MY OHANA
Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Family is a huge apart of my life. They are so key to who I am today that I wanted to share my family with you all. I come from a huge Greek, German, and Irish family. As you can imagine we are very loud! We don't yell. We just talk really REALLY loud. We do big very well. Big meals. Big Family. Big get togethers. Big dreams. Big hearts. BIG LOVE. We may not always see eye to eye but we always have each others backs. We may fuss with eat other through the day but we always kiss each other good night and say we love each other. I grew up very blessed. I grew up in a house filled with love. I lived with my aunt, my two uncles, my little brother, my mom, and my grandparents. Yup all of us in one row house. We only had one bath room! You can all just imagine how that was. A nightmare. We struggled. Somehow we managed to keep it together. We always had food on the table and a warm bed to rest our head. I am so thankful for my family and what they have instilled in me.

MY POP
I didn't have a birth father in my life. I was lucky enough to have an amazing grandfather who made an incredible father figure. Growing up it didn't faze me that my birth father wasn't around because I have my grandfather to fill that void. He did everything a father is suppose to do and more. He was protective and always keeping me on the straight and narrow. He wasn't the biggest guy in the world but he was tough. He didn't take crap off of anyone no matter how big they were. He was the strength of our family. He worked hard and long hours just to make sure we had everything we needed. He would get up at the crack of dawn to go grocery shopping. When we all woke up he already had the house clean, hot coffee made, and our favorite fresh doughnuts. Every Saturday we would watch cops and Americas most wanted. On the weekends I would wait up late and he would take me on his nightly rounds at his work. He would hold my arm when crossing the street no matter how old I was. Everyday he would pick me up from school and wait right out front the doors. Some may see that as embarrassing but it was love to us. He didn't say it much. He didn't need to because we showed it through his actions. He was the man in my life for a really long time. I grew up wanting my prince charming to be just like him. Sadly we lost him almost 6 years ago to a bad heart. It was very hard....still is....much I know and I can feel him always looking over my shoulder. He is always there to show me the way. R.i.p pop gone but never forgotten!

MY GRANDMA
My grandma is the heart and soul to our family. She has such an amazing heart! She gives to everyone. We are extremely close. Growing up we couldn't be away from each other. If we spent more then a couple hours one of us would get sick. We where inseparable during my childhood. Every night she was the one who tucked me in. She would tell me stories and sing me to sleep. One of my favorite memories is every night she would sing me the guardian angel prayer. She taught me to be a lady but not to let anyone walk all over you. People say I get my attitude from her. She is the sweetest woman on earth until you mess with her family. She taught me how to be a home maker, a dedicated wife, and beyond amazing loving mother. Now that I am madly in love with my husband I have a huge new found respect for her. Just the thought of me losing my husband brings me to tears. I don't know how she has the strength to get out of bed everyday after loosing my grandfather. She not only gets out of bed but she really keeps this family moving. She is honestly the warmest, strongest, caring, loving, and classiest woman I have ever met. I am so proud to be her granddaughter and to follow in her amazing footsteps.
