Confession: I LOVE old pictures. Like, I will spend hours on end looking at old pictures just because I'm fascinated with seeing that snapshot of what life was like back in those times. Well, it should be no small wonder that I was excited when I happened upon some of Mimi's old pictures this past weekend when Mom, Gina, and I were going through a few things at Mimi's house. I scanned in a few of my favorite pictures, so I thought I'd share them so you, too, could enjoy getting a glimpse of a simpler time!
If you've never seen it before, it could be hard to believe that the beautiful brunette is none other than Mimi in her younger years. Here she is with my Grandma Hajek (her mom) and my Grandpa Rudy (her husband). Mimi and Grandpa Rudy took really good care of Grandma Hajek, especially in her later years.
It's such a tiny picture, so I made it extra big so you could see the handsome gent in the middle. That strapping gentleman is none other than Mimi's dad, my Grandpa Hajek, pictured at his filling station in Hennessey. This picture embodies the American dream so well. You see, Grandpa emigrated from Czechoslovakia. He was born out of wedlock, so he and his mother were outcasts. His mother left him when he was a child in Vienna so that she could come to the US and earn enough money to send for him. He was, for all intents and purposes, orphaned. He was malnourished and had to steal to find enough food to sustain him. He came to the US as a 16-year-old and eventually married Grandma Hajek and had 8 children. Eventually they moved from their farm in Goltry to Hennessey, where Grandpa became a business owner. What a story! Mimi was quite partial to him, and I feel like he was the one who taught her how to love so generously. Mimi always told me that he never knew what love really was until he met Grandma Hajek and had children. What a gem!
Here's a great picture of my parents' wedding day with Grandma Hajek (my mom's grandma). Mom and Grandma Hajek were just as close as Mimi and I were. I think the only difference was that Grandma Hajek was reportedly much more feisty than Mimi ever was! Such a great picture of my mom with two of the people she loved most!
I enlarged this picture so you could get a better glimpse of everyone. Still Mom and Dad's wedding day, this time with their parents. On the left are Grandpa Rudy and Mimi, while Grandma and Grandpa Hladik are on the right. This picture, to me, represents unity and multi-generational love. It's a good, classic shot from that beautiful April day. (Fun Fact: Mimi and Grandma Hladik's dresses were made from the same pattern! Obviously they were made from different fabrics, but still essentially the same dress! How cool! :) )
I found lots of pictures of Mimi's younger days. I was in love with this simple picture. I'm not sure when, where, or why it was taken; I can only imagine what was going through her head at the moment. I suppose I'll never know, but I can still admire it.
Here was Mimi in her wedding dress! Mom insisted that Mimi try it on again, so she got the picture. What a beautiful, simple dress. Oh, to have been at her and Grandpa Rudy's wedding!!
This picture fascinates me. On the back, it says that it is Grandma Pipla (Grandma Hajek's mother/Mimi's maternal grandmother) and Grandpa Hajek (Grandma Hajek's husband). I'm a bit dubious as to whether it was Grandma Pipla or Grandma Hajek. The only thing that convinces me it's Grandma Pipla is the fact that she appears to be reasonably older than Grandpa Hajek. If so, I'm not sure why they were photographed together, but regardless, it's a great portrait!
My mom is pictured here with Grandpa Rudy. There are few pictures quite similar to this one, so let me put those up before I go into any detail.
Here are Mom and Mimi together, in basically the same spot as the previous picture.
Mom, all by herself, in the same dress. (One more similar picture!)
Here we go, same day, same dress; this time, Mom is on Grandpa Rudy's combine! When we found this, Mom laughed at how staged the picture was, seeing as she would never have any other reason to be on a combine in a dress, for heaven's sake! Mom thought that maybe Mimi had some film to use up so she could have the pictures developed, so they took a bunch of random pictures. Even so, I love seeing these shots of my mom as a girl.
Does this picture remind you of anyone? This is Mom in her early teens, pictured with four of her nephews, much akin to pictures I have of me with my nephews! This picture makes me realize just how similar my life is to my mom's. We are both the youngest of four, with siblings considerably older than us, born to parents who were considerably older than most of our peers' parents. The similarities go on, but it makes me happy to know that I'm so similar to my own mom! (If nothing else, she understands my life pretty well and can easily sympathize with me, or tell me to buck up!)
Nothing too astounding about this picture, as it is Mimi doing dishes in her kitchen, something she did quite often. Maybe it's the simplicity of the shot that makes me like it so well!
Another simple shot of Mimi standing in front of her house in a pretty dress. What a lady!
Mimi and Grandpa Rudy on their 40th Anniversary...look at those love birds, still happy together! Their love for each other still inspires me!
Last picture, this one is of Grandpa Rudy's family. The couple in the front row are his parents, my Bobbi and Grandpa Vaverka, both of whom died LONG before I was thought of. In the back row are Grandpa's sisters Annette and Mary, Grandpa Rudy (what a strapping young lad!), and his brother, Stanley. Such a beautiful picture of a family that knew a few things about hard work, hard times, and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment