Saying Goodbye to Gaga

The day before Thanksgiving, Gaga went home to heaven.  She was so special to me and I miss her so much already!  She was a part of my life for the last 14 years and I am so blessed by the time we spent together.  She was so special to me and I felt like she and I always had a special bond.  She always introduced me as her granddaughter, not her granddaughter-in-law.  She loved telling stories and I loved hearing them.  I can still picture her sitting there and closing her eyes to remember a small detail and then saying, "well, anyway" if she couldn't remember.  She always saved articles for me to read during our next visit together and make sure to have special treats for the kids (a photo album, bracelet, cookies or candy). 

She amazed me at her endless energy and determined attitude.  I admired her kindness, thoughtfulness, friendliness, passion and strength.  She helped start the Southwest Florida Gold Star Mothers Chapter in Naples and I know she touched so many lives.  She made friends everywhere she went and I see a lot of her personality in Kate.  I loved our recent tradition of visiting her and Aunt Linda on Memorial Day weekend and honoring Bobby's memory.  It's hard to know I won't be able to talk to her or hug her again but I'm so thankful for all the memories we shared together.

There are so many pictures I have with Gaga over the years but these are a few of my favorites: 

Kate meeting Gaga for the first time (October 2009)

Gaga introduced Scooby to Kate (December 2009)

Attending the Crews/Sapp family reunion in Lake Butler:

July 2011

July 2017

Justin and I took the kids by ourselves this past reunion (July 2018) and I hope we can continue to attend in the future to honor his grandparent's memory.

Christmas visit (December 2014).

December 2015

Memorial Day Weekend 2016:

One of my favorites of Gaga with Justin and the kids.

Memorial Day Weekend 2017:

 One of my favorite pictures - just she and I!

Love this one too!  They all look so happy!

One of my most favorite memories will be last Christmas (December 2017) when Gaga was the Grand Marshal in the Naples Christmas parade and the kids were able to ride with her and pass out candy.  What a once in a lifetime opportunity!

 Another favorite memory I will always have is attending the Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz Carlton.  Gaga had always talked about taking Kate and last Christmas we booked our reservation.  I'm so thankful we did that together - it was worth every penny!

This past Memorial Day weekend (May 2018) was our last one together.  It hurts knowing it won't be the same next year but it's memories with her that I will always cherish and hopefully we can attend again in the future to continue the tradition.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, we drove down to Naples to honor Gaga. It was a quick trip and always good to see friends and family but Naples will never be the same now without the grandparents.  

 The Rolling Thunder biker group escorted the hearse to the Naples Memorial Garden for the burial.  Gaga had become close to several members due to her involvement with military events. It makes me smile that a 93 year old woman had a tight knit group of biker friends. 

Sometimes the impromptu pictures are some of your favorites.  

I love it - maybe it's because this was taken on the day we were honoring Gaga.

We love you and will miss you, Gaga!  You will always have a special place in our hearts.

A local news article about Gaga's passing: 

https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/local/2018/11/26/floridas-oldest-gold-star-mother-dies-93/2116111002/ 

Gaga's Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/naplesnews/obituary.aspx?n=carlynn-p-crews-polly&pid=190812999&fhid=8171

Thanksgiving 2018

Justin and I had the pleasure of hosting our family Thanksgiving and this year my birthday fell on Thanksgiving!  We missed Mimi this year but were blessed to have my friend, Brittany, join us!

 Mason and Mav enjoying Thanksgiving morning snuggles while watching the parade.  

 Love my little turkeys.

 I always appreciate Papa coming and helping Justin fry the turkey.  It was delicious, as always!  Justin said it might have been his best turkey yet.  

 So thankful for my family!

 My mom brought a birthday cake from my favorite bakery (The Cake Shop) for dessert!

 And I loved my birthday presents but this one might have been my favorite! The kids loved the Santa Boston Terrier too!

 A couple of sweet Thanksgiving crafts Mason made this year.

So blessed!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Blue Ridge Trip 2018

We took the kids up to Blue Ridge once again this year during Thanksgiving Break.  We left early Saturday morning and arrived in Blue Ridge around 2:00 pm.  We rented a "tiny" cabin this year and that isn't an exaggeration.  The cabin we rented last year was already booked for the dates we needed so we decided to rent a smaller cabin (one bedroom with a loft) that was in a different area of Blue Ridge.  The cabin was very nice, but extremely small.  It was located on a creek, which was different from up on a mountain, but it was enjoyable. 

The first night we arrived, we grilled out hamburgers and enjoyed the hot tub and made smores on the back deck by the outdoor gas fireplace. On Sunday, our first full day in Blue Ridge, we enjoyed breakfast at Mercier Orchards (one of our favorites) and then walked around the orchard and shopped in downtown Blue Ridge. We ate lunch at Blue Jeans Pizza and Pasta and then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening at the cabin. 

 Exploring the orchard.

 Downtown Blue Ridge.  We saw the train before it left for the day!

Blue Ridge Dam.  

So pretty with the mountains in the background!

On Monday, we drove about an hour to Dawsonville, GA to visit the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.  Mason has really gotten into racing this past year and enjoys watching the races with daddy on Sunday afternoons. We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed spending the day in Dawsonville.  There was an outlet mall so after spending the morning at the museum, I got to enjoy a little shopping that afternoon.

 The huge Christmas tree in front of the GA Racing Hall of Fame.

 Mason was in heaven!

On Tuesday, we decided to have breakfast one last time at Mercier Orchards and then drove about an hour to the Toccoa River Swinging Bridge to hike.  Daddy picked out the hiking spot and it was incredible!  We were the first ones to arrive (around 10 am) and I'm so glad we got there when we did because it was packed when we left.  There were beautiful views of the Toccoa River from the bridge and a lot of trails leading up to the bridge and along the river. 

 Along the trail, there was a stump that had been carved into a seat - really neat!

 The swinging bridge - appropriately named!  I didn't expect it to sway as much as it did.

 Views from the bridge - gorgeous!

 It was a cold morning but we had a great time exploring.

They passed out before we got back to Blue Ridge...I felt the same way after a morning of hiking! 

We had another wonderful time in the mountains and hope we can do a similar trip next year during Thanksgiving break!