Candi

Thia Is Candi, and I. Candi is John's baby sister. She has four boys Adam is the oldest He's in college at Akron University, Dustin, graduates from high school this year. Matt and Ryan are twins, They are 15. Matt, and Ryan play baseball, and soccer. Have since they were really little.

Joni's baby's

Today is sunday, May4th, Ms. Mandy (niece) graduated yesterday from Malone College. Its great but a little sad also, when i met John, and his family, His sister's, kids were so young.

Joni and Frank, has two girls, and two boys.( Joe, Mandy, Nate, and Lindsey).

Joe graduated from Malone a couple of years ago, Is married, He and his wife carah, are continuing there education, the are studying to be ministers. Nat, is attending Molone now, and Lindsey graduates from high school next year. wow how they have grown. They are some really great kids.

Joni, is having Mandy a party today, I kept Peanut last night, so I think I will take him.

My Dad

My dad has lived with us for about six years, He and my Mom were divorced when I was about five,

I don't remember too much about my father till age of seven, He had had nervous breakdown, had one when he was in the service , He was in the army, and them joined the marines. and he had another nervous breakdown when he, and my mom were married,( this begining part of my father is put together from what everyone told me). It was back in the day when they used shock treatments, and didn't know what the hell they were doing.

It made everything for him worse, He has had problems from then on. His diagnosis is schysophrenic, He is controled these days with very good medication, can pretty much do for himself, has to be reminded acasionally( but who doesn't.

He had been living in what they called a halfway house for veterans, in another town, he lived there i'd say about twenty some years,worked for 1.25 an hour at the va hospital, doing dishes, and then in the wood shop.

The only time I got to see him when I was growing up was when i went to my grandmother's for a week in the summers, and she brought him to her farm at the same time i was there.

I can vagley remember one time when I was little going to this strange hospital to visit someone, and a man started hugging me and crying, I know know it was my Dad, He has a pretty good memory of past, But sometimes present thing has to be repeated.

He does not drive, and although he can do alot of thing for himself, he has to be with someone, or in a facility.

It had been some time since i had seen him, i had moved to california, and started a family, i always told my family when i was older i wanted to bring him closer to me, so i could see him more often.

When i moved back home, I started going to see him as much as i could, i would take my children to see him,

although my grandmother lived a little ways from him aldso she was in charge of his affairs. i talked to her once about him moveing, she didn't think i could handle him, so we let it go.

My grandmother had a stroke some time after that and was being taken care of by my dad

brother, I had wen to see my dad, and found him to be in awful condition, He despratly needed dental work, could hardly eatwith his teeth being in such bad shape, He had a hard time socializing with the other men, because he is extremly religous, when i say that I meen, he always has his bible with him, and writees bible verses all the time, gospel music is the only music he listens to.

so i made arangements for him to come and live with us, to begin with it was a trial basis, to see if he could adjust.

We live in the country,and he could get out and walk, he has his own room, everything in hes room is his, doesn't have to share his space with anyone. Has been here every since then.

I have so enjoyed haveing him here, I have finally gotten to know who he is, and who I am I always wondered growing up why I was like I was, I was nothing like my mom, even look like my dad, I know now where i get my personality from, This DNA thing is something else, to not be around someone the entire time your growing up, and you find out you walk the same, you smile the same, you hold your pencil the same way, wow. something else, And on a good day he will talk about family members from his side of the family that i'd wished that i had met.

He is and has always been a good christian man, and for some reason was dealt a crappy hand, He would tell you himself if it wasn't for Dr.#####, giving him shock treament, he wouldn't be like he is. I love my dad dearly and as long as i can he will be with me in my home.

Me

My Name is Donna, I am a Daughter, Wife, Mother, and Grandmother( better Known to my family as MiMi).I am 44 years old , and have two children jeff is 25. Jenny will be 22 on the 12th of may, I am Married to John , he is 47 , we have been married for 12 years, I seems like we have been together a lifetime( in a good way). put it this way he's the yin of my yen, the other half of me. My dad lives with us He is 70. I have two beautiful granchildren, who melt my heart everytime i see them, the picture above is of me and carter ( I call him boo), he is 2, and boy is he 2. then my newest addition is colton,( I call him Peanut). peanut is 6 months old, and has had the most amazing smile since birth. Jenny is Boo, and peanuts mommy. The rest of the pictures above, are of Jeff and Jen after he came back from Iraq the first time , the other is of Jeff and I, and John, Me, and brand new baby carter and of course peanut. we were both there for the birth's of our granchilren. I and I am bragging cut the cord's for both of them. My Mother lives about a half hr away from me, her, and my dad were divorced when i was about 5. If you get bord ready this then move along your merry way this is about myself and my family, some will be funny, some will be sad, and some will make you say Huh.

John

This is John, My husband, the other half of me. I met Him, at a nursing home we used to work at. I was a nursing assistant, and he was in maintanance.

