My yia yia was awesome! Def. number 1 !!!
Today is her birthday and I was going to talk about me losing her, how it went,
how we found out she had cancer and how fast it took her - but I decided to keep
it light ... positive and happy today instead of tears, and re-calling losing
her. I want to celebrate her life and not remember her death. Those who don't
know, I am Greek - and "Yia Yia" is GRANDMA in Greek - which is what my brother
and I use to call her. She was like a 2nd mother to us and raised us pretty
much while our parents worked all the time. She lived downstairs from us when
we were little, and it was easy for my parents to drop my brother and I off
downstairs and go to work. Yia Yia was great with us.. tough and didn't take no
shit - but very loving, sweet, kind and a great person. I have a lot of good
memories of her, and that's what I want to share today.
When I was younger... and Yia Yia use to
get me ready for school, she always wanted my hair perfect! I mean PERFECT !!!
She would take it down and put it up again and again if it wasn't. It had to be
in a neat Pony tail way on top of my head and if some was sticking out, she had
to do it again and again. I use to get irritated and she fought with me and told
me to hold on. But, she always made it nice. I remember the yellow and black
brush she always used on me. LOL....
I also
remember my grandpa walking us to school and waiting for us after school, but
when he couldn't do it anymore... Yia Yia hired an 8th grader to bring me home,
and another to bring my brother home daily.. she paid the girls on Fridays every
week. I'm not sure how much they got but they got paid well. On the last day of
school when I was in 3rd grade I believe... Melinda - the girl Yia Yia paid to
walk me home , told me to walk home by myself because she was going home with
her friends. I told her I couldn't, and she told me I would be fine. She went
the other way, and I walked home alone. Yia Yia was waiting on the porch for me,
and saw me alone. I ended up falling in the middle of the street and almost got
hit by a car - but was lucky enough to have the car going slow enough to stop.
Thankfully !!! I cried thinking I'd get in trouble but she told me to go inside
while she waited for Melinda . Melinda came by a while later and was waiting
for her money . Yia Yia screamed at her and refused to pay her! She was sent
on her way with no money.... Yia Yia then said it was okay for me to walk home
with friends but never again alone...and she'd always be outside waiting when I
did .
Another time, I was
trusted to go by my best friends house on the next block with my bike as long as
I didn't ride on to Leclaire which was the busy street where cars fly by. My
best friend lived on a dead end so riding my bike there was fine. My best
friend, her brother and sister, and a few of our friends rode onto the busy
street and back, so I figured if I did it, Yia Yia would never know.
Ppppfffttt... lmao! I was sooo wrong... I did it once and heard Yia Yia
screaming, "GET YOUR LITTLE ASS HOME NOW AND PUT YOUR BIKE AWAY...YOU'RE
GROUNDED!!!"...... her and Papa (my grandpa) brought their lawn chairs to the
corner to check out the "scenery"... or spy on me...I never figured it out!
LMAO... bringing your lawn chairs to the corner to check out the scenery ? Who
does that?!!! LOL...
One thing my mother
use to HATE as I got older and had kids of my own - is when my Yia Yia and I use
to joke around in dirty ways. I'd tell her to get to the corner I put her on and
make my money, and Yia Yia would joke back that she wasn't going no where until
I put her on the other side because she wasn't making money on the side I had
her on. LMAO... my mother use to tell us the way we joked sounded so wrong and
told us both not to talk like that. Hey... I think if you can joke with your
grandma like that - you've been blessed! LMAO...
When we were younger,
and brought home paddles... (those things with the small balls attached that
kids play with) lmao... yia yia would cut off the balls and save the paddles on
the shelf she had incase we were bad, and if we acted up, talked back, etc. we
took a paddle to the ass! LMAO... and back then... it was called DISCIPLINE -
NOT CHILD ABUSE!!! LOL... and look, we turned out okay! :) LOL...
There was one time when I
was about 12 or so... that I said something to her to piss her off or did
something, and she chased me up the stairs and I had the top bunk bed so I got
on it, went way to the corner and told her she couldn't catch me! LMAO... she
told me I had to come downstairs sometime and she'd be waiting. Well, I went
down stairs thinking she had cooled off, and WACK....got smacked! LOL... she
didn't play!!!! She was tough and you were NOT going to get away with things
when she was around.
