63 years old today

 

That's Dad sitting on his mom's lap when he was just 1 year old.  Isn't his mom beautiful?  And in the middle is his father, who looks very much the same and he is 90 now!  We were looking at some old pictures last week.  One my sister took about 20 years ago of Dad next to his shiny red Mack truck.  He was a truck driver for much of his life, in addition to being a priest.  He got a degree in accounting and work in that field was not to his liking, I think too many people wanting him to adjust things so that they could cheat and make more $.  I remember when we lived in Vermont, he took me several times in his big truck to pick up milk from farms.  I loved trying the fresh milk and seeing all the farm cats and kittens gather to lick up any drips of milk.  When he wasn't working, he was home, playing tennis with his kids, going on hikes, camping with us...  He worked hard all his life.  Today is Dad's 63rd birthday!!!

 

 

My father holding the Holy Communion on Sunday Oct. 2, 2010 in his favorite Greek vestments, that are blue and white.  

This is our whole family, Dad in the center, Mom behind him, me and their other 3 daughters and our children, a total of 18 of us, photo taken by my brother-in-law's father in January 2013.

My sisters and I pitched in and bought Dad a TV (the first one he's had in about 20 years)!  When his Parkinson's disease started getting worse, he and Mom decided to subscribe to Netflix, which is really great, because he can choose what he wants to watch (they like nature programs a lot, and below the first thing they chose to watch was an Irish film). 

♥ the sad place...

To me, the sad place, only exists because of the opposite...the joyful, happy times that we can compare it to.

Hannah and Olivia with their great grandparents in December 2004.  Their great grandpa was a jolly man, always smiling, loved to have the girls on his lap, or snuggle with him when he was bed-ridden.  He passed away in March 2007, when he was 81.  

Yesterday, we went to the cemetery to visit Rob's grandfather's grave.  It was a beautiful sunny day, the breeze making it cool.  We picked purple, pink, white and yellow wildflowers to put in the vase on his grave.  We laid out a blanket and gathered dandelion greens, grass and pinecones.  Rob got out his mandolin and played for about a half hour.  I gave grandma some cherry pie I made that morning.  Then, we talked...

 

Rob's grandma is 82 and living in a nursing home.  She has a picture of herself when she was young and grandpa on the shelf above her bed. I think the nursing home is a sad place, people lose their freedom, they depend on others, but sometimes we need that extra care and cannot do things ourselves any longer. 

My father will be 62 next month.  His father came to visit last month, he is 89 right now.  He seems to be in better health that his son.  We all went out for pizza together, they day after my birthday celebration together.  Dad's life is difficult because of  Parksinson's disease...he has lived such an active life, I remember swimming with him in Lake Dunmore in Vermont, him chopping wood, riding bikes with him to get doughnuts on a Saturday morning, lifting my daughter Hannah up to the ceiling and pretending she was on a roller coaster...

And now, he is forced by this disease to be much less active.  Stiff.  Uncomfortable.  Clumsy.  It's like a bad dream I've had when I'm laying in bed and can look with my eyes around, but cannot move any of my limbs, nor yell to ask anyone to help me move.

Having family and friends who love you, will spend time with you, help one another out...a true gift from God, that's what makes it worth wading through the sad times.  ♥

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Not 34 anymore....

Yesterday I turned 35....my husband will be 40 on his next birthday.  

My dad and Natalia...

 Look who fell asleep on Grammie.

 There's something for Juliana here.

 Hugs for her great grandpa.

 Emma climbed the mimosa tree and put her bird on a branch up high.

 Natalia running with her bird.

Juliana with her bird from her great grandpa.

Cutting the birthday cake...my mom also made homemade vanilla ice cream....scrumptiousness!

My grandpa is here in Ohio, right now, he and his wife live in New Jersey and it's been about 4 years since they've come here, as it's harder to travel when you get older.  We went to visit them last year and the year before, though.  He is going to be 90 very soon.  He bought presents for all the kids, picked them out and wrapped them himself, his wife, Josie, told us.  So sweet.  We had a cookout together followed by birthday cake.  ♥  My mom made my favorite, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!