My Family Memories: GRANDPARENT'S HALLOWEEN ANNIVERSARY!!!

[BrandonDaCollector]

Yes, she told Me so much of when she was a girl how she loved Wonder Woman and how they change her over the decades and stuff. She was actually a comic buff as a girl and even to her young adult years. That's a great picture there of Wonder Woman, that type.version of her there is one of My favorites Thanks a lot PB, I appreciate that very much

[BrandonDaCollector]

Today is January 16th, that means it's My Auntie Wanda Lee Wade's Birthday...here she is

First off, she's been gone 8 years already...she passed away in May of 2016. She was only 64 She was not a blood or by marriage relative, she was just a neighbor to Us that was more like Family

IMPORTANT PROLOG: First I want to get this horrible crap out of the way before I talk good about her. I was wondering why Wanda wasn't was going to work for days as her silver Hyundai was still in her drive way. She lived just 2 doors down from My house so it was very convenient for Us I gave her a wake up call every morning at 5:00 AM for years as she worked at a Nursing Home in Webster Groves and then I'd meet her at her car, shut the door for her and We'd talk for a few minuets before she's have to pull off at 6:00 AM. One day possibly a week later I saw her at her front porch at night and I wanted to hurry up and see her. She wasn't the same silly yet magical Auntie Wanda. Her head had been shaved a bit with a large scar. She had a brain tumor. I was shocked I tried to talk to her but it just wasn't the same. I had to leave her alone. OK, Well, two or so months have gone by since then. Her fruit sister Barbara tells Us that Wanda passed away in May and We're like what...she's been gone for 2 months and your just now telling Us My Grandma & Mom couldn't believe this cruel $h!t Her sister has very little or no emotions and is a waste. She basically ruled Wanda over her house. So many times My Grandma wanted to talk to he rover the phone and Barbara would answer...oh we got company so that meant that Wanda couldn't talk on the fun...We got so tired of that stupid nonsense crap We've never gotten over that she told Us months later that Wanda died especially Me...I hate her for that I could complain all day about that #$%^* but I'm not because this is My Auntie Wanda's Birthday

So first how did We meet Actually My Grandma did. She met Wanda in I believe 1994, 30 years ago this year It was OVER A WHITE Bunny Rabbit. They saw it running around in the alley and tried to catch it. They couldn't but they bonded soon after and they were girlfriends ever since till their last days



So I would bond with her as well but really not until the 2000s. We talked on the phone all the time. She knew much of what I liked and vise versa. I talked to her about Baseball & Wrestling even though she wasn't into sports. I taught her a bit about Movie Scores and she'd give Me her opinions who'd she liked & didn't which I appreciated that. I especially talked to her about Star Wars, Dinosaurs, Cryptozology & Ufology. I taught her a lot of stuff about that stuff. I believe she saw a UFO and some Cryptids but like so many people she always would never tell Me We saw many movies together at the show like 10.000 BC, Narina 2, The Mummy 3, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Hellboy 2, Fantastic Four 2, Transformers 1, Iron Man & The Hulk, Star Wars: The Clones Wars Animated Film and more in 2008 which was a HUGE movie year for Me...most of all year last year I was thinking about it's 15th Anniversary and My times with My Auntie Wanda We did many other things together too but as much as We did together over the years, My most cherished moment with her was when We both went to the St. Louis Science Center together to the Tyrannosaurus Sue exhibit when she was on tour in 2009. This was on the First Day of Spring, 2009 which that very morning is when I saw the Skunk Ape in the Alley Street by the Cemetery (I posted that a long while back in My Cryptozoology Topic with all the details!) so this year marks the 15th Anniversary of this which is hard to believe it's been that darn long Here's a special pic I made of that special event as I filmed the entire spectacle

As you see in her pictures, she was a large woman, a bit shorter but about the same size of Nia Jax. I like large women so it was something being with her, she sometimes could look really good We had a deal going on when it came to collecting things. Remember during the Christmas Topic when I said that My Auntie Wanda loved Dollhouses when I saw those Sears Wish Books Well she was a huge Dollhouse collector. She was always cautious of ordering online so I ordered for her and she'd pay Me back in My bank. She loved Crafts & Genealogy. She did a lot for Me. She'd go to Toy "R" Us & Walmart when I couldn't. She got Me nearly the entire collection of the Fantastic Four movie figures (remember this when I showcase them in My Marvel Topic in the near future!), Star Wars and more. I'd pay her for them but sometimes she'd be like no Brandon, you don't have to pay Me, she wasn't tight or cheap...she got Me the entire collection of Magna-Saurs without Me paying her one cent back because she was so nice and very good In fact she surprised Me with them and I didn't even know they existed She did the same with this huge, 2 foot tall, 2 foot wide, nearly 10 pound Dinosaur Book too I'll never forget one day We were at Walmart and I saw the 1990 Total Recall on DVD in a clearance bin. I regretted not getting it so the next day she went back there and got it for Me...this is how great she was and I would get her little things as gifts for many reasons

