dear pop pop, you are dearly missed.

dear grandpa,

not a day goes by that i don't miss you. you were quite the character. always keeping us entertained by something you were saying or doing. you were an amazing man. i mean you helped raise ten children and not to mention the basically twenty grandchildren as well. i'll never forget the way you'd yell up the stairs "HEY UHHH KAIII-LEIGH!" i think bo may be the only person to do one of the best impressions of you doing that. 

 you gave me my love for new york city and for me i cannot thank you enough for that. you helped provide me with a love for gardening because you helped share that love of gardening with my dad. in turn, he shared that passion with me. 

if there's one thing i wish i had more of...it was more time with you. i wish i could have given you more hugs. i wish that i could have sat down with you and talked more. but i'll never forget the times i did have with you. and i will never forget when we were at the diner and you said "i like my women how i like my coffee...BLACK." only you grandpa. only you :) you didn't care what anyone thought of you. you set a great example for me to follow. you were just you and you didn't care what anyone thought about that. 

i am proud to say i am in our family. i love being a gibbons :) you were (and are) so wonderful. thank you for the many ways you have made an impact on my life. thank you so much for the wonderful family you created. thank you so much (again) for my love of new york city.

i love you so much. i hope that heaven's gardens are looking fabulous :)

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU EVERYDAY. 

rest in peace james francis gibbons.

february 13th, 2010.

 

 my granpda is on the far left.

 

on the far left again. such a handsome grandfather i have.

 

the 3rd from the left. black suit. such a classy man :)

 with my uncle jimmy and cousin bo.

with my dad and sister addison. one of the last times we saw him.

with aunt jen at my grandpa's favorite place. the shore :)

just laying in bed with aunt nancy

for grandpas birthday i went to new jersey. we threw his ashes into the ocean (don't tell anyone!) and so this is my grandpa. literally. i love this photo :)

 granpda's house that all my family grew up in. 40 kipling way.