Personal Childhood Web

Me- Age 2 in Greece visiting family

My mother is an amazing woman.  She had me after seven miscarriages and then lost my younger brother at the age of 7 weeks to SIDS and then had my sister.  She then went on to become a single parent that worked outside of the home.  She is a woman of strength and courage and I have learned so much from her and still learn from her.  She was my rock growing up because no matter how busy things got, she managed to come to concerts, swim meets, bowling meets, spelling bees, and anything else my sister and I were involved in.  She always told us "you are my pride and joy and I wouldn't change a thing about my life because if I did, then I wouldn't have you girls."  My mother taught me and is still teaching me how to cook Greek food, to be strong in my faith, love other people, love what I do, and treat others with the respect you want to be treated with.  When I was little, my mom stayed home with us and let us help her cook and do things around the house.  We always went on vacations and spent time with family.  It was important for my mother to teach us about other places and people outside of our little world.  My mom taught me how to crochet, knit and sew.  My mother inspired me to be a teacher because of her loving and nurturing way she had whenever she taught us something new or sat down to talk to us.  I remember her asking about our day while sitting down to a home cooked meal.  I always tell my mom that the activities I do with my own kids and my preschoolers are because of her.  She inspires me every day because of how involved she allowed us to be in her daily life.  Just recently, my mom had to have surgery on her foot because of an infection.  I went up to see her in Chicago after her surgery and spent a couple of days with her and my sister getting her moved to an assisted living facility until she recovered.  After I got her settled, I went back to Burlington because of my own family and work but I checked on my mom every day until she fully recovered.  She kept me updated about her progress and my sister was there to take her to appointments.  I felt bad that I couldn't stay but she said that my calling and checking on her made her feel so good and uplifted her and that my sister and I were a big part of the reason she was recovering so quickly.   Even when my mother is struggling, she always manages to be grateful and thankful for her blessings.

My younger sister, Mary, and I have always been close, especially when my parents divorced. I was 9 and she was 7. It was hard for all of us but my mom, sister and I stuck together and supported each other no matter what hard times we were experiencing.  My sister and I are like night and day and I often had to remind my teachers that when they would say to her "why can't you be more like your sister, Nicki."  I was thankful that my sister had a different style.  She was more outgoing, daring and vocal where I was shy and more of an introvert and cautious.  But hanging out with my sister gave me the confidence to try new things and helped her realize that she might want to be a little more cautious with her decisions.  And yes, she was definitely the baby of the family and we had our share of sibling rivalry but she was and always is still there for me to cheer me on when I need it.

My Aunt Marijo is my mom's younger sister and has always been around since I was born.  My aunt is 11 years younger than my mom so she lived with us for awhile in my younger years.  My aunt always took us to Cubs games, the park, the library,  and other activities that were fun for kids.   She always called herself "the fun aunt". And she was fun and always made us laugh.  I get my sense of adventure and some of my humor from my aunt.  She would also accompany us on vacations and she was the aunt that liked to ride the adventurous rides that no one else wanted to ride.  My mom and aunt share a strong sisterly bond that provided a good model for the bond I created with my sister.

My Aunt Marijo, My sister- Mary, My Mom- Irene, Me



Even though my dad moved down to Florida when I was little, I still remember my dad spending time with me and the summers my sister and I spent down in Florida.  My dad loved jazz music, baseball and his Greek heritage.  I have a great love of all of these because of him.  He introduced me to jazz music when I was very young and have loved it since.  My dad was not as nurturing as my mom but there were times when he was a softy.  He always liked taking my sister and I for walks on the beach in Florida and also took us on his friend's boat where we learned to fish and got to see the ocean.   My dad also loved watching and one of my favorite things to do was watch westerns with him.   My dad was also a good Greek cook and taught me how to make lemon soup from scratch.  He told me "it's a two person process so make sure you have someone else to help you."  Although my dad never got to meet his grandchildren in person, we always called to give him the news when one was born.   When my oldest daughter Alexandra was two, she would talk to grandad on the phone.  He got such a kick out of her that for her Easter he would send her fruit baskets that came with fresh oranges and grapefruits and chocolates.  He loved to hear that she ate the fruit more than the candy.  The last conversation I had with my dad was the day after Christmas 11 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter, Adriana.  He told me to call him when the baby was born.  He died on January 3, 2001 the morning Adriana was born.  I always tell people that even though my father didn't get to meet Adriana, I'm betting their souls passed each other as he was leaving this world and she was coming into the world.

 

 



       

          My Dad- Jim Theodore

 

My Aunt Georgia is another person who helped to shape me but it wasn't until my older years that she had an influence on me.  She was a teacher for over 30 years so she was the person I could talk "shop" with when I was pursuing my teaching degree.  Even though she was "old school" teaching, she had words of wisdom for me and she appreciated my views on teaching.  My Aunt Georgia is very intellectual, avid reader and knowledgeable about a variety of topics.  She always compliments me on what a good mother and teacher I am for my four children.  She loves seeing the children and how caring and good natured they are with each other.  She loves sharing books with us and loves that I read to my children.  My family and I recently visited with my Aunt Georgia and she is losing her sight and memory.  It was very hard for me to see such a strong woman become so frail.  She can no longer care for herself and is living in a nursing home with my uncle.  I was sitting next to her holding her hand and my oldest daughter, Alexandra, was sitting next to me and said "mom, are you ok?"  I said "it's hard to see your Aunt Georgia like this."  My daughter Alexandra held Aunt Georgia's hand and very calmly started talking to her asking how she was doing, has she heard any good books on cd lately and if there was anything she could get for her.  It warmed my heart to see my daughter carry on some of the same qualities my family instilled in me.

 

 

 

 





 

 

                      
          My Aunt Georgia