December 21, 1993: Big Top Flea Market and Dade City

Grandma took us to the Big Top Flea Market and to the University of Southern Florida mall.  My favorite store there was Burdines of Florida.  When we got home, Uncle George called to talk to everyone.  The weather down here was gorgeous.   Back home, a snow storm had just begun.   Grandma and I watched our favorite soap opera, "Young and the Restless.".   At night, Grandma took us into Dade City to see Church street.  On this street, there were Christmas lights and singing from church to church. It was beautiful.   We also visited the hospital that Grandpa went to when he died.   In the front of the hospital, there were Christmas trees decorated for each state.  Each state was decorated with things they were known for.  When we got home, we watched "Roseanne.".  

Decemer 20, 1993: Florida

Charlene drove my mom and I to the Kent County airport for our flight to Tampa, Florida.    We flew Northwest to Detroit and then into Tampa.   Our flight in Grand Rapids was delayed 45 minutes due to mechanical problems. When we got to Detroit, we had 5 minutes in order to catch our next flight to Tampa.  We've never run so fast, so far, in our entire lives.   We made it just in time.   We sat in the last row in the plane boy and was it noisy.   We arrived in Tampa at 11:20 a.m.   Grandma Gonyo and her friends, Hoagie and Millie Hogan, were there at the gate to greet us.  The airport here was so gorgeous.  Hoagie drove Grandma's car to Zephyrhills.  We all had a bite to eat at Hardees.  Grandma's trailer was in Betmar Park at 5244 Betmar Drive.   It was really big.  The living room was twice the size of ours at home. The main reason that we visited here at Christmas was that Grandpa Gonyo had passed away on November 11th and we thought that we should be with Grandma during the Christmas holiday. 

December 7, 1993: Jesse Kuhn

I swear I must have been crazy about every guy who work at the Plumb's grocery store that was my age.   When I look back, I think it was so funny.  Anyway,  I liked Jesse Kuhn.     I met Jesse at Russ's for lunch.    He was born in Chicago.  He was about 6'5.   He said his dad could've got a job in the Somoa Islands, but decided on a job in Muskegon.   He was surprised at all of the places I had traveled to.    He went to Catholic Central with Bill Daugherty.     He drove a 1988 Beretta with 90,000 miles on it.   

Tim Allen, an actor on the show "Home Improvement", used to come to Muskegon to visit his brother. I had found out that Tim Allen came to our Plumbs store one time.    Yes, I was in love with Tim Allen, too.     Jesse didn't know that Tim Allen had come to our store.    

December 3, 1993: Chicago Shopping Trip

It has been a tradition of my mom and I to go on a one day shopping trip to Chicago around Christmas.   This year, we took the trip through West Shore Travelers to Chicago.    We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.   We visited Chicago Place, which was a new shopping center that opened in September.   We loved shopping at Petite Sophisticates.        

November 23, 1993: Michigan State

I went to visit Sue Arnouts at Michigan State University. She lived in Akers Hall.   We went down to visit Chad Lawver who was living in the same hall, but in Room 117.   It was nice to chat with him and meet his roommate.

Ashley was crawling all over. She was so cute.  

November 11, 1993: In Memory of Grandpa Gonyo

Just before I had to go to work in the deli, my mom let me know that Grandpa Gonyo had died this morning down in Zephyrhills, FL.    Grandpa was having a hard time breathing, so Grandma was driving him to the hospital, when he slumped over in the car after having a heart attack.    They had just arrived in Florida the week before for the winter.   

I will always remember Grandpa Gonyo as a big card player at the cabin.  He loved to play solitaire.  He also loved to watch football on Sundays.      He used to own Gonyo's Radiator Service in Muskegon Heights, but sold it to Bill Monroe.     I remember one time I had made him a handmade pill chart as he needed a schedule. Grandma said he enjoyed checking off the boxes each day.      I tried to do small things for both of them to help them out. He was my first grandparent to pass away, so it was hard on me.     We decided we would go to Florida at Christmas to be with Grandma.

November 1, 1993: Stitches in Finger

I was called into work at the Plumbs bakery as one of our bakers, Kathy, who died last week of a heart attack at the age of 26, had a funeral which everyone from work was attending.    After I was at work 10 minutes, I accidently cut my left middle finger.   Helen Coyne called our assistant manager, Chris Hickman, who had the cashier, Penny, take me to the Hackley Professional Building for treatment.   I got 2 shots in my finger and 3 stitches.    I also had to get a tetanus shot.     

When I got home, I passed out Halloween candy to the trick-or-treaters.     Denise, Nathan, and Damian Goven came over to go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  I used to babysit Nathan and Damian.   

All of the other neighbor kids came over for candy, such as Joey, Jeff, and Kelli Ruthkowski, Kim Daugherty, and Stefani Balcom.  Bill Daugherty walked out on his job at Plumbs and got a new job at the Hearthstone.