Last week was a doozy...
There were many reasons why I have been slacking on blogging...
I took pictures, though.
Jen and her crew came to visit for a few days and during that time, it was the 4th and my grandpa passed away so I had to go out of town for that. Nonetheless, I took 240 pictures and am trying to condense them into collages so I am not on here all day posting!
To sum it up, it was a wonderful, awful week all at the same time. It was so great to see Jen and hang out with her awesome family, and then it was great to see my extended family and spend time with them too- even though it was not the circumstances I had hoped for. My amazing Grandpa Szalai passed away on 29 June, peacefully. For posterity purposes, I am adding his obituary:
PIERPONT —
John Szalai, age 83, of Pierpont, Ohio, died Wednesday morning, June 29, 2011, at Jefferson Health Care Center in Jefferson, Ohio.
He was born July 8, 1927, in Henlawson, W.Va., the son of Marton and Elizabeth (Naykas) Szalai. An area resident most of his life, John served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was employed with the former Nickel Plate Railroad for 23 years and then was maintenance supervisor at Brown Memorial Hospital, retiring in 1992.
He was a member of the Monroe Athletic League, enjoyed playing ball and bowled in the Brothers Bowling Banquets for many years, winning in 1973. He was an avid Cleveland Indians fan and enjoyed country-western movies and music and being with his family.
Survivors include his wife, Thelma J. (Armstrong) Szalai whom he married August 30, 1945; a son, John M. (Jane) Szalai of Monroe Township, Ohio; four daughters, Darlene J. (Robert) Dowell of Columbus, Ohio, Trudy L. Robison of Conneaut, Ohio, Pamela (Gary) Anderson of Conneaut and Lori (Mark) Evans of Hilliard, Ohio; 15 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Also surviving are two sisters, Liz Passmore of Monroe Township and Cheryl Sharp of Conneaut, Ohio; and three brothers, Steven, Michael and Daniel Szalai.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Martin Szalai; three sisters, Peggy Smith, Sophia Tiche and Suzie Tiche; and two grandsons, John Szalai and Cody Robison.
Graveside Service will be 11:30 a.m., Saturday, July 2nd, in Kelloggsville Cemetery, Monroe Township, Ohio.
Calling Hours will be from 10 to 11 a.m., Saturday, at MARCY FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION CENTER, 208 Liberty St., Conneaut, Ohio.
Words can't describe how much I miss him- he was the very best Grandfather one could ask for. I have only the most wonderful memories of him and my years with him. I wrote him a letter before he passed, and decided to put it in his casket instead of reading it to him. It was more healing for me I think. I am so grateful for the memories my children have of him, too. That is priceless. I told him in the letter that I am forever grateful for the choice he made to marry Thelma Armstrong, for had he not, there would be no me, nor my mother, nor my children. I can never thank him enough for that. Until we meet again...my love is overflowing for you.
After the funeral, we went to the farm and had a huge meal- I took just a few pictures of that- and tried and tried to get a shot of my grandma with Elaina- it was not working!! The time has come where my grandma doesn't recognize me- and though I knew that would probably happen, I don't think I was ready for it. She still hugged and kissed me as usual, but she never called me by name, and kept asking whose baby it was. I still savored every moment with her and love her with all my heart.
Elaina made her rounds too- she was so good at the funeral home, and then slept a lot at the get together- but I still managed to get a few shots of her in both her usual forms- happy, sleeping and screaming!
On the other side, having Jen here was super fun. There is never down time when we are together. We laughed and told stories and visited places on campus we hadn't been to in a while. So much has changed since we graduated!! Imagine that! It was fun sharing stories and embarrassing her daughter, Gwen. We laughed to tears for that! We ate good food, and stayed up late- the best time!!
So, without further ado...here are some pictures:
We always have lunch at the stadium- this year we went to the bookstore afterward. We found some hot deals- like Tressel sweater vests and Pryor jerseys 1/2 off!! Too funny!
Here we are: 4 OSU grad girls, with our crews- 13 kids now between us- WOW!!
O-H-I-O, and some cute shots, including the hubbies, who are also all 4 OSU grads!
Fireworks with the Wolf's! Not that great of a spot to watch them, but little traffic, so it was fun!
Sunday we went to Sean's for his birthday cookout- we had another wonderful time there too! Lots of friends, family, food and fireworks! Only down side- flat tire! But we still managed to have a super night!
Now I am hoping life slows down a bit. This week has been good so far- I am happy to have my routine back and some normalcy for now.
It was a two layer 8" round. We did the white fondant (yuck!) and then had some left over to make the pieces for it- the 9 and the L's and O's were her idea and so she decorated it solely herself. All I did was the icing and putting the fondant on- she smoothed it down and created away. She was so happy with it- and I think for a NINE year old, she did an outstanding job. Now she wants to make more, since Aunt Stephanie got her a whole cake decorating kit! We are really adding to our (her) decorating collection.
Grandma and Grandpa did a fabulous job of spoiling her with amazing fun clothes- even took her shopping to pick them out! Lucky girl!
We love this girl. She is such a wonderful daughter. We could not ask for more with her (perhaps less lip, but she is NINE, right?!) She has been so helpful with Elaina- I don't even have to ask her help, she jumps right in and helps constantly. I am so blessed to have her at this time with all she does for me. I remember when I first held her- she was so tiny and precious- I think of her the same now- she had a stomach ache on Friday night- in the middle of the night she came to me and I held her in my arms and we fell asleep on the bathroom floor, then a while later we slept in her bed. She is still a snuggler. Lucky me.
