Sometimes I wish that childhood would never end. Or I mean I wish it never ended. I guess it is a little too late in my life for that! The innocense of childhood is so alluring. Worries that are carried are not major in the sceme of things. But adulthood, there are so many stressors! And they never seem to go away. EVER! Don't you just wish you could snap your fingers and make all your worries disappear? I sure do! This coming week is going to be a rough one for me. I think that is what brings this to the forefront of my mind. Although, I have to say, there are some wonderful possibilities that come with being an adult. I am currently listening to music and the song "Life's A Dance" just came on! How appropriate!

There is this picture of my great-grandparents that always comes to mind. They were at the beach, I believe, and were so young. And although I dont know if they were just friends, dating, or married at the time, they look so in love. Even if they didn't know it (the picture did)! The picture is inspiring. It is a testment to true love! I guess it is even a lasting impression in its own right. When I was at lunch at the American Girl doll store with my mom and sister there was a box in the middle of the table. In this little box there were questions that you could draw out and ask one another. Well, right before our meal came my sister pulled out the question "Who in your family would you like to meet that you never have?" or something along those lines. Of course I came up with a quick answer to satisfy the need of an answer, but this question has stuck with me. It is such a hard one to answer! In doing my family history, I know alot about my family like where they came from and such, but there are also so many people that I would like to meet and question. I love knowing my family better than anyone else, but at times it frustrates me too, because I just don't comprehend, no matter how fascinating it is! Why did my great grandpa take the name of my grandma's birth father to his grave with him? Why did my grandma not want to fight her cancer? Why did my gg grandpa marry a woman that didn't want to allow his son to live with them? Why did you choose to come to America? Why did you have a child that you ignored? Or even simple ones like who is your father, who is your mother? An answer to that question would make my job so much easier! Unfortunely, asking these questions is never a possibilty. The only thing I can do is attempt to discover the answers to as many as I can. And leave as many answers behind about my life as I can!

I and Love and You,

Diana

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Ok...so this was supposed to be posted today (Feb. 15), but I have been busy all day so it didn't happen. So, here is today's post!


I feel like I am constantly starting my blog with "today is...". Of course this is extremely annoying to me. I think college and writing papers is starting to inhibit my creative writing skills. I always have numerous ideas floating around in my head, however they never seem to work out exactly as planned on paper. So here is my attempt at not saying "today is..." and putting together my thoughts onto paper...

Many moons ago on this very day (okay so maybe not so many) there was a baby girl that came into this world. She was given the name Nancy Sue Buttenbender. Several years later she got married and had three children (2 girls and a boy). A few years even later brings us to today, the day in which she was brought into the world.

This little girl happens to be my momma. And so today, on her birthday (a very monumental one at that) I would like to say a very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU!!!

I hope everyone has (or had) a fantastic day...especial my mom on her birthday!

I and Love and You,

Diana

A Fun-Filled, Much Needed Break

I had a fantastic time at home this weekend. It served as a really nice break. I went home Thursday and drove straight to Jamie's birthday party at Rink Side which included glow in the dark mini golf. Then Friday my mom and I took Jamie and her best friend Sarah down to the American Girl Doll Store in Chicago. There we had lunch and my sister got to pick out her birthday present. It was soo much fun! Then Saturday my brother had a volleyball tourny, which was a qualifier for nationals. Unfortunately the didn't get a bid, but they fought hard. There coach wants to take them down to the club division of nationals anyways, so maybe if it all works out I will be lucky enough to go down and watch my brother and his team at nationals in Austin. Wouldn't that be a blast?! The day ended with Jamie's frustrating basketball game. But whether it was frustrating or not, it was still fun to watch her play. Sadly my brother got sick that night and we weren't able to make it to Sunday's volleyball games, but regardless it was a fun-filled weekend. Here are some pics of all of the festivities.

I and Love and You,

Diana

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE CLAIRE!!!

Today is an extra special day!!! Today is my little sister's golden birthday! She is super excited for today, which in turn makes me super excited. I am also grateful for the long weekend that I get to spend with her. I know I previously said I was not going to be able to miss my class, but I have discovered that tomorrow she has a day off. So, I am heading home today for her party and then I am going to miss my class tomorrow and take her on a birthday adventure downtown with my mom. It is going to be a good day! I love her very much!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE CLAIRE! You're the best sister I could ever have!!!



I and Love and You,

Diana

P.S. I will try to post some pics of her birthday at the end of the weekend!

A Lasting Impression...Gram

I think it is well known by now that I don't like snow! And of course what is it doing right now? Snowing. Actually no...that is an understatement...there is a blizzard going on outside of my window. Which is even worse than if it was just snowing. I just had to put that out there...although it has nothing to do with what I was planning on blogging about! So...this conversation ends here.

Here is a new beginning....

Have I ever mentioned that I don't like history? Well, if I haven't...I don't, I don't like history at all. But the strange thing is, if you relate history to my family, I LOVE it! I could rattle on and on for hours about my family history, telling story after story. I am so passionate about it! It is truly amazing what all is out there to be discovered. I was recently sent a photograph from the early 1900s that had every single person labeled on the back. Such a rare find! I am sharing about my passion for this because since the last post I have really been thinking about what I wrote. Lasting impressions. For whatever reason this topic has really pulled on my heart strings. So, I have decided that I am going to start to share every once in awhile (or every post, who knows) about the people who have made a lasting impression in my life. My grandpa is certainly not the only one!