I'd come over to her house whenever her darn fruit sister wasn't around and I'd show her My figures, collectibles and play movie scores. She wanted to see My Baseball Card Collection cause was I telling her how awesome the Chase Cards were. She never seen a Baseball Card collection before but I so regret not showing here that Now she just didn't collected collect Dollhouses, the figures & accessories to go with'em...she was also a Thimble Collector which is a very interesting yet fun hobby. I really never knew about the hobby and how cool it was till she showed Me her massive collection. She had boxes upon boxes filled with'em from all over the country from when she'd travel then she'd show Me her attic...from wall to wall she has big displays on shelves of them. I was totally amazed about this I don't want to know what her emotionless sister did to it after all of the years that My Auntie Wanda collected them One day when she wanted Me to order her some Thimbles on eBay, they had some cool Vintage Dinosaur/Prehistoric Animal Thimbles and she was surprised about them. I'm not sure if she wanted them or not because she didn't say it but I bought them for Myself and I would have never known about them if it wasn't for My Auntie Wanda



What else did she like Her favorite Dog Breed was Collies...she LOVED Collies...that's the ONLY Dog Breed she'd EVER HAVE & WANT! She loved Lassie, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Walker: Texas Ranger, Dog the Bounty Hunter and the TV show Monk. She loved Sierra Mist. She loved her Game Boys, regular & color. Sometimes I'd want to play her Donkey Kong So I miss doing all that and talking to her. When it was My Mom's Birthday, Christmas, My Grandma's Birthday, My Birthday and of course her own it's always bitter sweet that she's never walking out of her house, walking down the sidewalk Me watching out for her coming over for these special days. I always think about this and always will. This is a pic collage that I made of her with My Grandma MiMi & Myself Happy Birthday to you My Auntie Wanda, I miss & love you

[BrandonDaCollector]

Today is Grandpa PoPo's Birthday. I started this topic last year because of him but it evolved to more than just that.

I wanted to show a little somethin' of My Grandpa's, somethin' that shows that he knew how to have fun and what fun was. I'm not going to show this in major detail, just enough to show what he has/had. I had talked about it before that he loved Motorcycles & Golf. Well, like his Grandson, he liked Magazines as well. In the Garage, there is a big box full of his books. There is not way I'm throwing these away or anything of the sort, no friggin' way So here's the opening of his box



The years of these Magazines range from 1990 - 1994 but it is possible they range before & after those years. Here is some of the magazines on top. He loved John Daly. That was a St. Louis Post-Dispatch special there from August of 1992



Here's some of his Motorcycle Magazines. This was basically his life. He bought bikes and knew how how customize them. He loved to ride so much and I did too, many times I'm ask him to let's go out and just ride here & there, usually he want to




Here's a bit of his Golfing Magazines. He was like these like I was about My WWF, WCW and Gaming Magazines



We'd go to the driving ranges all the time till he couldn't do it anymore. He was such a powerful man, he could drive the ball over 250 yards, many times he'd reach the 300 yards surpassing everybody that was there and people would be looking like whoa. He couldn't see that far but I'd tell him how far his balls went and he'd like oh your joking Hydester, and I'd say no Po, that ball actually went 300 Yards I was never joking with him to make him feel good, he actually hit those balls that darn far



He just wasn't My Grandpa and the Father I never had, he was My best friend and we did so much like this together. Happy Birthday My PoPo, I hope your looking down from heaven or wherever you are at Me PoPo

[packerbacker180]

I golfed a little in my teens and early twenties. It's funny, since we got married and moved over here in 2008, our house is about five minutes from two golf courses, and I've golfed exactly 0 times, lol.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Well that's good. Oh actually we never golfed...we just did the driving ranges. We really didn't have any courses close by besides, We always thought just driving & hitting them balls was funner, it was always a blast one way or another One day if I can I'll showcase the places We went to. Things are so different now like a darn alternate reality Thanks for your reply PB

[packerbacker180]

Driving ranges can be fun. When we were in Cleveland in January we went to the Topgolf which is a three level driving range. It was cold but even though it was outdoors the place was well heated. We played on the third floor, but I'm not really a fan of heights (a fear of falling, actually) so I wasn't too keen on getting close to the edge, but they have different head to head games you can play to compete with friends, so it was pretty fun. They're supposed to be building one around here eventually (allegedly).