There is such a thing as love at first sight, because that's what happened I fell in love with him from the first time i saw him. I knew in my heart he was for me. We were married on July the 4th 1996 in Las Vegas, Wow what a time we had, and have had.

Sure wev'e had our share of bad times, but the good times out weight the bad, and i think because of the bad one we have grown stronger. My heart is saddened at this moment, John was just recently diagnosed with Head and neck cancer, as much as i know right now its a stage 4, and is in the lymph node, muscle, and tissue in the face.

He has lost his hearing and has nasal blockage all on right side of face, we go today at 4:00 to find out more on his condition.

So let me say for now some things about John, He is the kind of man who would give you the shirt off his back, he would give you the last dime in his pocket. If you did something good and John know's about it, he remembers it, and will bring it up several times, If you do something wrong to him , he will remember it but forgive you.

He is a very strong willed man, and everyone who knows John has a story to tell. He has the most infectious laugh Ive ever heard, and a smile that lift my heart.

I love him so much, and every day I love him more. John, and his family took my children into there heart and life, and never once refered to us as a package deal. Jenny was very young, and since her father had nothing to do with her from 6wks old on, John is her daddy, It just goes to show you, you don't need blood, and dna to be a parent.

We went back for Johns test results, He has what they call Squamous cell carcinoma stage IV head and neck cancer. It started in the back of the throat and goes up to the base of his skull, and in the lymph nodes.

The Doc. said it a very large and aggressive tumor, they are sending him on may 14th, to Ohio stae medical center, they have the James cancer center there, His Doc. here wants a second opinion, with the size of it he doesn't want to try to remove it here. which is fine with me.

I did some research on the Doctor he's going to He apears to be a very highly regarded Head, neck cancer surgion.

At this point he can't be up for very long. the pain and pressure in his face and head when he's up is so bad, he hardly eats anything, and is loosing weight by the day. Everything came to a head just a few months ago, when he had all his upper teeth pulled,A short time after that, started loosing hearing in his right ear, and it went from there. we, or I for one was thinking it had something to do with his teeth being pulled, He had major bruising on his face, that lasted a good couple wks. and with the symptoms he was haveing all the medical websites, gave me so many different things that could be wrong, but it seemed to always go back to infection.

I feel so like crap because, He is one of those men who never goes to the dr. and If i would have made him an apointment sooner, it wouldn't be in this advanced state, maybe it could have been caught sooner, and i wonder, why when they took exray at the dentist they didn't notice anything then.

Jeffrey allen

This is Jeffrey Allen, (Jeff), with Boo this past Easter.
He was born on November 14,1983. He just returned from a second tour in Iraq.
He's a military police in the army reserves. He has wanted to be a policeman since he was two, playing with his little police badge, and gun set.
He lives about an hour away from us, and I don't see him as often as I'd like, but he's in the states and he's safe from harm, and this terrible war, that has just been senceless and has taken so many of our family members and some of Jeff's friends.
He will be getting married May 17th, to a really terrific girl Heather, I'm happy for them I hope they have a long, and very fulfilling life together.
He has been one of those kids that your mother put the I hope when you grow up and have kids they act just like you curses on you. wow what a ride with Jeff..
I look back now and laugh at some of the things he did and said, and also cry, He was so bull headed, and to himself was right about everything.
I am proud of him, and the things he's done, He has been through alot so far in his rather short life. He did not graduate from high school with his class, but did go back and get his ged.
He joined the arny reserves when he was 17, and still in, just reenlisted for two more years.
One thing about Jeff, If he enjoys something he doesn't give up on it.

Jennifer Lynn

This is my beautiful, funny daughter jennifer Lynn, ( she likes to be called Jen).
born on may12, 1986 in california. with a head full of beautiful black hair. She is now 21 soon to be 22.
She has been my strength, through so many things, all i'd have to do is look at her and know what I needed to do.we have been together through so many things, and it has only made our mother/ daughter relationship stronger.
She is Boo, and Peants mommy.
She was born in california, the last time her biological father saw her she was 6wks. old, ( his Choice).
That was very hard on her growing up. She couldn't understand why he wanted nothing to do with her, why she never recieved so much as a birthday card.
When she was 12 she tried to contact him through his mother, that only made her feel worse. She had to know the answeres to questions that had bothered her so much. and she did but not what she wanted to hear. she never spoke to him again.
Then John came into our lives gave her what she had wanted for so long a father who loved her, never mind, the blood thing, this was who was meant to be her daddy, I have so loved watching there relationship grow. She did try to contact her grandmother, when she had Carter and was told to give the baby up she would never be able to care for him by herself, she was so hurt. She sure has proven Granny wrong, she is a wonderful mother to both the boys, and she is doing it on her own.
I am so very proud of her, she is such a beautiful young lady inside, and out.One day she will find the right man who will love her , and her boys for who they are. I did.