Tell About Your Grandparents

[Bankruptor]

This might be interesting. For those of us who know/knew our grandparents, what are/were they like?

My mother's parents both died before I was born. My maternal grandfather was a real hard working guy that owned a grocery store and saved 50% of everything he made, only spending it on real estate. When he died he owned land all over the place, and Mom still has a lot of it left. My maternal grandmother was the daughter of a big band leader, was a musician herself, and played piano and organ in their church. She always strived to get my mother to play but she just didn't have the touch.

My father's parents I remember quite well; my parents used to send me to live with them in the summers when I was a teenager. They were farmers and cattle people who raised and butchered cows and pigs. They also had chickens and eggs, as well as a very large vegetable garden. My grandfather believed that there was no better watch than the Illinois railroad watch, and no better quail gun than the Fox 20 ga. sxs, and to my knowledge these two things were the crux of his belief system. I never realized this when I was small, but my grandfather was a stone alcoholic, and never consumed any solid food for years at a time, drawing all his "sustenance" from moonshine and beef jerky juice. I never knew he was constantly drunk, as he just seemed to be acting normal as always, but of course my father did and was always careful to make sure that my aunt (who had another house on the other side of the farm) would have primary care of me when I went there to stay for a few weeks. I did find it peculiar that he had a new Pontiac Bonneville and an older pickup truck but never ever drove. I learned later in life that his license had been permanently revoked due to his alcoholism.

Both of my paternal grandparents died before I was old enough to drive.

[vggiegirl]

My paternal grandparents have both passed away. My grandmother was either Polish or Austrian. She didn't know because her mother died during birth and her father died in a mining accident. She was raised by her sisters. She was the kindest, warmest person I have ever known. Cancer took her from us in 1996 and I still ask why.
My paternal grandfather was born in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. He came here as a child and was in the Navy. He also was a Chicago police officer for about 35 years. He knew Al Capone :) He loved me unconditionally and I was always the favorite grandchild. I miss him dearly, as cancer took him from us in 1999.
I spend a lot of time with these grandparents growing up. I loved them dearly.

My maternal grandparents are both still alive and I rent an apartment in their building.
My grandmother was born in Co. Roscommom, Ireland. I got to see the stone house she was born in when we last went there. Really neat :) This side of my family is really strange. A lot of my parents siblings are estranged. I don't remember much about Grandma as I was growing up...it was always the "colder" grandma's house to go to.
My grandpa was born in Co. Mayo, Ireland. He met my grandma when they were both working in England, where they had my mom. They came over here and my grandpa was a building engineer for Chicago City Hall until he retired 10 yrs ago. He's way cooler than my grandma...I don't know how he puts up with her! :whack:

Both grandpa's are/were former alcoholics as well.

ETA: I stay at my maternal grandpa's birthhome when we go to Ireland. His brother owns it now :)

[Tiggzie]

Great idea for a thread!

All of my dad's family was born in the Dominican Republic. I never really got along with them. When my grandparents came over to America they left my father until they "sorted things out." They left him for 13 years which sort of cause a rift in the family. If I remember correctly, by the time my dad made it into the country they were already divorced. My grandfather has since decided to go back to his homeland and my grandma is retired now. I have no idea what either of them did for a living or anything.

My maternal grandparents are the best. They raised me and I still live with them. My grandmother (Tomasa) is the most amazing person I know. She doesn't have any schooling whatsoever under her belt. Her own mother died when she was 7 or so and because she had 6 other siblings she stayed home to do the cooking, cleaning, etc etc. She worked as a maid for the rich people on the island (Puerto Rico) and often took things they threw out, such as clothing. She married my grandfather when she was 25 and soon after he left to do his service in the Army. When she was 50 she moved here to America for better medical treatment. She has Lupus, RA, and a whole other slew of things. She's 82 now but she's still walking around and cool as ever. She even sings along to AFI songs. :p
My grandfather is a quiet man so I don't know much about him. He served in the army for a few years but never did any actual combat. When my grandmother came over he wasn't going to come but he didn't want to be without Tomasa. So he followed her here a year after. He managed a grocery store for about 15 years. He's retired now but he's healthy as a horse. All of my aunts and uncles (and my mom) were born in Puerto Rico. I'm the first person to be born on actual American soil in the family. Oh, and after 30 years, we STILL live in the same apartment. :D

