we are family

It's good to be reminded of one's roots.

Family kind of does that, right?

Every year we gather at the same camp in Maine and eat the same foods, swim in the same lake, and play the same games.

In some ways we find we, too, are the same but in other ways we find we have changed since the last time we gathered. Some have new jobs, new babies, new homes. Some are going through new challenges like illness, aging, loss. Some are no longer with us.

But we find we are all connected through these strange family ties. We remind each other of our shared history and heritage. We reconnect and remember why we do this every year.

It's kind of amazing. This thing called family.

Grampa and his six siblings, circa 1988. 

Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

A (sometimes) regular column featuring a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

Here's a school picture of MamaQ at age five. Still just as cute and lovable 29 years later. Happy birthday Q!

Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

Uncle Jeff, Dad, and Uncle Craig and an adorable photo op. As Grammie Erma would say "Isn't that cunnin'?"



Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

On a recent trip home, I discovered an old diary of mine from when I was nine years old. It's just one of many diaries I've kept over the years and it. is. classic. I was such a drama queen! And a little snot, too. I'm gonna have to go through it and share some of the hilarious, terrible and awkward moments in my life, but here's a preview for now. Just imagine big bubbly letters written in fluorescent ink...

(I am transcribing the entry with the same grammar and format it was written in back in 1992. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. (I was a very horrible little nine-year-old...))

Dear Diary,

Back in January, me and this girl, Donna, got in a fight. I won't explain all of the details because that would take up a whole page, even more. So ever since then I've HATED Donna. Now all my friends don't like her. Well, that's what they say. There's this one girl, Kourtney, and she was a close friend of mine. Use to be, that is.

You see, it seemed to me that she was becoming friends with Donna which I didn't care. She can choose her own friends. The part I didn't like was that I'd ask her if she liked Donna. She'd say "no way" so finally I wrote her a note. I don't remember what it said but the first part went like this: (I gave it to her in the classroom so I could see her read it. She sits across the room)

Dear Kourtney,

       I hope you're not showing this note to Donna, because I'm watching you.

So I gave the note to Kourtney and she didn't show it to Donna. Didn't show it to Donna in school, that is. That same exact day Kourtney went over Donna's house. And in my note didn't I specifically say not to show this note to Donna? Well, Kourtney not only showed the note to Donna, but she let Donna keep it! Can you believe the nerve of that girl? And we got into a fight before this one but I gave her another chance. Then she betrayed me again. But at Jessica's party I gave her another chance. Also there's one fight that we just recently got into but I'm not giving her another chance this time.

Luv,

[MamaM]

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Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

Acknowledging the Japanese tradition of paying respects to your ancestors on the Vernal Equinox, here are a few of the people who paved the way for us to be here today. Thank you dear family!

Great Grandmother Elsie

Grammie Erma and Grampa Deane with Uncle Jeff and Dad

Ojii-chan (grandfather)



Obaa-chan (grandmother)

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Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

With the events of the past few days, we've been thinking a lot about our family in Japan. We loved spending summers over there every few years growing up. Here are the four wabisabi siblings with Ojii-chan and our late Obaa-chan at a train station on one of those summer trips. 

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Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

I was the only one who could balance on Dad's hands like this. That's got to be worth something, right?

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Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

MamaQ in her 8th grade graduation dance dress. She swears this was stylish back then. As were the glasses and matching teal watch?

If you want to play along, leave a link to one of your memories here for all to read.

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Memory Monday

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From The Wonder Years

As retrospective, a blast from the past, a remembrance, a little history...

1983

1984

 1985

 1986

  1988
 
Dad thought this would be a good way of documenting our growth in our new house. It is fun to look back and see what we were like and how we changed... makes me want to find a place in our house where we can do the same thing with our little kid(s someday?).

If you want to play along, leave a link to one of your memories here for all to read.