Jean Clair Buttenbender. In my eyes the name is famous. I see it all the time, all over my house. You see, my grandma, Jean Clair Buttenbender had this habit of writing her name on everything just so no one would confuse it for their own. To this very day my grandma makes me laugh. All I have to do is pick up a pad of paper to jot down a quick note, because if you turn that pad of paper over, no doubt in big letters you will see...JEAN. haha. Apparently she didn't want anyone using her pad of paper. However, this is not the only reason. My grandma was an artist and a fantastic one at that. I strive to be half the artist that she was, because even then I would be really good. Unfortunetly cancer took my grandma away from us too soon, 13 years ago. Wow....I can't believe it has been that long! But I still see her everyday! You see, two short years after my grandma passed away, God gave a gift to my family. He gave us my sister (and she wont ever let us forget it). Before my sister was ever born my parents had decided that they were going to name her in honor of my grandma. Little did they know that when she got here she was going to look like my grandma too, down to the little kinck in her ear! Jamie Claire has been a blessing to my family and a reminder of my grandma everyday! I just wish that she could have met her! I also wish my grandma was still here so that I could tell her that I found her birth family. I wish she could be here to see all that I am discovering! She too left a lasting impression!!!

Gram during her modeling days

Gram and Papa on their wedding day



Gotta love those '70s

My Gram and Me

Gram, Kev, and me on Thanksgiving

One and a half months before she died

I and Love and You,

Diana

A Lasting Impression

I often sit here pondering what to write about. It isn't always the easiest thing to come up with subject after subject for blog entries. But the bigger problem...the thing that always catches me, is that I don't want to write about nonsense. I want to write something that someone will read and go...wow she's right, I never thought about it that way before. I want to write something that means something to someone. My whole life writing has been a passion of mine (ask my mom...she'll tell you, I was writing stories by the age of 3), whether it be my thoughts, a story, a poem...but I guess at some point you want someone to come up to you and tell you that what you had to say really affected them. Or that you spoke words that they just couldn't say themselves. I live for that moment, I write for THAT moment! And thus I sit here, not really sure what profound thing I might be able to say. But I cannot let stop me, I have to write, I write in hopes that maybe one day that will happen. So, I choose to write about the things that matter to me most...namely my family.

I think it is this same concept that drives my love of genealogy. I search, file through documents, stare at pictures, piece together broken information in hopes that it not only will help in discovering who I am and where I came from, but also to be able to tell a story. To let those before me make a difference in the lives of those still living. Isn't that how it has always been in history? The greatest artists, writers and so fourth were never truly the greatest until after they died. They became the greatest by leaving a lasting impression. A lasting impression like my grandpa has left in my life. On March 2nd of this year it will be 11 years since he died. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I can't believe that it has already been a decade plus that he has been gone. But I also know that there hasn't been a day since that he doesn't go through my mind in some capacity. He left a lasting impression! My brother was only 5 years old when he died, but if you look at the man that my brother is becoming, you can see my grandpa. In those 5 short years, he impacted the person that my brother will always be. He left a lasting impression! I know that there are plenty more people that he left a lasting impression on, and I know that there will continue to be people that he will leaving a lasting impression on, because I will not let his story die. I will tell stories of my grandpa for the rest of my life. I will tell of the incredible man of God that he was and the incredible love that I still feel from him to this very day! He made a lasting impression!

All in all, I guess my words of advice for today is to leave a lasting impression! Live your life so that those after you will look back and be amazed! So that they will look back and want to do nothing more, but let your story live on. Everyone has greatness inside them, find yours, and leave a lasting impression!

My grandpa in WWII

My grandpa

My grandpa with my brother and me (the year before he died I believe)

I and Love and You,

Diana

P.S. It wouldn't let me create paragraphs in the post...I dont know why...sorry!

Kevin In Uniform

Kevin in his uniform right before Ian's Eagle

It's My (Half) BIRTHDAY!!!!

I am going to start with a statement that seems so obvious that it is stupid I am even metioning it....Today is February 2, 2010. Now this may seem like just a date, however this inparticular date has always had significance to me for it is my half birthday. Yeah, I know, I know...nobody cares about there half birthday, but I do. You see having a summer birthday during elementary school never allowed me to be able to bring in treats for my class or participate in any of the rest of the festivities that came with having your birthday during the school year, so we always celebrated my half birthday in school. That makes today a very good day. I realize that I am now in college, but I like to think that the same rules still apply.

Not only is today my half birthday, but it is Groundhog's Day as well. From what I understand there is a little confusion between a couple different groundhogs as to whether or not we have six more weeks of winter. Of course I am NOT hoping for that, because as we all know...I don't like winter!

Today's date also means that my mom's birthday is two weeks away and that my sister's is a week and a half away. Which reminds me....I still need to get their presents! I probably shouldn't forget that! I think my sister would kill me if I forgot! She has already tried to convince me to skip my classes the day after her birthday ( I only have one!) so that I can spend the day with her. Unfortunetly it would not be the smartest thing to do.

Now that I have rattled on and on about a date I would like to share something that occured this past weekend. This past weekend my family and I attended an Eagle Ceremony for one of the guys in my brother's Boy Scout Troop. In the world of Boy Scouts this is a very big deal. Not very many boys make it to the rank of Eagle. I forget the exact satistics. So this being said I would like to say Congradulations to Ian Heffron for achieveing the rank of Eagle Scout!

I think I am going to end this here because I can't think of anything else to say! I know it is pretty amazing coming from me, since I always have something to say, but right now I can't really think of anything. Oh wait I just did...haha! Keep my brother's volleyball team in your thoughts and prayers...they have Nationals coming up later in the month and it would be really awesome if they recieve a bid! Ok...now this is offically it!

I and Love and You,

Diana

P.S. Six Months til my 21st!!! Yeah!!!