I can't remember a time when you didn't live fifteen minutes away from me. All of my life, you were just down the street and a phone call away. When I wasn't at Preschool or Gymboree, I lived within the walls of your house in South Weymouth that I thought of as my second home. My sister, my cousins, and I would wreak havoc fighting and playing as we ran through the kitchen, down the hallway, and into "the other end". I remember "the wall" of the dining area, which you covered with the cards and artwork we would periodically present you with. I remember when there was talk of painting "the wall", and it became the grandkids' own personal canvas, where Emily, Adam, and I would all draw pictures and scribble words, and where Sarah proclaimed her love of brownie batter.
The house, where many childhood memories were born, is vacant now. The "For Sale" sign went up and came down, as an old an familiar house became strange and new, the memories vanishing as they were replaced with white walls and shiny new floors. That house, though, is far from what created the memories and the love that our family was left with. It was you, Nana and Pops, within that house that created so many memories and experiences that will be carried with me throughout my entire life.
I remember Pops and Emily eating a box of Devil Dogs, watching SpongeBob, and secretly watching The Amanda Show because we weren't allowed to at home. I remember playing the Nintendo 64 down the other end and fighting over the gray controller, because that one was always player 1. I remember Pops and Jewel playing and running through the house. I remember going to Disney when I was five, and then Universal Studios when I was seventeen. I remember Black Cat, both of them: the one we liked and the one that attacked all of us (apparently because we were antagonizing her or something).I remember making Jiffy corn muffins early in the morning before mass. I remember all the Christmases, Thanksgivings, and "The Worst Easter Ever" when the turkey caught fire and Sarah ran down the hallway, exclaiming "Stop, Drop, and Roll!!!" I remember all the trips to the bowling alley and Bob's Breakfast, and I remember being only slightly traumatized when I watched the first and third Harry Potter movies with you.
All those memories and so much more over the past nineteen years. I guess I never really figured you'd live anywhere else but Weymouth, so I took for granted how close you were and how often I could visit, but now you're down in Florida, 1,000 miles away, it's going to take more than a quick car ride to visit. I know there's skype, and phone calls, and email, but it's not the same as having you here, seeing and talking to you whenever I want.
I guess all that I'm trying to say is that I'm going to miss you. I'm going to miss the dinners, and the movies, and all the holidays, but most importantly, I'm going to miss you guys. Thank you for everything you've done for me, everything you've given me these past nineteen years, and everything that you continue to give me. I love you both so much, and with all of my heart. I know you'll be coming back up here, and I guess the family can get way from Massachusetts for a while to come down to sunny Florida and visit, but until then, enjoy that sun for me.
