Thanks so much for sharing... I go home every once in awhile and it always brings back bittersweet memories. I lost my Mom at thirteen and I still miss her and the childhood my brothers and I lost. More for my brothers than for myself as I was the oldest and remember more. Today my brother owns the house I grew up in. A blessing...Thanks so much for sharing your story... Happy New Year... Bonnie
At least you have some precious memories to hold on to. You Lo has captured them perfectly and your journalling is great. It was special you got to go back there and see how it is now. This is a lovely keepsake for you and your family to look back over. Take care!!
What an amazing story you have told! I'm so glad your sister has pointed us all in your direction. You and your siblings have been through so much and I'm grateful that you have each other. The story you tell here is so heartfelt....thank you so much for sharing it with us!!
Your sister sent me here and I'm glad she did. Wonderful layout! Your journaling is beautiful, and your story is very touching. Fun memories of your younger childhood and sad ones of the later years. I don't think I have ever seen a totally b&w layout, but I like it - a lot.
Wow!! amazing journaling and very touching!! I love the black and white!! You and your sister have an interesting story I hope that all of you can heal.
What a wonderful story that you and your sister have. It's very sad that you lost so much. But it's so wonderful that you have each other! I love this LO. B & W is my favorite right now! I love the different papers and how you've put them together! Great job!
Mom I loved experiencing your return to Italy with you. Seeing where you grew up was indescribable to me and to Jamis as well. I'll never forget it for as long as I live.
What a fabulous story and what a lucky girl, growing up in Italy! I loved my trip to Tuscany.... so beautiful. You have really captured some wonderful memories and have some great photos. This page will be a keepsake for your children. I love the whole black and white theme and your clock face. Fantastic!!!
WOW, not only is this an AWESOME page but the journaling is just amazing. I think it is so great that you and your sister are both here and I loved reading both of your memories.
This is a wonderful page. How neat that you and your sister are both on here and sharing with each other. Love that title and everything else Sue said about the page.
This is absolutely WONDERFUL!!! I just love what you did with this... how you used white background letters for the word 'black' and black background letters for 'white'. Cool! I love the little heart in the middle of the clock! And even the little 'forget me not'. The journaling is great, and it brought back a flood of memories, and I remember Steve's hand going through the glass. And that door is still the same. (remember, I got to tour it in 2001) Sniff... what beautiful memories we had, even if they are in 'black and white'. (Awesome title too). Outstanding job here!!!
Sue (aka: 2 of 7 to: 6 of 7)
Tirrenia Italy, 1963’ish Here I am, enjoying the sun in the back yard of our home. We lived here for several years and this was our family home when I was born. It had a great yard, lots of room for seven of us to run around. I was at my dramatic stage when this picture was taken. I believe that I had a future as an opera singer at the time, as I would sing a lot when I was supposed to be napping. We had a small swimming pool in our back yard, even though we lived only a few blocks from the beach. One time my mother and her friends put a card table and lawn chairs in the pool to play cards. Must have been a hot day! My younger brother and I drove play cars all over the place in the backyard, whether or not people were in the way. Our neighbor once came over and showed us how to make volcanoes out of the sandy soil in our front yard. (Ummm, he did use some sort of gunpowder so there was a real explosion). One time when we were running around in the house, we wound up in the downstairs heading for the bathroom. This was a normal escape route when someone was chasing you because there was a window in the bathroom and you could climb out and keep on running. However, this time we closed the door too fast and it had a glass front. My brother’s hand and wrist got really cut up badly. I don’t think we were allowed to use this escape route anymore as it was a really dramatic day. Although, once my older siblings were bouncing on an old army cot on the front porch and flipping over the railing and landing in a pile of sand that my father had put in the driveway (when he was building our pool). They got in a lot of trouble for using the cot as a makeshift trampoline.
Tirrenia Italy, 2003 You cannot imagine the emotions that I was feeling coming back home. My husband promised me he would take me there one day and he did in March 2003. Amazingly, after being gone for nearly 40 years, the little town I lived in seemed almost untouched. As we drove south from Pisa, it was like we were in the 60’s again. Everything was so familiar and I was even able to correctly tell my husband what streets to turn on and after the first try, here I was in front of my old home. The front fencing was different, but it was my home. I relived my cherished memories. We had heard that after we moved out a family of fourteen moved in. I was surprised that the house was still standing. No one was home, so I couldn’t impose and get a tour of the inside of the house. But I stood there, enjoying a very quiet Sunday morning looking at it. After my fill, we drove around the corner where some close friends used to live. Again, it was like time standing still. I had expected the beach to be riddled with Condo’s (after all, the Mediterranean Sea in Tuscany is a popular destination), but only a few restaurants had been added over the years. It was March so no one was at the beach, so my family and I had it all to ourselves for a few minutes.
My husband and children were very patient with me, allowing me time to gaze and remember. I had a great childhood that ended when my mother died when I was seven. So I had a lot to take in and now my memories can go on.
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