One memory that STILL
cracks me up and makes me laugh when I think about it... is when I was in high
school and had a friend named Joey over. He and I had been friends since
Kindgergarten and he was such a funny kid.... on this one summer day, all my
family was sitting outside and my grandmother pulled Money out of her house robe
, pretended to whisper to Joey, and showed him the money nodding her head tword
the house door like telling him to go inside with her! LMAO... Yes, she was JUST
KIDDING!!! But, the look on his face was priceless and she told him , "Listen,
there's a lot of snow on the roof... but a lot of fire in the fireplace...come
on!"... he told her, "Pppfftt... well your fire place ain't getting none of my
wood!".... LMAO! Good times....
When I started puking my
guts out every morning, and thought I had the flu in 1999... Yia Yia looked at
me, and told me I was pregnant. I told her I had the flu.. she told me, "Oh, I
don't believe that, you're pregnant!"... and she was right! LMAO... I didn't
even know I was pregnant. I really thought I had the flu... but she insisted and
it was confirmed.. after... she told me, "I told you so!"... LOL.
When I had my oldest daughter , I lived upstairs with
her and one thing Yia Yia would do every morning is call me and ask me to bring
the baby down so she can see her. I would and while Yia Yia was holding her,
she'd look at me and tell me I could go back upstairs! LOL... Yia Yia loved
holding her and watching her while I cleaned upstairs, did laundry, or whatever
I was doing...and when she fell asleep in Yia Yia's arms, she'd call me to come
get her. : )
Yia Yia also
paid for our first apartment when my ex husband , my oldest daughter as a baby,
and I moved out of my parents place . We were supposed to pay her back. That
was the agreement. But, when we tried, she didn't want the money back and told
us to save it or buy the baby some stuff . We paid her half back and used some
on the baby.
And, when she got older and
was un-able to walk as good ... got sicker, etc. she still didn't let it hold
her back . We had gone out to my Aunt and Uncles in Fox Lake one day for a BBQ
and fun... and , she said she was going for a swim in the lake. The dock is
rocky and shakes so we were all nervous. My mother couldn't watch as my
grand-mother climbed in and she had everyone on edge thinking it was a bad
idea... but, she did it to prove a point that she could still do things she once
did, and to show off in front of this man she sort of had a crush on! LMAO... it
was cute... and I admit.. even until her last breath, she still fought with
every ounce of her to make her life full. God blessed that woman!
One thing I do remember at the end of her
life, is that the grief therapist told us if she starts seeing things that we
don't see - or people... she's near the end of her life, and if we hear her
talking about seeing people, she really is.... I believe in spirits and all -
but I didn't really know if this whole "seeing things or people we can't see"
was real at the end of someones life... however... my ex and I had gone to see
her a few days before she passed, and she was in and out of acoma. She looked at
me that day and told me she saw what sounded like "Ju" and she couldn't choke
out the rest so I felt like she was going to say she saw "Jesus", but didn't
want to tell anyone about it, so I asked my ex not to as well.. he was with me
and when I tried waking her up again to try to get a name out of her... she went
back to sleep and we left. I had gone again to see her the next day, and my
mother was standing outside her room crying. I asked what happened, and she said
"Candy", the sweet nurse who adored my grandmother while she was in hospice care
(end of her life care) , was walking past her room and heard her talking to a
"Joey"... and asking why he was so far away... telling him to come closer.
Candy thought someone was in there with her, but when she looked, there was
nobody and my grandmother was sleeping . My mother felt like it was Joey (my
grandmothers great Nephew I believe he was who was like a son to her), that was
coming for her. That explained that J name she tried to choke out with me.
Joey died many many years ago.....
Any way .... I still
wasn't sure until one day, we were in the room, and told her we'd be back
because we were going to eat... she looked next to my mother and asked "whose
that?"... we all freaked out. My mother tried to convince her there was nobody
next to her... but Yia Yia argued there was.... after that, I was sure the whole
spirits and seein things at the end of someones life was real.... is real....
idk...
But....through-out her life... Yia
Yia was always so strong. From open heart surgery, to Cancer she beat, to all
the things she's done, seen and been through... I miss that woman and I know
there's tons of other memories that are not popping into my mind right now that
I'll update on later if I think of more... but , I have always loved her dearly,
like a 2nd mother... and she was an amazing, funny, sweet, kind, tough woman !
So today....
I celebrate her life by
remembering her accomplishments, and our good times together.... and say HAPPY
BIRTHDAY Yia Yia... you loved to dance and I'm sure that's exactly what you're
doing up there... and who knows... maybe Uncle Tony (who use to DJ) is Dj-ing
your party rrriiigghhhtt now! :) At least... I'd like to think so because it
makes me smile!
