Dedication and Preface

In loving memory of my grandparents, Nanny and Papa.

Originally, this was going to be one long post, but after giving it some thought, I've decided that it'd be best to break everything down into smaller parts. That way, I don't get overwhelmed and lose focus. There's a lot I want to say about my grandparents and there are so many memories that I've made with them. I feel like the most productive approach to this would be to share my memories of them piece by piece, in a much more organized, focused manner.

With that said, I want to preface all of this by establishing my grandparents in the family tree as well as my relationship with them.

Their names are Dorothy and Joe. They're the parents of three children. My uncle Joey, named after Papa, is the oldest. My late aunt and godmother, Patricia, is the middle child. My mom is the youngest.

Ever since I was born, Nanny and Papa have been a huge, constant part of my life. There are plenty of pictures and videos of me with them as a baby, as a toddler, a prepubescent, and a teenager. Every summer, Mom would take my older brother Eric and I down to Florida to go visit them. At first, we'd stay with them for a week. That week became several before we finally settled on spending a month with them.

These summer vacations were the highlight of my childhood. We did so much together. We played games, two of the main ones being Uno and Rummikub. We lounged at the community pool. Whenever we had it to ourselves, we'd jump into the water and race each other on inflatable tubes. Papa would buy us week-long passes to theme parks. Nanny and Papa even took us on some cruises.

Throughout the years, we've made many memories together. Sure, I've had some rough patches with them, but those were very few and far between. I've had so much fun with them. We've shared many laughs and smiles. They've given me so much love and joy. They opened up the world to me and gave me an annual escape from my daily struggles. I'll always be grateful to them for everything aforementioned.

Now, I'm going to take a bunch of trips down memory lane. If this piques your interest somehow, you're more than welcome to join me. I'll do my best to allow you glimpses into my life with them. I'll paint small pictures so that you'll get a sense of the bigger picture. I do hope you enjoy this passion project of mine. Thank you for reading.