Ronald Reagan was doing at their age. They … ended up saying it was their favorite part of the trip. That was a little bit of a surprise.” Sanders also was able to take one of her French-culture-loving grandchil- dren to Paris, France to see the Eiffel Tower, as well as other areas. She made the trip to mark her 60th birth- day. “The older ones really couldn’t miss that much school,” Sanders recalled of her Parisian birthday trip. “But one of my granddaughters, Zoey, has been obsessed with the Eiffel Tower and just everything about France – the food and the fashion and the language – since she was little. I decided that was how I wanted to spend my birth- day – with Zoey in Paris.” On that trip, Zoey’s parents and 18• Top: Jeanie Sanders and grandchildren Allie and Joshua Redmond leap on the beach in Ocean Springs. Bottom: Zoey Tucker, Joshua Redmond (holding Zoey), Allie Redmond and Jeanie Sanders below the Hollywood Sign landmark in Los Angeles, California. Opposite page: Kinley Hollingshead held by grandfather Scott Sanders, Jeanie Sanders and Zoey Tucker at Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Jeanie Sanders marked her 60th birthday with a trip to Paris, France, with granddaughter Zoey and her husband, Scott, seen at the Eiffel Tower. Jeanie Sanders with granddaughter Zoey in one of the iconic red telephone booths seen throughout England. Another London attraction, the Big Ben clock, is in the background. TIMELESS MERIDIAN