Ken's Family

The entire reason that we took the trip to New York was to see Ken's family.  His Uncle Jimmy had surgery to remove cancer from his colon last Christmas-time.  Ken is very close to his Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Denise as well as their boys.  Cancer is a word that we, of course, know very well here, but to have it strike Jimmy was a blow to Ken.  So, I scheduled his trip, but a month before he was to leave, I realized that there was no way I could be away from him for 10 days, so I booked a ticket and tagged along.


We were able to see Ken's dad, both of his sisters, and his grandmother as well as Jimmy and Denise.  "Kenny" and I also loved the fact that we got to hang out with Mama and Papa (Denise's parents but very much our grandparents as well).  Ken spent the last two months trying to teach me the card game Euchre which is apparently played all over upstate New York.  I never thought that I would understand the game, but Ken kept reassuring me that I would understand it when playing it with others.


I already posted the pictures from the canoe trip with Dad.  He wanted to take us trout fishing, but we were never able to find the time, so we're holding that for our next trip. We enjoyed warm weather on our first day, but the weather after that was miserable and weird.  I had heard the joke, "if you don't like the weather in Buffalo; wait 10 minutes" but now it makes sense.  High winds is not a regular occurrence there, either, so this was a strange sight next door to Laura and Tom's:

The only draw-back to this trip was that I was bummed about being in New York in May since Ken's sister, Laura, is expecting her first child in June.  For the record, I am still crossing my fingers that the baby and I will share a birthday, but I'll be happy with a healthy niece!  I really, really wanted to be able to hold and smell a baby, but I'll have to wait.  Ken couldn't believe the sight of his sister pregnant since she's his younger sister, and he had no desire to talk pregnancy or baby stuff, but he was very happy to see her feeling well. 

We enjoyed lunch with Laura and Tom and then went back to their place to wait for Katherine and RJ to show up.  Ken and I had heard of Katherine's boyfriend, but we hadn't had the pleasure to meet him until this trip.  Ken is ever so protective of his sisters, but even he had to agree that RJ is an incredibly sweet young man and obviously cares deeply for Katherine - which we were very happy to see.


This particular day was spent just hanging out and talking.  Dad joined us after a while, and stories floated around.

My most favorite part of this visit was when Katherine (right) put her hand on Laura's belly because she could see the baby moving.  When she first felt the kick, Katherine jumped back and squealed.  It was great to watch, and I loved getting to know my sisters better.  Ok, so we're in-laws, but it sure doesn't seem like it given that I'm just as protective of them as Ken is.


Ken and I spent some time with his Grandmother.  She is now 93-years-old and is doing really, really well considering her age, she has Parkinson's and she is very alone.  Alieen loves her "Kenny" and I'm always glad to see her face light up when he walks into the room!


We took her to lunch and spoiled her.  She is at that point of reflecting on her life, and there is some family issues with Ken's mom which is making things harder on Grandma than should be, so the opportunity presented itself, and I didn't bother to lie or cover-up when Grandma asked me pointed questions.  Some of what was said saddened her, but it was good that she could have a high opinion of her Kenny again.  She loved hanging out with us as we loved hearing her stories.  Ken and I actually learned quite a lot about her this trip, and Ken was surprised that he learned things he had never heard before.

I didn't post the pictures of the additional trek that we took with Dad after canoeing.  We went to see some cobblestone buildings which were awesome!  Again, we were a month early, so the museum was closed, but we were still able to walk around.  I love that everything back here is dated and tagged since it makes sight-seeing so much easier.

OK, you just don't see this in California!

So, after seeing the sights and visiting Ken's family closest to Akron, we ventured to Dundee to see Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Denise.  We were so glad that on Mother's Day, Mama and Papa were there as well.  Here's the family (minus Steven who is in Afghanistan):

Ken is often referred by people in Akron as Jimmy's oldest son.  There are many times the boys have called him their brother rather than their cousin, and I know that it's a great feeling to Ken to hear.  Mama and Denise are more protective of Ken than anyone else, so I was happy to hear that I passed inspection last year, and that they were even excited to see me again this year!  (HeeHee)


Because the weather was so bad, and because Ken wanted me to play, Papa, Ken, Mike and I played Euchre.  Mama and Denise were playing a different card game in the other room, and when Jimmy joined them, Ken actually jumped up and grabbed the camera.  Apparently, this is not a sight that is seen often:

Papa is a mean Euchre player, and I made sure to notate that I never wanted to be his partner.  Poor Mike was having a hard time keeping himself together with Papa on him the entire game.  It was fun to hang out with everyone and to be so spoiled in love the entire time.


The boys had fun watching everyone else and eating the food when they thought no one was looking.  

From L - R: Brian, Mike and Geoffry

Ken and I were bummed that we missed seeing Steven again.  He called Denise on Mother's Day and told her that he was heading home, but he didn't make it while we were there.  


I had never learned to play card games, but because we were battling thunderstorms, rain and snow on this trip, I had the opportunity to learn new games such as May I or Contract Rummy as well as Scat.  These were fun, and I was excited to teach the girls when I got home.


We were able to spend some time visiting with just Mama and Papa but not long enough for them.  Ken and I have made a mental note to spend more time with them on the next trip!  Ken was able to enjoy Mama's chocolate pie, and we played more Euchre.  I am happy to report that Ken and I are undefeated to date, and I am stunned since I still don't think I truly know what I'm doing.

While I don't want to down-play Dad and my sisters, it is Jimmy and Denise that gave Ken a sense of family.  For this, I am truly grateful as I am the recipient of what he learned from them.  It is obvious that he adores them and they love him.  When it came time for me to meet Ken's family, it was Denise and Mama that I worried about more than anyone.  I've never truly worried about getting someone's "approval," but I know how important these two ladies are to Ken.


I am pleased to say that Uncle Jimmy is doing really well.  Being around him for the two days allowed me to understand Ken more.  The silly jokes, the dry sense of humor and the way he treats all of the boys (Kenny included) really showed me where Ken got his style from - all the way down to the silly jokes and dry sense of humor.


When it was time for Ken and me to get back on the plane, we both found that we were missing Akron and family before we even boarded the plane.  Ken's already planning our next trip which will include more days in Dundee and we are seriously hoping to be able to afford to take the girls with us.  I can't imagine how everyone will do when they arrive - especially Jordan!


Until we see you all again - we love you and miss you!