Family

summer memories

Happy Friday, everyone. I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend and a good week. We've had some family concerns around here the past few weeks, and they have forced blogging to take a back seat. If you are the praying kind, please keep our family in your prayers. 

Today I wanted to continue the summer vacation series by sharing some photos of my grandparents, Joan and Sid, that were taken in the late 1970s. Sadly Sid lost his battle to liver cancer in 1984 at age 50. Ironically Joan would pass away from the same disease 19 years later. Despite their blissful life being cut short, they were the perfect example of a couple who loved a lifetime. They lived each day to the fullest and made every moment count. Their home was a happy place, and they enjoyed traveling, camping and boating. They knew how to have fun. 

Their story can teach the rest of us a great lesson -- have adventures, enjoy every day, stop and smell the roses and laugh....You get the picture. 

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You'll notice their dog Pookie on the left side of the above photo. I will always remember my grandma and their yard like this. I often wonder what would we do without photos to remind us of special people and places. They continue to keep them in our hearts and minds decades after they're gone. I am so grateful for these precious memories. 

vintage vacation photos

Summer is quickly approaching, so in the spirit of the season, we decided to pull out the vintage family vacation photos! This week we're revisiting Hardin family vacations from the 1960s. I believe all of these photos were taken during trips to Florida. So much fun...

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mothers

In honor of Mother's Day, we wanted to share photographs of some of the women who have shaped our lives as well as some touching quotes about why our mothers (and grandmothers, great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers) are so special.

Someday I will be a better mother because of your presence in my life.

Elzie Harden holding her son Gerald. Also pictured is Gerald's father Dayton Harden.

Elzie Harden holding her son Gerald. Also pictured is Gerald's father Dayton Harden.

“No man is poor who has a Godly mother.”  - Abraham Lincoln

Eliza Yates and her son Clovis Guy.

Eliza Yates and her son Clovis Guy.

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” -Washington Irving

Sadie Hardin with her son Greg.

Sadie Hardin with her son Greg.

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his."
-Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Elsie Stroup with her children Joan and Bob.

Elsie Stroup with her children Joan and Bob.

"I know how to do anything. I'm a mom." - Roseanne Barr

Joan Sutter holding her daughter Julie. Also pictured is Joan's father Clyde Stroup.

Joan Sutter holding her daughter Julie. Also pictured is Joan's father Clyde Stroup.

"The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children."
-Jessica Lange

Lucy Cannon (who was pregnant with her son Fred) and her mother Tina de Forcade.

Lucy Cannon (who was pregnant with her son Fred) and her mother Tina de Forcade.

“But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin.” 
-Mitch Albom, For One More Day

Lucy Cannon with her mother Tina de Forcade and her daughter Tina Carignani. Also pictured are Tina's sons Carlo and Francesco and me with a turkey neck. Ha.

Lucy Cannon with her mother Tina de Forcade and her daughter Tina Carignani. Also pictured are Tina's sons Carlo and Francesco and me with a turkey neck. Ha.

Laura Dumm and her great-granddaughter Julie.

Laura Dumm and her great-granddaughter Julie.

To all of the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day. 

family photos: great-grandmothers

It's a day for beautiful, turn-of-the-century photographs of our families. The top photo is Jonathan's great-grandmother Eliza (back left) and her sisters. The middle photo is my great-grandmother Tina and her family. She is front and center. The bottom photo is my other great-grandmother Elsie and her sister Myrtle. Eliza's family lived in Prentiss County, Mississippi, Tina's family lived in Naples, Italy and Elsie's family lived in Lancaster, Ohio. The time period would be about the same for all of them. What would they have thought if they had known they would be linked together someday? 

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