Until
next time,
Shel.
Today is her birthday and I was going to talk about me losing her, how it went,
how we found out she had cancer and how fast it took her - but I decided to keep
it light ... positive and happy today instead of tears, and re-calling losing
her. I want to celebrate her life and not remember her death. Those who don't
know, I am Greek - and "Yia Yia" is GRANDMA in Greek - which is what my brother
and I use to call her. She was like a 2nd mother to us and raised us pretty
much while our parents worked all the time. She lived downstairs from us when
we were little, and it was easy for my parents to drop my brother and I off
downstairs and go to work. Yia Yia was great with us.. tough and didn't take no
shit - but very loving, sweet, kind and a great person. I have a lot of good
memories of her, and that's what I want to share today.
When I was younger... and Yia Yia use to
get me ready for school, she always wanted my hair perfect! I mean PERFECT !!!
She would take it down and put it up again and again if it wasn't. It had to be
in a neat Pony tail way on top of my head and if some was sticking out, she had
to do it again and again. I use to get irritated and she fought with me and told
me to hold on. But, she always made it nice. I remember the yellow and black
brush she always used on me. LOL....
I also
remember my grandpa walking us to school and waiting for us after school, but
when he couldn't do it anymore... Yia Yia hired an 8th grader to bring me home,
and another to bring my brother home daily.. she paid the girls on Fridays every
week. I'm not sure how much they got but they got paid well. On the last day of
school when I was in 3rd grade I believe... Melinda - the girl Yia Yia paid to
walk me home , told me to walk home by myself because she was going home with
her friends. I told her I couldn't, and she told me I would be fine. She went
the other way, and I walked home alone. Yia Yia was waiting on the porch for me,
and saw me alone. I ended up falling in the middle of the street and almost got
hit by a car - but was lucky enough to have the car going slow enough to stop.
Thankfully !!! I cried thinking I'd get in trouble but she told me to go inside
while she waited for Melinda . Melinda came by a while later and was waiting
for her money . Yia Yia screamed at her and refused to pay her! She was sent
on her way with no money.... Yia Yia then said it was okay for me to walk home
with friends but never again alone...and she'd always be outside waiting when I
did .
Another time, I was
trusted to go by my best friends house on the next block with my bike as long as
I didn't ride on to Leclaire which was the busy street where cars fly by. My
best friend lived on a dead end so riding my bike there was fine. My best
friend, her brother and sister, and a few of our friends rode onto the busy
street and back, so I figured if I did it, Yia Yia would never know.
Ppppfffttt... lmao! I was sooo wrong... I did it once and heard Yia Yia
screaming, "GET YOUR LITTLE ASS HOME NOW AND PUT YOUR BIKE AWAY...YOU'RE
GROUNDED!!!"...... her and Papa (my grandpa) brought their lawn chairs to the
corner to check out the "scenery"... or spy on me...I never figured it out!
LMAO... bringing your lawn chairs to the corner to check out the scenery ? Who
does that?!!! LOL...
One thing my mother
use to HATE as I got older and had kids of my own - is when my Yia Yia and I use
to joke around in dirty ways. I'd tell her to get to the corner I put her on and
make my money, and Yia Yia would joke back that she wasn't going no where until
I put her on the other side because she wasn't making money on the side I had
her on. LMAO... my mother use to tell us the way we joked sounded so wrong and
told us both not to talk like that. Hey... I think if you can joke with your
grandma like that - you've been blessed! LMAO...
When we were younger,
and brought home paddles... (those things with the small balls attached that
kids play with) lmao... yia yia would cut off the balls and save the paddles on
the shelf she had incase we were bad, and if we acted up, talked back, etc. we
took a paddle to the ass! LMAO... and back then... it was called DISCIPLINE -
NOT CHILD ABUSE!!! LOL... and look, we turned out okay! :) LOL...
There was one time when I
was about 12 or so... that I said something to her to piss her off or did
something, and she chased me up the stairs and I had the top bunk bed so I got
on it, went way to the corner and told her she couldn't catch me! LMAO... she
told me I had to come downstairs sometime and she'd be waiting. Well, I went
down stairs thinking she had cooled off, and WACK....got smacked! LOL... she
didn't play!!!! She was tough and you were NOT going to get away with things
when she was around.
