Grandpa

Last Friday, my grandfather (hereafter called Papa) had open heart surgery to have two valves replaced in his heart. It all went well, and he seems to be on the road to recovery. It was great to be able to go back and be there, because my mom's family does everything in a large group, especially when it involves supporting a family member.

When I got my PhD, there were at least ten of them that flew across the country from NC to AZ to attend, and for a few of them it was their first ever time on an airplane! When my sister's baby was born, the horde of us (along with her husband's family) completely took over the waiting room. I posted about that here, along with a video of that craziness. In general, the family is very tightly-knit. We go to the beach every summer for a week together, and it's always a blast. People seem surprised that we do that and don't kill each other, but it's just the way it is. I guess I'm lucky. :-)

( There were at least 12 of us hanging around in the waiting room during Papa's surgery. )