[shagginabit]

Good Thread, Bank :up:


When it comes to my "mothers" parents. My maternal Grandfather I know nothing about. I honesty don't even know his name. I never asked about him and no one's ever told. My maternal Grandmother is someone I've been around 3 times in my life. She's one of your "I'm still young, and I'm going to party, smoke weed, and pawn my kids off to someone else while I do whatever I want" type of grandparent/parent, so we never saw eye to eye. The last time I was around her, I was 17. She said something about my dad I didn't take so well, and I decked her one, and haven't saw her since. (yeah I know..not good of me to deck her)

My father's parents. My grandfather died the year after I was born, so I didn't get to know him. My grandmother: ahhh great lady. She was born in the 20's. Her mother was half cherokee and her father was the church deacon. As a child she used to play with Jerry Owens (of the Owens Sausage company), as her mother worked for the parents. She has had polio since she was around 10 years old. She walked 5 miles to school each way. She was first married at 14, and had my aunt a year later. After she divorced a year later, she went on to work at a train station as a short order cook, where she met my grandfather. They were married 19 years and had five children. She's worked as a housekeeper, and even ran a laundramat in the 60's. She believed (and still does) in the value of an education, and even though she didn't finish hers, she always made it her point to teach her children (and I) before school even started. She's an avid reader, and I can remember many nights of me crawling into her bed and reading books and newspapers with her. She's a really religious person, who was "saved" at the age of 15. I've never heard her swear, she doesn't drink nor smoke, and she doesn't permit any of that in her home. (She quit smoking on her 70th birthday after 50 years of smoking) She's had me since I was 2 months old. She's still with us, and I appreciate every moment I have with her.

[dawngirl]

Mom's parents - Grandfather died when my mother was four in a coal mining accident. My grandmother was left to raise 8 children (7 girls, 1 boy - one of the girls in a wheelchair from juvenile arthritis) in a two room house with no plumbing in the mountains of Virginia near Kentucky and Tennessee on a miner's pension (HA!) and Black Lung insurance. My grandmother was the strongest woman I've ever met in my life and chewed Warren County Knots (tobacco), which she spit into a Maxwell House Coffee can that sat beside her chair. While she was a God fearing good Southern Baptist woman, she did dare to cut her waist length hair off at some point in her life. She also dared to sip a little ginger brandy for "medicinal" purposes. She used to let me sit in the middle of the kitchen table and eat sticks of butter while she hand rolled the best biscuits you ever tasted. I lost her at when I was 10 to a weak heart and pneumonia.

Dad's Parents - Grandmother and Grandfather both born and raised in Morgantown, West "By God" Virginia. My grandfather and grandmother eloped to Oakland, Maryland (didn't need permission) and shortly thereafter my grandfather joined the Navy. My grandfather was in Pearl Harbor on the USS California when the Japanese bombed the harbor. His ship was struck and sunk ~ he survived. He was a tough old man who suffered severe depression when he finally retired from the Portsmouth Naval Ship yard. He was an alcoholic who smoked unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes for 30+ years and quit cold turkey one day. He took great pride in participating in Pear Harbor Survior parades and has even been mentioned and asked to write a couple of words for a few books on the subject. He died at 83 from throat cancer ~ strange, the man was never sick a day in his life, until my grandmother died. Within 6 months they discovered a tumor on his larynx. My grandmother was the consumate housewife and mother. She raised 6 children while her husband was at sea. There was always a pool at her house (we always referred to it as "her" house) and a garden every summer with more veggies than you could eat. When you went to her house you always knew your favorite food would be waiting ~ mine was potato salad. There were always cookies, and candy. She was fat (not trying to be mean ~ she was obese). She took up belly dancing, yoga, you name it ~ to lose weight. I think the only thing that worked was weight watchers. We used to go spend summers at her place. We grew closer as I grew up and I could always count on the door being open if I decided to take the trip down there for a weekend. She got older and sicker and skinnier - she was smaller than I am. This is where this story gets tough....I lost her the day after I returned from my honeymoon. I never knew she was sick or in the hospital ~ my parents didn't want to "ruin" my wedding. That's a pain that still lingers.

I also remember my Great Grand's from my dad's side. Not as well as the others, but certianly I was fortunate to have known them.

