"Good men must die, but death can not kill their names" - Proverbs

I remember when Ryan and I started dating, and he asked me one day if I wanted to meet his family. I thought "Sure, why not. It's going to happen eventually." He then proceeded to tell me that I was not only meeting his immediate family, but his extended family from Virginia and his grandparents as well. I'm normally a quiet person, so I had anxiety just thinking about it. All I kept thinking was, would they like me? What would happen if they didn't? First impressions mean everything, and I wanted to make a good one.

I don't remember too much about that encounter, except for what his grandmother, or "Gria" as the family calls her, said to Ryan. She commented on how nice I was, and how I had such "exotic eyes". I was thrilled that they liked me, but I never knew how involved in the family I would become, nor how close to them I would be.

For 6 years, we would spend every Sunday having dinner at Gria's house. It was something we looked forward to each week, knowing we were going to be able to spend time with family, while eating and talking about what everyone's lives had been up to. The women were usually in the kitchen helping Gria cook, while the men would watch football or baseball with Grandad. It was just a special time to bond with family. You could be in your own skin and feel comfortable about it. If you had a problem, they would help you work it out. If you wanted to share something happy, they would listen. If you wanted to cry, they would console you. Little by little, I got to know each family member over those 6 years, and created special relationships with each one of them. With Gria, she had the strength and courage I desired She was open and honest with you, not worrying about censoring herself because she might hurt your feelings. She knew what she wanted, and she got it out of life. She was great at giving advice and just listening to you. I just enjoyed being around her. She was warm and welcoming, and you would remember her long after the dinner was over. Not many people can say that they have two families that love them, and two families they just enjoy spending time with. But for me, it was true.

I'm not really good at putting my emotions into written or spoken words, but I wanted to do something for Gria that let her know how special she was to me. Even though we moved away and didn't attend regular Sunday dinners anymore, I always thought of her on Sundays. I wondered what everyone talked about, and what she made to eat that week. I wondered what the birthday people picked for dinner. (Another tradition that Gria had, was that when it was your birthday, she would make a special meal in your honor. I can't tell you how many times over those 6 years, that I really struggled with what we should eat. Everything sounded good at Gria's house. She was a fantastic cook!!) I just wondered about her a lot. She had that presence in your mind. I wish I could turn back time and tell her what an amazing woman she was and the impact she had on my life.

On January 23rd, 2010 we lost a little piece of our hearts. Hearing that phone ring was the worst feeling in the world, and my heart broke into two when I heard those words. I remember a lot of things by my senses. Certain smells bring back memories, certain tastes, certain noises. Ryan has a special ring-tone for each family member, and his mom's is "Mama" by Boyz II Men. Listening to that song on the morning after, to inform us of her passing, will always be on my mind. That song will forever be etched in my mind as Gria's song.

I sometimes wish we wouldn't have answered that call. I know no one lives forever, and that's the circle of life, but I wish we had more time. I wish we could have been at more Sunday dinners, and there have been times I wish we hadn't moved away. I wish, I wish, I wish. What I mean to say is live in the present instead of the past. Tell people how you feel, and take a moment whenever you can to tell people that you love them, and how much they mean to you. Don't take life for granted, it's too precious.

Visiting for Christmas, and any other time of the year is going to be difficult, knowing she's not around anymore, but she will always be there in spirit, and in memory. I didn't really know this was going to hit me this hard, but it has. That tells you how much she really meant to me. I only wish I could have told her myself. I love you Gria and am blessed to have had you in my life.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/buffalonews/obituary.aspx?n=joyce-d-shively-blankenship&pid=138946928

 

Wordless Wednesday

For those of you who didn't get to see it!

Toys-R-Us...Here We Come!

Because Papa likes to spoil the grandchildren, he wanted to take them to the toy store and let them roam around, and pick out toys on their own. I tried this once before with Connor, and he pretty much just wandered from toy-to-toy perfectly content just playing with the toys in the store. Nothing really peaked his interest enough for us to buy it, so that trip was a wash. However, when he went to the store with Papa, he found several things he liked. I guess he takes after his mother, big and expensive HAHA!

 

 

Thank you Papa for filling our house with more toys for Connor. I kid, I kid!

Dinner With Friends

We didn't make it home for Christmas in 2008 due to many factors, so some people we haven't seen in quite some time. We were able to get some time in with Tom & Sarah, some great friends of ours, and spend time talking, eating pizza and watching the Sabres! Connor received a dinosaur from them (thank you again!) and he had so much fun with it. He met Stella, their beautiful kitty, and their GIANT goldfish (his name escapes me!) that he just adored. It was a good thing Stella was a friendly cat, because Connor was all over her : )

"Aunt" Sarah & Connor

Lovin' Stella

"Uncle" Tom & Connor in the playroom

Still chasing Stella...

Thank you again you two, it was great to see you!!

The Meeting of the Great Grandmothers

Connor is so blessed to have so many people in his life that love and care about him. We wanted to make sure we introduced him to everyone, and when he first met Gria, it melted our hearts. He was so enamored  by her, he couldn't stop looking at her at lunch. He even shared a few of his toys were her, and they played while we waited for our food. These photos will be forever treasured!!

