HISTORY: Grandparent's House

WARNING: This post ahead about all my history and my memories. This isn't to much for the entertainment of my readers, but for me to record all the rich & quickly fading memories of my past.

I took this photo of my grandparents house on my way to Jaycee Park- where they lived since my dad was a child. I remember spending the night at their house when I was growing up. I could still see the stars and writing that my dad had painted on the walls and ceiling with glow in the dark paint as a child.

While scanning photos to digital a few weeks ago, I ran across quite a few memories from that house & thought I'd share. Dad sold their House last year and they are now at an assisted living facility. It's sad, and I will miss the wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas family gatherings, but will always have those special memories.

This is my Dad, Brenda, Haley & Hunter on Christmas Eve 2000. I spent EVERY SINGLE Christmas Eve with my dad. It always involved lots of traditions- home cooked dinner at grandma's, opening presents with my cousins, a moving church ceremony and lots of family fun. The above photo is a perfect reminder of a few things. First, the Christmas tree. We would laugh because it was the EXACT SAME every year. We joked that grandma just put a bag over it and stuck in the attic. Second, the orange and brown afghan on the recliner. That was grandpa's recliner and where he sat dutifully through the package shredding frenzy collecting all the garbage. Our favorite game was to throw our balls of wrapping paper at him when he wasn't looking.

This photo is from the same Christmas, and my sister was about 5 and my brother almost 7. Oh WHY was I wearing pantyhose? See the stockings on the fireplace, all hung with care? Each grandchild had their own & they were all handmade with our name sewn on the top. When I turned 22, Grandma wrapped up my stocking and gave it to me for Christmas that year. It's such a special sweet memento from the 22 years of Christmases that I spent with my family & I still treasure it and hang it out at my house at Christmas.

This picture of Haley & Hunter was taken in July of 1998, when Haley was almost 3 and Hunter was a little over 4. I love everything in the photo around them in my grandparents house. That type-writer toy in front of them is something that I remember playing with as a child. Yes, there were deer head hanging around the house, and I frequently went hunting with my dad & grandparents as a very young child. The wood-paneling & heavy drapes were a reminder of a (thankfully) bygone decorating era.

This is Haley & I around Valentine's Day 1997, when she was about a year and half old. Many, many fond memories of my grandparents house involved playing outside. I would stalk & harass the goldfish in their mini-pond, I would play imaginary games with the little girl that lived next door for hours in the huge trees in the front yard, I helped my grandpa tend to his little vegetable garden and every family gathering involved some game of tag or football.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I'm so blessed to have had such wonderful and loving grandparents growing up.