[babybat]

Three of four of my grandparents are still alive.

On my mom's side there is my Grandpa, 95, and my Grandma, 83(ish). I'm close to both of them, but neither are your typical grandparents. They were both born and raisied in Poland. My Grandpa was a cavalry general, and my Grandma was an underground spy (at age 17ish) during WWII. My grandma was caught, and sent to concentration camp. She managed to thrive off of solely potato peels until she escaped and went to England. When they came to Canada after the war, my Grandma became a geologist (one of the first female geologists in Canada) and my Grandpa ran the first propane plant in Canada. Now my grandpa is one of the healthiest people I know, considering his age. He lives by himself on our farm, and will drive for 12 hours straight to see his "friend" in Vancouver. haha... My grandma still hasn't retired and, most of the time, she'll only talk to you after business hours. He house has maps and rocks, and different artifacts from when she traveled around the world everywhere.

I don't know much about my paternal grandparents. My grandpa died when my Dad was 19 from heat stroke. I know that he was a banker, and thats about it. My grandma lives in Co. Mayo, Ireland (like vggiegirl's grandpa did :)). I don't know anything about her history. She is nice, she smokes and drinks a lot. When we went to visit her I threw out all her cigarettes, but I got worried that I would get into trouble so I made it looked like the box just fell over and there was cigarettes everywhere. Occasionally she'll send us money and postcards. Oh, and I used to call her "pink-shirt granny" because we had a picture of her wearing a bright pink shirt.

ETA: Vggiegirl, where in Co Mayo? My grandma lives in Castlebar.

[veggiewriter]

babybat, a spy in the family! How exciting!!

I've known three of my great-grandparents and all four of my grandparents.

One great-grandmother (paternal) is still alive. She ran off to be married when she was 14 and was a singer on the radio when she was 16-20. Her first daughter (my great-aunt) was given up for adoption b/c they couldn't afford to keep her--that was her little secret until my great aunt found one of my grandfather's siblings (her sibling too!) a couple of years ago, after searching for them her entire adult life. Apparently it hadn't been a 'real' adoption--more of a "You're our friends, will you please take our baby?" type of thing. Wow. She used to love having us come visit her (she lived on her own through her 80's), and even though she'd forget our names, she'd talk to us. She's living in assisted living now, and, apparently, likes to spit grapes at the TV.

My paternal grandfather grew up on a ranch (bought with my great grandmother's radio money). I actually don't know much about his life. Oh, except that he SWEARS that he invented those plastic bags that we use for produce and that Safeway (where he worked after he left the ranch) stole the idea/copyright from him.

My paternal grandmother met my grandfather when they were in their late 20's (she'd been working as a school teacher since she was 16). He worked at Safeway. She came in to buy something and left with a date for Friday night. They were married soon after. Her family emmigrated from Sweden in the 30's just before she was born. She's an amazing woman, and can beat anyone at Big Boggle. She's very devout and gave me a what-for after I'd innocently forwarded what I thought was a funny 'god is a woman' joke to her. Yes, she's computer literate--she was a secretary for 20+ yrs. And she thinks I will die at any moment because I don't eat meat. "What about a little fish?" she says...

Her father (my great-grandfather) was named Oscar, and I can remember sitting on his lap and winding his watch. I thought he had a funny name because it was the same as Oscar-the-Grouch. He changed his last name when he emmigrated b/c he wanted his children to be 'real' Americans. He also refused to let them speak Swedish in the house, even though he and his wife spoke it to them it b/c they weren't very good with English (another attempt to make his children 'real' Americans--too bad! I could be writing in Swedish right now.) He was a pastor and had been forced to leave one of his (conservative) churches because he refused to get rid of his 'gangster-like' pin stripe suit. His wife (my other paternal great-grandmother) died from a heart attack before I was born. Grammie tried CPR on her (she was actually at her house when it happened) but she still died. GG Oscar re-married and I remember his wife--she was wonderful. She lived for many years after he died--until I was in my teens. She was very kind and loved to tell stories.

My mother's side of the family: No one really knows how old her father was because he changed his birth certificate and lied on his DL. He was born 'Shirley' but changed his name to 'Robert.' He also had an affair that resulted in one of my uncles, and he brought the baby to my grandmother and made her adopt him. The only 'story' I have about him is that when he was walking my mother down the isle at her wedding, he leaned over and told her that it still wasn't too late--she could change her mind and they'd get out of there right then and there. And he meant it!