 One of my favorite pictures ever!! Thanks Matt for taking it!

Gria showing Connor the pictures in her wallet.

Being shy!

A few days later we had lunch with Grandma Electra. He wandered aimlessly throughout her house, and found a futon he adored. Here are a few pictures with her as well:

Meeting for the first time!

He loved the couch too!

He thought they were real kitties : )

Grandma Electra giving him some beanie babies to take home

Aww

Mommy and Connor

Merry Christmas!

After having such a great Christmas Eve, I have to say that all of us were trashed from the traveling and excitement, especially Connor. He didn't really adjust to the time change for the entire time we were there, and on top of that, learned how to crawl out of his pack and play that we borrowed from Aunt Dawn & Uncle Andy. Thankfully Daddy offered to sleep with Connor, and all was well!

The usual Pieszak tradition involves spending Christmas morning at the Harvey house, and then moving over to Gria & Grandad's for the rest of the day.

So our first stop, was Aunt Dawn & Uncle Andy's! All I can say is WOW! There were so many presents to get through, and such little time. Watching Connor's enthusiasm as he opened each present was priceless. Not only that, but the time we were able to spend with our nephews was the best gift of all. Unfortunately, living on the other side of the country has its limitations, and we missed out on a lot of monumental occasions. Being able to spend that time with them allowed us to see each of their personalities and get to know them one-on-one. All I can say, is that we have the sweetest nephews. It's awesome to see the relationship they have with each other, and the bonds that they have created. I don't know how many times I looked at them and said "Aww!" It makes me eagerly await the sibling that Connor will have one day. I look forward to seeing their interaction!!

Joseph

Thomas

Joseph helping Grams open her gift!

Uncle Andy, Aunt Dawn & Joseph

It's "Bubo!"

Ooh, drums! Nice gift Mom & Dad HAHA : )

Connor's gun from Papa!

He loves his "Bubo"!

 Our Little Santa Baby

Connor has some friends that we see at least once a week, but I was still a little weary about how he would interact with Joseph and Thomas. He's a very cautious child, and won't really stray from you if he's uncomfortable. However, I think his Aunt Dawn described it best. It was if Connor knew that the boys were different in the sense that they were family. He had such ease around them, and played with them as if had been growing up with them.

Joseph was so sweet with Connor!

Joseph showing Connor one of his favorite shows

Aww, priceless photo!

We had a fantastic morning, and thank you again Aunt Dawn & Uncle Andy for having us at your house for the morning. It was great : )

Our next stop was Gria & Grandad's! Here we got to spend time with not only Gria & Grandad, but Mike, Candy, Eric, Matt & Curtis. It was so nice to catch up and spend time with each and every one of them. We opened gifts, and then had a great dinner, which was quick and easy for Gria! She has cooked for so many years, it was nice to let her rest and just enjoy the family. We didn't take too many pictures, as we were too busy chatting with everyone : )

Christmas Eve Recap

After having a whole day to settle into Buffalo, we were ready for Christmas Eve to come! We decided to go over to Buscia and Dzia-Dzia's house early, so Connor could meet some of the family before the craziness of Santa came. Great family, good food, and great conversation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year - A Little Late!

Hello blog world. We're sorry it's been so long since our last post, but we had to prepare for a trip to Buffalo to see the family for the holidays! Combine that with shopping, wrapping and planning what to pack, we didn't have very much time to let you know what's going on with our lives. You'll learn more about our trip in the next few blogs : )

We were a little behind when we left on Wednesday the 22nd due to last minute things, that we weren't quite sure we were actually going to make our flight. Add in the shuttle to the airport, check-in, and security, and well, we had about 5 minutes to spare lol. Luckily, we got on the plane in time, and arrived in Buffalo around 11 at night. Talk about exhausting!

 Here are some things we learned the hard way. Oops, I mean here are some tips on flying with a little one:

- Bring LOTS of snacks and drinks
- Buy some new toys to keep their interest
- I wrapped all of the toys in wrapping paper, that way he had something to do on the flight itself
- Try to schedule the flight around their nap
- Bring their favorite stuffed animals and blankets to keep them comfortable (or other familiar things)
- Give yourself enough time!
- BUY THEIR OWN SEAT

HAHA. Mistake #1 - Sitting on Daddy's lap. While the trip to Buffalo wasn't too bad, we ran into some issues with seating, and well, he was a little cramped. However, during our layover, we were lucky enough to score him his own seat, due to the plane being half empty. WOW! We didn't know how much better it was going to be with an extra seat, but it made our lives a lot easier!

Uh-Oh. Mistake #2 - No nap. Ryan and I felt sorry for whoever had to sit near us on the way back because we were traveling with Oscar the Grouch. We seriously tried everything. Nothing worked. He was over-tired, over-stimulated and just over with the vacation. Not to mention sitting in a seat for 6 hours straight. We could feel his pain.

I guess if we only had 2 blurps, it wasn't that bad...hopefully next time we visit, we'll be able to drive!!