When I tell people that I come from a large family I feel that I must immediately have to elaborate. "I have two older
half brothers." I say "But they are so much older than me and they live so far away, I am as close to being an only child as you can get without
actually being one." I have an extremely large extended family, my Mother's Mother, my Grammie, had seven children. "I had to keep going until I got a boy!" She always tells complete strangers, meaning my uncle, the youngest, has six older sisters.
My Mother (the fifth in the order), myself and sometimes my Father head up to Salem, Or most weekends to visit my Grammie. Going to Grammie's house is always a fun and unique experience, we arrive around 5pm on a Saturday and we hear "Who's there?!" and are greeted at the door by the dog, Stanley (or Lil' Stan). He is my Grandparents second Stanley and second Bichon, I think he looks like Falcor from
The Neverending Story. Then we greet my Grandfather, who is confined to his chair in the Family Room, and watching TV Land, my Grammie then finds us and gives us kisses and tickles our sides and bootys.
Usually by 5:30 my Aunt Deni comes wandering through the door with her two Bichons Quincy and Sidney (or Lil' Sid), Sidney is Deni's second Sidney and Lil' Stan's litter mate (The original Stanley and original Sidney were also brothers but not from the same litter). And a Bit after Deni arrives Cheri comes in with her Bichon Genevieve ( or Gennie who is named after my Grammie), and to make the story even longer, Gennie and her litter mate Camille (who passed away last year) are the litter mates of the original Sidney, sisters of the original Stanley.
We always go to dinner to one of several places, Olive Garden, The Roadhouse, Burgerville or Burger Basket. We always go out to eat on Saturday's and on the rare occasions that we don't, we always make sure my Grandparents get out of the house one way or another.
All Pictures are © Morgan Jemerson Photography. All Rights Reserved.
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| I found my grandmother this past weekend picking up apples in her backyard with my Auntie Deni |
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| Lil' Sid displaying his horrible manners and jumping up on me |
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| My Auntie Deni and my mother figuring out what to do with the blankets my mother made for my Grandad's 67th high school reunion this past August |
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| My Grammie getting my Grandad ready to go to dinner, she is his primary caregiver and had a routine everyday |
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My Grammie "pestering" Grandad at dinner while we wait for our appetizers at The Roadhouse
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