My maternal grandmother is also dead now (breast cancer) and we really didn't visit her very often, so I don't remember her well. I don't know much about her at all. My mother didn't live with her all her life--her parent were divorced (good idea, maybe, considering that affair!) and Mom lived with her father.

This is a good idea for a thread! Very interesting. When you think about it, without one of these people, we would never had existed. Wierd to think about, actually.

[ceryna]

Three of my four grandparents are alive.

Starting with my mom's side of the family:

My Gramma was born in South Carolina, one of several siblings, all of whom she outlived. She married my Grampa at 17. Grampa was born in Winder, GA, and he only went to school through the fifth grade before he quit to pick cotton. He flew supply planes in WW2, then went to work for Lockheed as a maintenance mechanic. He and my Gramma had five children, four of whom are alive today. Aunt Faye died of meningitis at six months. To this day, my Grampa sends financial contributions to the Egleston Children's Hospital for trying to save my aunt. My Gramma passed away in 1998 and not a day goes by that I don't miss her like crazy.

On my dad's side, I have my Papa and my Granny.

Papa and Granny met and married in Kentucky, and I don't know as much about their lives. I know that Papa came down to Georgia to work for Lockheed, and apart from time spent living in Alabama and other places, but the majority of the time was with Lockheed as a machinist. He and Granny got divorced, and she moved to South Georgia and remarried. Papa has been remarried twice and divorced twice, and now he's an old bachelor with a ladyfriend that he meets for dinner once in awhile. Granny lives in a nursing home. (She divorced her second husband, he was a Jack@$$.)

Papa lives on acreage near Alabama now and breeds and raises halflingers. He owns a covered wagon, an old fashioned carriage, and an antique Ford.

Interestingly, my Grampa and Papa knew each other from working at Lockheed, and that's how my parents met. Grampa is an expert welder, and so Papa sent my dad over to my Grampa's house to have some work done. Dad and Mom met, started dating, and were married in three months. They have now been together for nearly 35 years.

[Dirty Martini]

wow. you guys are all so lucky.

My paternal grandfather died when I was 2. He had cirrhosis (sp?) from drinking too much. Yes, he drank himself to death.

My mom's parents both died before I was 10. I didn't know them that well and didn't like them because they smoked like chimneys and had strokes all through my childhood, so I never understood what they were saying. I have no idea what they did for a living, because they were both sick & unemployed all through my childhood.

My paternal grandmother is the only surviving grandparent I have, and she is awesome. She's almost 90 and still goes out dancing. She's your stereotypical tall blonde swedish woman who loves to party (aside from the blonde hair, I totally take after her!). She was a nurse her whole life, starting in WWII.

Those of you with relationships with your grandparents - you have something really special. Don't take it for granted. :)

[Verbivore]

Only my maternal grandmother is still alive. She was born and raised in NYC. Her parents were both immigrants, her mother from Poland and her father from Italy. A long-time hobby of hers is genealogy, so I'm sure she can tell you more than I could. ^^;;

Her husband died in 1985, so I don't remember much about him. I know that he lied about his age to join the military, and he married my grandmother when he was 19 and she was 23. My mother is the fourth of their six children. They have 12 grandchildren altogether, though the last two were born years after our grandfather died.

My father's mother was born in the Adirondack mountains, in northern NYS. I don't remember exactly how many siblings she had; the one I remember most is her younger brother, who died 2 years ago. He made maple syrup and gave us some every year. ^_^ My grandma died in 1998, and her husband died in 1990, not even a year after their son (my father) died. The incident that best captures their personalities is the time Grandpa broke his arm skiing and he had to drive himself to the hospital because Grandma was so upset. ^^;;

Very interesting thread! I feel lucky to know most of my family. Most of my relatives on both sides of the family lived in the same geographical area for many years, so we've spent a lot of time together, for better for worse. :p

[punkmommy]

I only really knew my maternal grandparents. My paternal grandparents died when I was very young, so I don't know too much about them. I know that they were of English decent and were very good hearted. My middle name Blair is my paternal grandmother's maiden name :) My father was adopted and all we know of his biological mother is that she was Swedish and a hairdresser and I supposedly look just like her.

