Family Album

Where do you come from?

(These pictures were taken with my iPhone from the albums, sorry for the glares)

I am a lucky lucky girl, because what I come from is a family tree that is so large, and deep rooted I picture it as a large Oak.

{The home my mother grew up in}

Branches upon branches stacked with interesting ancestry, life of the party Irish fellows, and sassy working gals that knew how to wear a fur coat in the cold Chicago weather.

{My great Grandfather-My Grandfathers' father}

Loving the hat on you both!

{Great Grandfather younger here and bottom center {John Buckley}

Dated 7-8-1917

{Great Grandpa Buckley}

Mostly what I saw page after page in all the multi colored albums was love.

Lots and lots of love.

{My Awesomely dressed Grandmother}

{My Too cool for school Grandfather J.P. Buckley far right in the shades}

 Arms wrapped around one another...

... and endearing candid glances.



Silly Skits for the clubhouse meetings..

Yes, that's My Grandpa about to "deliver", and My adorable Grandmother the expectant "father"

Turning the pages I sat with my sisters, Grandpa and Aunts and got the "who's who" on each page with a back story, or two..or three...

My Great Aunt Rita is a great Beauty

My Sister MGrace defiantly takes after her. Several times my Grandpa thought my sister walking across the room was my Great Aunt Rita {His only Sister}

{in the local Newspaper with her boys}

{most recent... very Audrey Hepburn style. Always in classic looks and the short hair *sigh*}

I love the prints! Wallpaper flowers, dress designs, and larger than life corsages.. I love seeing them all in contrast in the black and white photos...

{My Grandparents, and my Grandmothers parents John Becker, and Agnes Fitzgerald}

{Friends of My grandfathers in the Park holding their news paper framed when the war ended}

{\Great Grandparents .. Frolicking? What else! lol}

{My Grandmothers' sister and my Grandmother}

Love



Great-Great Aunt Who was A sister..

 Ireland

My Grandfather is so passionate about Ireland... patriotic to our "Mother Land", so in tune that he weeps listening to Irish songs about war, hunger, and the Irish pride.

You'd think, like I thought for so many years, that my Grandfather was there not only in spirit but as often as he could. You can practically smell the salty sea breeze from the Cliffs of Moher on him. His cheeks freshly flushed from being at a local pub...

He seems to have magicianed himself right out of the Irish countryside and landed back in

 San Marcos, Ca within the hour.

{My favorite shot: a young Irish boy on the side of the road with his donkey hitched with two baskets that served as bucket seats for two small dogs peeking out the top}

So Imagine my shock when I learned.. he has been there...Once...

His father, My Great Grandfather was brought over to the Unsited Staes from Ireland when he was a young teenage boy.

It has been a dream of mine to visit Ireland with my Grandpa.. it looks as though I won't be able to make that happen after all..

So instead I suck down the {put hair on your chest, STRONG} Irish Coffees, listen to his favorite Irish songs, and page through photo after photo of the Irish magazines he subscribes to monthly with him each visit.

**My Mother**

She is still absolutely stunning today. Anyone will tell you how blue her eyes, how silver her hair, and how bright her spirit...

{My Aunt Maggie, Aunt Trish and My Mother... in original dresses made by my Aunt Maggie}

Sitting around the dinner table long after dinner is severed talking, joking, and visiting has long been a family must...

{My Mother, Aunt Maggie, Great Grandmother Agnes, and My Grandmother}

Even as a small child in, what I call her "Mini Julie Andrews Phase" my momma was a little cutie!

The family was featured in the paper for "Family Fashions To Be Shown AT Thursday Party" article about a fashion show where my mother modeled the latest in children's dresses...

{My Uncle Danny, Mother, and Grandparents}

Below: My Aunt trish modeled here with my Grandmother and two other woman for the paper..

My fam bam was all over the local press!

Love

My Grandmothers Parents on their Wedding Day

August 19th, 1910

My Great Grandmother Agnes' wedding ring is the ring I will get from my mother, now a century old.

My Aunt Maggie replicated her flowers in her wedding which turned out just stunning!

Here! Here! To all the love that has been passed down through our family right to lil 'ol me.

 I am grateful for them. Proud of them. And so happy to be one of them!