Good Ol' San Antone

The last time I was in San Antonio was in 2020 when I went to my Grandpa's funeral {my dad's dad}. But the last time I had seen my mom's parents was in 2017, when we took the twins to meet them. So to say a visit was overdue is an understatement :)

I flew into Dallas and my parents picked me up at the airport and we hit the road for San Antonio. I'm thankful they were willing to make the trek with me, and it was fun to have that time with them. We stayed with my aunt and uncle, and I also had the chance to see some of my cousins {and their kids}. 

Our time was filled with yummy food and funny stories. And of course, there was Rummy. Growing up, I remember many times playing Rummy with my Grandma.

We made the trip back to Dallas and when we made at a stop at Buc-ee's, we ran into the beaver himself! We couldn't help but get a photo to send to the kids. When in Texas...  :)

I also got to have dinner with Michael and Vi and the girls, and it was good to see them too. I'm really thankful that I was able to take the time out of the busyness of our schedule to go visit family. And it was fun to be solo for a few days. But as much as I love the time away by myself, I was really glad to get home too. And I had the best welcome waiting for me :)

Saying Goodbye to My Grandpa

This past week, we said goodbye to my sweet grandpa, my dad's dad.

He actually passed away earlier in August, but due to COVID, his funeral was delayed a few weeks. Since he was deserving of a full military service, we had to wait for an available time for his burial at Fort Sam Houston. So I traveled to San Antonio for the small family service. 

My sweet grandpa enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1947 {when he was just 17 years old!} and proudly served his country for 31 years. He had a tour in Korea and two tours in Vietnam. He had a distinguished career, earning numerous awards, medals, and achievements. He retired at the rank of Command Sergeant Major and was awarded the Legion of Merit upon retirement. He then moved to civil service, where he served as a Military Specialist Proponency Analyst until his final retirement in 2003.

He enlisted in the Army when he was 17

Vietnam 1969

Vietnam 1969

While I grew up hearing stories from my grandpa's military service, I mostly remember the sweetness of him just being my grandpa. He was certainly a straight-laced, serious military man in all aspects of his life. But over the course of my lifetime, I was able to witness the softening of my grandpa's rough edges. Whether it was the smiles of pure joy when his kittens would snuggle up close to him, or the joy and pride in which he spoke of his great-grandchildren...under that rough exterior was a big old softie :)

My grandparents were married for 69 years {would have been 70 this October}. While my grandparents' marriage was not perfect, it was certainly a testament to faithfulness and commitment. My grandpa faithfully took care of my grandma until the end. He might have been noisy and opinionated about it {you just had to know my grandpa and smile as you think about it}, but he worried about and fussed over her, as he cared for her in her dementia. 

This recent season of COVID has been tough in so many ways. Telling my grandpa he had to shelter in place did not go over well. My parents were able to visit at the window, but to keep everyone safe, they were unable to go inside. Despite all of the restrictions, the senior living facility where they stayed was amazing and wonderful, allowing close family to visit my grandpa in his last days. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it in time {he passed the evening that I made it into town}, but I am so thankful that my parents and aunt were able to see him and say their goodbyes. 

It was sad and hard to say goodbye, but I am so thankful for my grandpa's life. It is such a unique gift that this is the first grandparent that I have lost...at 35 years old! Who gets to say that? I am thankful that all of my kiddos got to meet him, and that he got to enjoy and dote on his great-grandchildren. And I am so thankful that we got to celebrate him at his 90th Birthday party last fall. It was a sweet celebration with the whole family, and I will always hold that memory close. 

Some Sweet Family Photos

I was so grateful to have my dear friend Stacey capture my Grandpa's 90th Birthday celebration. Since we had the party at my parents' house, we were able to let our kiddos run a little more free. And Stacey was able to capture some really sweet photos for us. I wanted to share some of those extra ones {perhaps not necessarily birthday related} here. 

And I have to say...I think my kiddos are pretty darn cute! Aiden was a complete ham the whole night, totally cheesin' it up for the camera :)

So, so thankful for dear old friend! She literally was my first friend...our moms were pregnant together! So we grew up playing together, and we were pen pals when she moved away to Germany, and have kept in contact over the years, mostly via Facebook these days. It had been awhile since I had seen her, so it was so great to catch up! What a special gift to have these photos taken by a sweet friend! Thank you, Stacey!

90 Years Young

This year is the year of big milestones! Aiden turned 1. My parents celebrated 40 years of marriage. My dad turned 60. And recently, my sweet Grandpa turned 90!

We headed to San Antonio to celebrate my grandpa's milestone birthday. Eli and Maddie were more than excited to make the trip to see Grandma and Papa, and the thought of another birthday party {this time to celebrate Great Papa} added to their excitement :)

Suitcases packed and ready to travel!

The car ride was...an adventure :)  There were definitely some rough points, but considering they were confined in the car for several hours and rocking no naps, overall, they did really well. We only had to stop once for lunch, and once for a quick bathroom/stretch legs break. I had a bag of new books, toys, and activities at the ready. I found some books and little toy cars/planes at Dollar Tree. I also bought these tiny baking sheets and magnetic puzzles. It seemed good in theory; my kids liked them, but I think we reached a point in our trip when nothing was going to make them happy, so it turned out to be more stressful than fun. But I know these will be a fun rainy day activity later. The big winner? These magnetic drawing boards.

Most of the weekend was focused on my grandpa's party, but we still got to spend some good time with Grandma, Papa, Uncle Michael, and Sophie and Bella {my parents' dogs}. So basically, my kids were in heaven :)

Throwing coins in the fountain

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My grandpa was born in 1929. He is an army veteran {Command Sergeant Major} and served in both the Korean and the Vietnam Wars. He is currently living in a senior living home with my grandma, and he is doing everything he can to whip that place into shape...those military leadership skills just don't fade away haha. He met and married my grandma in 1950, so they will celebrate 69 years next month! Unfortunately, my grandma has Alzheimer's. But my grandpa has stood faithfully by her side, taking on a great deal of her care himself. He has beaten cancer and is in fairly good health for 90! My dad is the youngest of 3, I am the oldest of 6 grandchildren, and my kiddos are the first {and currently only} great grandchildren. And boy is my grandpa proud of his family!

We were able to surprise him with a family gathering for his 90th birthday. It was such a sweet time together, and I think he really enjoyed himself! I am so thankful for the blessing of still having all 4 of my grandparents living, and I am thankful we were able to celebrate this big milestone. He predicts he'll make it to 102 {as long as we all keep working and paying into his social security, of course!} :)

We decided to hire a photographer to capture the special occasion, and I am so glad we did! It means so much to have these precious photos. And it was even more special that our photographer just so happens to be my very first friend ever {our moms were pregnant together}. We are so grateful that she was able to capture these memories for us, and I loved the opportunity to catch up with this dear old friend!

I loved working on this "90 Years Ago" board for my grandpa!

Surprising the birthday boy!

THIS is how I will always remember my grandpa. He claps when he's excited, and it's just about the cutest thing :)

Meeting his youngest great grandchild for the first time!

He gives the strongest hugs. You know he means it when he hugs you :)

Eyeing the cake and cookies haha

My sweet grandma. I'm so thankful Stacey caught this smile, as it can be elusive these days.

All of the grandchildren {+ spouse} and great grandchildren

The ladies

The men

The oldest and youngest of the Mazur clan :)

The birthday boy!

Father and son

With his youngest and oldest {unfortunately my uncle wasn't able to make it, but his boys were there}

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandpa! We look forward to celebrating 100 with you. We love you!