Memories

Family Weddings

As far back as I can remember there was always a gathering or party going on at my grandparents house.  They lived in Oakland on Bancroft St. in a large two story house that was painted white.  I can remember the white steps and the front lawn was always nice and green. My grandparents had seven sons and four daughters, obviously this is a time when large families were common.

It seems from the "movie pictures" my Uncle Benny took and he was at all the weddings and parties, you could tell by the bright light or lamp that followed him around the room.

My mother and step-dad were the first to get married and had their reception in that white house.  I was about a year old when this beautiful event took place.  My mother and father dated for a short while and this is how came to be. This was the first of many family weddings that took place and thank goodness for my Uncle Benny and his traveling light I have a record of  hers and the rest of my uncles and aunts weddings and baptisms. 

Celebrating was a way of life for my grandparents, not sure how they got a four piece band in their dining room and then add those who wanted to dance but then it looks like they danced close together, I don't think rock n roll arrived yet. 

 I am so blessed that my Uncle Benny was still around to take "movie pictures" of my wedding which is now on the same CD as my mom and step-dads and all my uncles and aunts

I guess I followed in the foot steps of my family, when Paul and I started having children and opened the door to our home for family and friends to share in birthdays, anniversary's, graduations and just because BBQ's, yes and parties were held in our home ( thank God for a large family room), dancing and surprise parties took place which I won't go into.....hummmm.

We rented a few apartments before we bought our first house in Newark, California and ended up in Castro Valley California where Paul grew up.  His parents also loved entertaining which was wonderful in the summer because they had a large pool and my mother in-law loved to BBQ.  Paul's Uncle Tony played the Ukulele with his three piece band in the early days.

We raised our four son in Castro Valley, gee so many memories there.  Our first son asked his now wife to marry him while we lived there, I gave him a small diamond ring of mine to give her till he could buy one for her.  We held their engagement party at our home while  they decided to marry in Lake Tahoe the reception was held at our home.  We had more engagement parties along with baby showers too.  Our youngest son joined the Navy and of course the going away party and homecoming was celebrated in the Castro Valley house.

Paul has retired and we moved to the Sonora area (Soulsbyville),  We held a nice Open House and invited long time friends and family to join us, it was so nice to see them all and know they were apart of our years of memories.  

So now we just celebrated our last son's wedding and of course we held that engagement party at the Castro Valley house, this was made  possible because our second son bought that house from us.  When we went to sell the house, our daughter in-law Erin said the sweetest thing ever, she said that so many family celebrations have taken place here we knew it would be hard for me (mom) to see a stranger buy the house, so they wanted to keep it in the family and raise their children in the Castro Valley house.  
So for the last time an engagement party was held.  The beautiful wedding took place at a winery that was just perfect.  I am sure there will be more celebrations in our family and we will treasure each and every one of them. 

A friend of mine gave me a picture frame a while back and there is a beautiful saying on it
"It all started because two people fell in love"

I really need to do this more, so much is going on and more memories are being made and remembered.
Sitting out on our deck the sun is climbing the  over the hills, the Oak trees still block the brightness and the heat of summer.
I can tell t hat Fall is on it's way the sky is dark longer in the morning and in the evening the air is  much cooler earlier.  I love Fall and he crispness of the chill in the air and the turning of the leaves, that the best time.  I once read a kind of poem not that long ago that compared the season to life.
Spring is like the birth of a baby, Summer is like living through our teens to thirties, Fall is when we are slower tend to look back on our life and try to live a better life.  Winter is when we enjoy each moment of everyday, smile, hold our grandchildren and listen to the young and shake our heads and smile...... remembering .
I'm going to the Bay Area this morning to join two of three of my daughter in-laws and the future and last daughter in-law.  This will be a surprise gathering of the Padavana women and I'm so  looking forward to spending time with them.  God has blessed me with four wonderful, loving and handsome some sons and now we celebrate the addition of one more daughter in-law Jennifer.  Well it's time to go and make some beautiful memories and be happy with what God has given me.

Memories

WOW, it sure has been a long time since my last post, I need to get back to BLOGGING.
Some may feel that my life is only of the past but in today's world reflecting to what once was brings some peace when I need it so I can face the world the next day.
My husband and I have four sons whom we treasure with all our hearts and they have made us very proud of what they have accomplished in their short lives,  Now we are preparing for our last son's wedding in a couple of months,  I have be reflecting back to our wedding day and how we fell in love.

a while back a friend gave me a beautiful frame, it looked like it was made of stone but it was the words written on it that brought back the memories of how we met.  The frame reads "All because two people fell in Love".  When I read those words it brought me back to two important times in my life.  The day we met and the day we married.  I believe that God has plans for us and for reason we may not understand.  I was 17 and had been through a few bad relationships in high school.  There was always one thing I knew about myself is that I wanted to marry and have a family.  One day while walking home from church after confession, I asked God to send me someone who would love me, take care of me.  Little did I know that at that time the man I would marry was getting ready to leave the Army.  A high school friend of mine was working nights as a gas station, I would help him with his English homework since he was so tired during the day after working long hours at night at the station.
Paul was home for good and found a part time job at the same gas estation as my friend and I guess he started trying to get Paul to go on a blind date which Paul said he wasn't ready for and had never been on one.  After a few months Paul agreed.  My friend during class had passed a note to me asking if I had ever been on a blind date, just the sound of those words scared me but I agreed to go on one,
He tried to tell me a little bit about Paul but only knew he was out of the Army, Italian and lived in a town not far from me.  We set up the date for a Friday, I really wasn't interested so I stayed in my clothes I had worn to school that day which at that time girls could only wear shirts or dresses to school.  My mother insisted I change but I told her it would be fine.  Well finally Paul arrived in this brand new Camero and he was looking good,  All at once I wanted to change my cloths and comb my hair but he was almost at the front door.  He knocked and my step-dad answered and said Pat there is someone her for you, (as if I didn't know that).  I went to the door and there he was and the rest is as they say History.  Two weeks later he gave me his class ring, a month later he asked me to marry him, nine months after we met we were married.
Now our last of four sons is getting married and this one is going to be hard.  I have never spoke in congratulating at the other sons wedding but this one I feel I need to.  They all are my babies and will forever be.  We have been very blessed that each of our sons have chosen a wife that is perfect for them as they each support and love each other.  We have seven grandchildren and it's all because two people fell in love.