a summers gift

the home daniel grew up in!

we grew up eating italian ices from this shop during the summers! and it is still. the. same. the nostalgia.

first time meeting this sweet baby boy <3 literally love at first sight

something was different about this new york trip this time around. we unexpectedly visited our hometown to attend the funeral service of my aunt. she has been sick for a long time now and was placed in hospice care a week before her passing. during this trip I've kept her in my thoughts everyday. she was bold. she had a character that filled the entire room. you couldn't forget her because she will tell it like it is. she was there for me and my sister since we were born and she loved us as if we were her own. you can tell she loved her friends around her because she would always listen intently and share her honest opinion. i thank her for the woman she is and the love she shared with us. 

i was thinking a lot about her during this trip, and it made me realize how much I need to be better. it was like a silent gift she was giving me. like she was sharing with me and teaching me how valuable life and the people in it are. there have been moments in this trip when time almost stood still, and i was just enjoying the people around me. there were moments where we were looking through super old photos and it made me feel grateful for friendships that last and for memories that were made. there were also moments of connecting and reconnecting with some of our day ones and their loved ones. this trip was a bittersweet gift. we celebrated the life my aunt lived, and i received the gift of living life fully, happily, and more intently.