My maternal grandparents are what I know and associate myself with. My pop-pop died wen I was around 5, but he was a very hardworking man. He loved my grandmother to death. He was born in Italy and came to the US at a very young age. He was a merchant marine and spent a lot of time at sea. He could make anything and took pride in his family. He once surprised my grandmother with a cross country driving trip with money he saved in dimes ( they were working class poor ). My grandmother is 81 and I love her with all my heart- crap, now I'm going to cry :cry: I am closer to her than my own mother. My mom-mom is an incredible Italian cook and takes it upon herself to feed anyone and everyone who comes to her home ( even us vegans :p ) She is a strong woman who can do any man's work. She is known as "The Sarge" I get my take no shiat attitude from her. You will never hear her complain. She has cancer and might not be around much longer. She jokes about it and says she's looking forward to being with my pop-pop again.

Great idea for a thread Bank, I love my mom-mom and pop-pop :smitten:

[misq17]

I had really old grandparents. Both of my paternal grandparents died before I was born. My maternal grandparents were both 90+ years old when they died (and I was under 10 years old).

The only thing I really remember about them was that every time I went to their house, they gave me candy from the dish they always kept on the coffee table. I remember that after my grandfathers funeral (my grandmother was already dead), at the funeral reception at the house, the dish was gone. It sort of made me realize that I would never see them again, ever. I was only 8 or so, but then I realized that even though I'd always whined about going to see them, I really had loved them.

[DannyKass]

My Opa died when I was younger than 2. But I have a memory of him (its pretty insignificant.. yet means heaps to me..)!
He lived in Holland till he was in his 20's (I think). It was at the time of the whole nazi thing, and they lived on the border.. so they had to live in a church, and leave their pet goat living in the kitchen of their house.. otherwise it would have got killed!
He fought in the dutch-indies (or whatever it was called) war.
And yeah he's someone I'd really love to have a conversation with. There's so much I'd love to ask him, and talk to him about!

My Popa's pretty phat too! They live in Auckland, so I don't really see them that much, but we used to go there like once a year! He fought in the korean war as a pilot, but he doesn't talk about that. He's hella cool ay! But he'd getting quite old, and has just had treatment for cancer, I think he's clear now.. but he also has parkinsons disease and a couple of other things.. he's smart as... and he's also a smart ass... hahah I love him!

[tearhsong2]

My maternal grandparents have both passed away. I was very close to them growing up as they only lived on the other side of town. My grandma died from Alzheimer's disease when I was 13 and my grandpa from pneumonia when I was 18. They had been married for 51 years before my grandma died.

They both grew up on a farm and for their time, they married late. My grandma was 25 and my grandpa 30. They eloped when they got married. They had 4 children, my two uncles, my mom, and my aunt. My grandpa was an iron worker and my grandma was the school librarian. They both loved to garden--they had a huge yard with two vegetable gardens and tons and tons of flowers. Their house was like my second home. I loved that place and adored them.

My paternal grandfather died 3 years before I was born from kidney failure. I'd love to meet him and get to know him. My grandma is still alive, but could go at anytime. This sweet lady is 83 but looks 105 due to all her health problems. She's currently living in an assisted living home and doesn't get out much. She has to ride around in a wheel chair and sometimes feels up to walking, with a cane, but only will last for about 10 minutes before she needs to sit. I got to see her a lot when I went on my trip to Utah. She loves nature and I was able to take her on a drive in the mountains to see all the autumn leaves. It was one of those heaven sent days that you never forget. :)

Anyway, my grandma and grandpa from my dad's side both grew up on a farm as well. They got married when my grandma was 17 and my grandpa was 22. Grandpa fought in WWII. They also had 4 children--my two aunts, my dad, and my uncle. I'm not sure what they did for a living. Grandma was mostly a stay-at-home-mom, but did go to work when they needed the money. From what I understand they also loved to garden, my grandma especially. Before she moved into the assisted living home, her apartments and the trailer home she lived in at different times all had lots of flowers. She really loves roses because I remember seeing a lot of rose bushes. :)

Oh and I can't forget my Grandma Willie. She died from colon cancer about a year and a half ago. She's my step-mom's mom. She was a very sweet lady and loved us as her natural-born grandchildren even though we're step-family. She was from Texas, also grew up on a farm. Before I became a vegetarian, I loved her chicken and dumplings--well that and just about anything else she cooked, really. She made the best chocolate chip cookies and fried scones.

