My work at the hospital has really encouraged me to embrace all the memories that I have had throughout my life and has made me think about things that I'm grateful for. I count my blessings each and every day.
Here are some of my favorite memories, in no particular order:
1.) Uncle Stu coming home to visit from school - he always brought Mel-o-Cream donuts. I remember one time that I was sick when he came home, and how he took such good care of me. His is an amazing man, and his daughters are very lucky to have them as a father. He's always been my favorite uncle (sorry, Uncle Jim), probably because all of his visits were exciting to me. He took me to Knight's Action Park for the first time.
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| Uncle Stu's Graduation - officially Dr. Benson! |
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| Chocolate Mel-o-Cream donuts. |
2.) Baking cookies at Aunt Cheryl's. Every year, around Christmas time, I'd walk up the street to Aunt Cheryl's house where we would bake and decorate cookies. If I was lucky, my cousin's, Michelle & Amy were home. We did everything from scratch, including making the icing. This is probably why, to this day, I still love baking.
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| Baking cookies at Aunt Cheryl's. |
3.) The orange Corvette. Mom and I went everywhere in this thing. For a special treat, I'd get a McDonald's Happy Meal. Maybe this is what lead to my unhealthy addiction to McDonald's...
4.) "Hi! This is Diana & Julie and we're driving around in circles!" Julie moved to Rochester right before the third grade - I was the first person that she met and we quickly became very good friends. We did practically everything together, and she was the closest thing to a sister that I ever had. Once we got our own cars, we would spend endless summer days driving around Springfield going on adventures. (Of course, these adventures were inevitably driving around town in circles and almost always ended at White Oaks Mall.)
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| One of the many adventures Julie & I had. |
5.) Ed VanCamp was an awesome guy. He lived across the street from us until I was in Elementary School, and then moved into another neighborhood in Rochester. He was a grandfather-like figure to me, and always had plenty of love to give.
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| Ed VanCamp |
6.) Beth Nevitt. Beth lived next door to Ed and was very much like an Aunt to me. I would be out riding my bike around the neighborhood and she'd yell, "Hi Di!" I can still hear her voice as clear as day. Her life was taken too early, as she died from cancer when I was in the third grade. She had a huge heart and I was very lucky to have known her. She was the first person that I knew who had cancer and visiting her in the hospital became routine. I know these images are engraved in my brain, and I saw just how much she suffered. Since then, I've had a difficult time dealing with cancer but she has recently made me a stronger person because of it. I never understood how anybody could work in Oncology, but after working there twice I see how it becomes possible...of course, maybe it's just her way of being a part of my life. <3
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| Beth Nevitt |
7.) The black Bronco...I don't really think that I have any childhood memories that don't include the Bronco. My parents purchased "her" after my birth, and I have so many memories with her. My first trip to Florida. Bringing my first dog, Lexi, home. Cruising in the Bronco. Getting stuck in the snow with my mom driving. My special dinner at McDonald's the day Chase was born. Vic's Pizza - Mom would tear into the pizza and give me sausage balls on our drive home. We traded her in for a station wagon in 1988, and then a few years later bought her back - she was a part of the family until 1995, that's 13 years of Gurgens memories!
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| Cutting the driveway! |
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| Dad washing the Bronco |
8.) The old house. Selling our home in Rochester will be difficult for all of us. My dad built the house with his father, and it's the only house I ever knew. I remember when I dreamed of moving, but I never really thought it would happen. I lived there for 28 years. I made some of my closest friends while living there. I remember laying in bed at night, talking to Chad on the phone before we had gone on our first date...this became routine until I moved in with him in February 2010. Our home was always unique, but that's part of what made it so special.
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| In front of the house |
9.) My first day of Kindergarten. I was so excited about riding the school bus and going to school, as I loved to read. There were only two teachers, Mrs. Rilying and Miss White and there were two different sections, morning and afternoon. I was in the morning section so I got to ride to school with all of the "big kids" with Dwayne on Bus Number 1. I loved the letter people, and Mr. F was my favorite. I distinctly remember the first day, when Lars Shanle said to me, "I see London, I see France. I see your underpants." I was so mad at him that I could have clocked him! I'd ride the bus home from school and eat lunch with my Mom & Dad - Chase was born in February. After lunch I'd play Wheel of Fortune on my Commodore 64. Those were the days.
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| First day of school. |
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