[BrandonDaCollector]

Oh heck yeah their fun. he always joked and called it Flogging We went like every week or so. My Grandma would be looking in the paper all the time for coupons for the 2 places We'd go to which was Pro AM & Tower Tee. We weren't like other people. We went in all kinds of weather whether it was hot or cold. He loved it when it 60 to 70 something and the winds were blowing a bit. Whenever there's a day like that I think to Myself about that gosh, Po would love to Golf/Flog, Batting Cages and Bike Riding (motorcycles or bicycles) or just walking around the neighborhood. That stuff has never left Me

My Grandpa had such a great sence of humor. Flog is Golf spelled backward

Oh My Grandpa was afraid of heights too. When he was a teenager he'd like climb up on stuff and jump...well one day he fell and broke his shoulders & collar bone He told Me the story a few times. His shoulders were never right after that but boy he still could throw a mighty pitch. One day I believe in either 91 or 92 We went Down Town St. Louis. It was for all three of Us but My Grandpa opted out and stayed on the ground near the Mississippi River near the Arch while Me & My Grandma went in the Helicopter Ride with KLOU 103.3 Traffic Reporter (and former Police Officer) Don Miller. We were up there pretty high and it was fun. I'll never forget that the back passenger door came open Thank goodness I was able to go up front with Don Miller which My Grandma was on the other side. When the ride was all done We told Po about it and he was like oh My gosh, I'm sure glad I wasn't up there I'd tease him about heights especially when We'd go to the Kenrick theater, they had these huge (their still there as type this!) towers with big flashing red light on them that's like a 1000 feet high. I'd tease him to up at them...Tower Tee is closer to them hence their name and I'd do it there as well...oh he hated that Believe Me, I'm not the bravest about heights and especially falling, don't forget I had a tragic fall in 2013 breaking My leg like Sycho Sid and that is something you never ever get over

OK, now let's get back to this. So We'd actually Golf/Flog in the rain. My Grandma was scared sometimes and call Our Golf Clubs "Lightning Rods" oh but I loved it when it would storm, it was awesome hitting balls in a storm For a long while We thought of Ourselves like the Addams Family. In fact there was a couple cool scenes in the great 1991 film that was kinda like how We were. I was kinda extreme too. Many times I'd hit balls in directions that your not supposed like toward a creek or apartments...I knew the tricks how to curve, slice & hook the balls on demand Here's these two clips that reminds Me of Me and My Grandpa




Back then and even to know I thought of Myself like Marty McFly and him like Doc Brown. We always went on some kind of little adventure no matter what We were doing. He was My best friend and in this picture below, Po would get looks on his face like that, many times he'd remind Me of Christopher Lloyd

[BrandonDaCollector]

Today is My Grandparents' Anniversary of when they met at the Halloween Dance Party in 1960. This here as to what I'm going too present is from 1979 - 1980. As you know, My Grandpa loved Motorcycles. My Grandparents went on many trips on the motorcycle which I plan on posting that later. They did so much together, there was very little that they didn't do together First here is special time at Donelson Cycles. My Grandpa PoPo loved that place and went there often and took Me there too. Donelson was in Downtown St. Louis not too far before you get to The Arch & Busch Stadium on Broadway, I used to see his commercials often on TV when I youngster and to My later years. I met him too, he wasn't one of those businesses owners that you never see and could never meet. I'll see if I can post any commercials of his in time. You can see his building in the background So now please follow Me. There's My Grandma MiMi with friends that I unfortunately don't know who they are but they look cool. My Grandma is The Phantom of the Opera on the far left



Here's these two gals as The Scarecrow & Dorthy from The Wizard of Oz



Here's this couple as two Ape Monsters though as I really can tell, it appears to be that they are Godzilla & Kong



Now here's My Grandpa, he's an Undead Nazi Soldier Take a good gander at his face... THAT'S FACE PAINT THERE...oh My Grandpa was such a creative man with such a great sense of humor too. If you like comedy, he sure could come up with some dandy stuff He's at the old great house here holding one of the many Trophies he & MiMi won



Here he is by his little barn in the backyard, I went in there many times, I liked how creepy it was inside



And here's My Grandparents together as they were with each other for 2 decades already



So there's that, I wanted to post these great moments for My Grandparent's Anniversary of when they met which is October 29th,...Happy Anniversary PoPo & Mimi, I hope your still together wherever you are

[packerbacker180]

Well, Happy Anniversary to them. Those were some nifty costumes for back then.

[BrandonDaCollector]

I always loved how My Grandpa looked there. He was truly a great, great one of a kind man . Of course My Grandma was a great person too. I hope there's still people out there or their kids/grandkids that know about that time besides Me Thanks Packer, more to come soon