[Wolfie]

My mom's parents immigrated from Germany. Grandpa died before I was born from esophageal cancer. Grandma died when I was 12 from pancreatic cancer. We used to go to Grandma's house every Sunday and had a great time playing with all the cousins. Grandma lived on a farm, so it's also where the seeds were planted in my young brain that would one day make me go veg*n. Grandma had a thing for dogs and flowers, just as I do. Maybe it's hereditary. I wish I'd known her longer.

My dad's dad also died before I was born from a stroke and that grandma when I was 8 from diabetes. She lived with us for a while before she died but I can't really remember her as well as I'd like to. I can just remember going to her funeral with my foot all wrapped up because I'd cut it open a few days before at my uncle's house.

Sometimes I envy people who had their grandparents into adulthood.

[Christy]

My paternal grandparents were/are very neat people. My grandmother died in 1981 (I think?). She was very petite with a Dorothy Hamil sort of hair cut. Her name was Dorothy, but she went by Dottie or Dee. She was in charge, and kept things running smoothly. She cut the grass, she cleaned the grill, etc. She was of German origin, and her grandfather only spoke German when he came to the US. She married my grandfather at 14 (!) and had my father while my grandfather was in Europe in WWII. (I think my father was 18 months old before he saw his dad in person.) Anyway, she was a very upbeat, energetic, self-sufficient woman who was never sick. She got sick and died very unexpectedly. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to know her better.

My grandfather was in WWII. I once had to do a report involving an interview with a family friend or family member about a US history event. So, I picked him. We did it over the phone, and it was very interesting. He even sent me a copy of a map of where his unit was stationed, and where they advanced. Later he worked for the government (CIA? FBI?). I still don't know all the details. I know that he travelled quite a bit, including South Korea, where he purchased Cabbage Patch dolls and Member's Only jackets on the cheap. (Hey, they were in fashion then!) I still have two dolls in glass bottles that he bought for me there. (And my packrat father still has the MO jackets. Heh.) My grandfather has had a white handlebar mustache for as long as I remember. He used to smoke from pipes, too. I still like the smell.

I don't know much about my mother's family, unfortunately. I've been frozen out, apparently.

ETA: I wanted to include a bit about my paternal great-grandmother, Viola. She was quite a character. We called her Mama Martin. She died at 90 of Alzheimer's. I remember going to her little condo in an elderly/retired living facility. She always offered us cokes and candy, or tried to feed us whatever was around. She had seemingly dozens of pillows on her couches. She always gave those noisy, squeaky kisses. She even did that to a friend of mine when she accompanied us for a visit. She kissed her, then leaned back and said, "Well, who's this?" She once fell down our basement stairs on christmas day because she was looking for my brother and thought it was another bedroom. She broke her wrist. There is a gossip-y type of story about her shooting her BB gun at a black boy who got in her yard. I can see where my Dad gets it. :rolleyes:

[Bankruptor]

I don't know much about my mother's family, unfortunately. I've been frozen out, apparently.

That's a shame, but no doubt their loss . . . . :(

[Christy]

Thanks, Bank. That is yet another long story. I'm still sort of in shock and bitter about it. It occurred shortly after my (estranged, but back in touch) mother passed in 1997. I still don't know what I did, if anything, to cause this.

[renaissancesun]

I really want to read this thread but it is so long and i have so little time! AAAugh!

I knew all of my grandparents. They are all nuts in their own ways. My paternal grandparents are in their 80's, still alive and my grandpa still pats my grandmother on the bum from time to time. They are narrow minded, racist and still bail my uncle, who is in his 50's out of jail. I love them but can't stand to be around them for more than a day.

My maternal grandfather died about 11 years ago from cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. He was a dashing and interesting man but also quite distant in his way. I stayed with him for a week when I was in Jr. High. I was so deathly bored and when he said he would take me shopping I got excited. We went to Farm and Fleet. He was a very pragmatic guy.

My maternal granmother is still alive and in a very unhappy marriage (mostly due to her own behavior). She is diabetic and still wolfing down the cookies every day. She has gotten a lot nicer to be around in her 80's. She used to be very critical ALL of the time but now she has more time for loving.

I hope to cme read this all later!

Sunny