One memory that STILL
cracks me up and makes me laugh when I think about it... is when I was in high
school and had a friend named Joey over. He and I had been friends since
Kindgergarten and he was such a funny kid.... on this one summer day, all my
family was sitting outside and my grandmother pulled Money out of her house robe
, pretended to whisper to Joey, and showed him the money nodding her head tword
the house door like telling him to go inside with her! LMAO... Yes, she was JUST
KIDDING!!! But, the look on his face was priceless and she told him , "Listen,
there's a lot of snow on the roof... but a lot of fire in the fireplace...come
on!"... he told her, "Pppfftt... well your fire place ain't getting none of my
wood!".... LMAO! Good times....
When I started puking my
guts out every morning, and thought I had the flu in 1999... Yia Yia looked at
me, and told me I was pregnant. I told her I had the flu.. she told me, "Oh, I
don't believe that, you're pregnant!"... and she was right! LMAO... I didn't
even know I was pregnant. I really thought I had the flu... but she insisted and
it was confirmed.. after... she told me, "I told you so!"... LOL.
When I had my oldest daughter , I lived upstairs with
her and one thing Yia Yia would do every morning is call me and ask me to bring
the baby down so she can see her. I would and while Yia Yia was holding her,
she'd look at me and tell me I could go back upstairs! LOL... Yia Yia loved
holding her and watching her while I cleaned upstairs, did laundry, or whatever
I was doing...and when she fell asleep in Yia Yia's arms, she'd call me to come
get her. : )
Yia Yia also
paid for our first apartment when my ex husband , my oldest daughter as a baby,
and I moved out of my parents place . We were supposed to pay her back. That
was the agreement. But, when we tried, she didn't want the money back and told
us to save it or buy the baby some stuff . We paid her half back and used some
on the baby.
And, when she got older and
was un-able to walk as good ... got sicker, etc. she still didn't let it hold
her back . We had gone out to my Aunt and Uncles in Fox Lake one day for a BBQ
and fun... and , she said she was going for a swim in the lake. The dock is
rocky and shakes so we were all nervous. My mother couldn't watch as my
grand-mother climbed in and she had everyone on edge thinking it was a bad
idea... but, she did it to prove a point that she could still do things she once
did, and to show off in front of this man she sort of had a crush on! LMAO... it
was cute... and I admit.. even until her last breath, she still fought with
every ounce of her to make her life full. God blessed that woman!
One thing I do remember at the end of her
life, is that the grief therapist told us if she starts seeing things that we
don't see - or people... she's near the end of her life, and if we hear her
talking about seeing people, she really is.... I believe in spirits and all -
but I didn't really know if this whole "seeing things or people we can't see"
was real at the end of someones life... however... my ex and I had gone to see
her a few days before she passed, and she was in and out of acoma. She looked at
me that day and told me she saw what sounded like "Ju" and she couldn't choke
out the rest so I felt like she was going to say she saw "Jesus", but didn't
want to tell anyone about it, so I asked my ex not to as well.. he was with me
and when I tried waking her up again to try to get a name out of her... she went
back to sleep and we left. I had gone again to see her the next day, and my
mother was standing outside her room crying. I asked what happened, and she said
"Candy", the sweet nurse who adored my grandmother while she was in hospice care
(end of her life care) , was walking past her room and heard her talking to a
"Joey"... and asking why he was so far away... telling him to come closer.
Candy thought someone was in there with her, but when she looked, there was
nobody and my grandmother was sleeping . My mother felt like it was Joey (my
grandmothers great Nephew I believe he was who was like a son to her), that was
coming for her. That explained that J name she tried to choke out with me.
Joey died many many years ago.....
Any way .... I still
wasn't sure until one day, we were in the room, and told her we'd be back
because we were going to eat... she looked next to my mother and asked "whose
that?"... we all freaked out. My mother tried to convince her there was nobody
next to her... but Yia Yia argued there was.... after that, I was sure the whole
spirits and seein things at the end of someones life was real.... is real....
idk...
But....through-out her life... Yia
Yia was always so strong. From open heart surgery, to Cancer she beat, to all
the things she's done, seen and been through... I miss that woman and I know
there's tons of other memories that are not popping into my mind right now that
I'll update on later if I think of more... but , I have always loved her dearly,
like a 2nd mother... and she was an amazing, funny, sweet, kind, tough woman !
So today....
I celebrate her life by
remembering her accomplishments, and our good times together.... and say HAPPY
BIRTHDAY Yia Yia... you loved to dance and I'm sure that's exactly what you're
doing up there... and who knows... maybe Uncle Tony (who use to DJ) is Dj-ing
your party rrriiigghhhtt now! :) At least... I'd like to think so because it
makes me smile!
Until
next time,
Shel.
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