Lauren's First Halloween and Long Distance Memories

Perhaps the most memorable Halloween of my life to date was my sister Lauren's first Halloween. I have blurry memories of those days.

My sister was barely a month old, and somehow my mother had time to make costumes. We were bunnies.

Me and Lauren on October 31, 1986.

The cat and her two bunnies. Here she was showing off Lauren's pom-pom tail!

Shortly before Lauren was born, my grandma Joan came to stay with us for several weeks. I remember sitting together in the kitchen on Lauren's birthday before we went to the hospital to see her for the very first time. I was eating Goldfish crackers that she brought from California out of my favorite red bowl. I can still see those crackers in the bowl after all these years, and I can hear her telling me it was almost time to go meet Lauren.

My grandma Joan and her granddaughters. 

As you can see, we loved having her with us. Now that I'm an adult, I realize just how difficult it must have been for her to be away from her house, her dog, her job and her life for that many weeks. It's funny how time does change our perspectives about some things. 

Long faces (and whatever face I was making) as my grandma prepared to leave us to return home to California. She sure was dressed nicely for that long flight from London to LAX!

I'm pretty sure she was telling me to be nice to my sister and help my mommy. 

In the days before Skype and the Internet, London and Los Angeles felt like different worlds. Visits were never long enough, and all of the cards and presents that were mailed lovingly back and forth across the Atlantic couldn't replace the feeling that existed when we were all in one place. It was a little easier once we moved to the States, but long distance phone calls were still expensive. During the last years of her life, she purchased a Gateway computer and we were able to enjoy using Internet messengers (specifically ICQ and Yahoo Messenger) and email to talk back and forth. I still find myself wondering what she'd think about iPhones, Skype and FaceTime. She would have loved being able to connect with us, but she probably would have hated seeing herself. I must have inherited that trait from her. 

What are your favorite Halloween memories? 

It feels like fall today...

A big storm came through last night and brought fall with it. Tonight's low is 46; tomorrow's is 44. It'll be perfect weather for a historic Ole Miss-Bama football game in Oxford. Too bad we'll be listening to it on the radio at home because we don't have cable...On the other hand, maybe we don't want to watch. It could be painful. :)

Breezy fall weather calls for more road trip photos with Joan and Sid. They did love their motorhome photos....

Ahh, fall. I love you.

My beautiful grandmother Joan.

Sid and the motorhome.

Joan and the motorhome.

My grandmother Joan and mother Julie. Not sure who the little girl with big glasses is. 

Happy weekend, everyone!

Joan and Sid's adventures

Joan only spent a decade as Sid's wife, but they dated from the time my mom was seven years old. Twenty years is such a short time. I've already spent 11 years with Jonathan. Talk about perspective. 

While they were both living, they loved each other madly, and throughout their courtship and marriage, they experienced many adventures together (here's another recent adventure post). A great deal of them involved Sid's beloved Chevrolet truck, the motorhome, his motorcycle and their speedboat. Until they purchased the motorhome, they used a camper that sat on top of the truck. They were also involved in a boating club, and they won a trophy for their efforts in the late '70s. They also had matching boating jackets. My grandmother kept the trophy and the jackets. They are now in the care of my mother. Last weekend, we hung a photo of their boat in my mother's study. It's important to keep these memories alive, don't you think? They remind us to have fun and live life to the fullest.

Sid's Chevy.

Big fish! Hey Mom, look what's under the truck...

Joan, Sid, the original camper and the motorcycle.

Joan wearing her boating jacket and holding a camera.

Awesome '70s pants, palm trees and putt-putt golf. 

1970s california camping trip

My grandparents loved camping. My mother often talks about the camping and boating excursions they took as a family when she still lived at home. After she graduated, they bought a bigger camper that was always known as "the motorhome." They spent much of their free time enjoying it with family and friends until my grandpa died of cancer in 1984. 

Instead of immediately selling the motorhome, my grandma kept it parked at their home until I was five or six years old. For that reason, I remember hanging out in it. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

I think those childhood experiences are responsible for my love of vintage campers. I expect Jonathan and I will own one of our own someday. We have dreams of taking a cross-country trip and a trip up the California coast.

I'm not going to lie -- I googled "1977 Dodge motorhome" after I wrote this post. Turns out, a few of these guys are still on the road.

Joan and Sid's motorhome and boat parked in front of their home in Cerritos, California in 1977.

Camping with friends.

My grandpa Sid wearing a very nice apron!

Sid and his friends all donning aprons.

A toast to good friends inside the motorhome.

Also had to share this photo....

A photo of a beautiful butterfly that was taken in their backyard.