Family

This weekend, I am in Albuquerque for my great grandmother's 90th birthday. My great grandmother, or Gma, as we all call her, as well as her husband, my Gpa, have had an incredible life, and I wanted to take a moment to honor them and their family.

Gma, or Mary Kay, as she is known to the rest of the world, married Julian Dent Eiland when she was 18 years old. The two were on a vacation with Mary Kay's sister, Margaret Ellen, and one day they simply wandered off to be married, returning directly after the service as if nothing had changed. However, Margaret Ellen noticed that she kept sneaking into Julian's (or J.D. as he is more commonly known) room. She confronted Mary Kay about this, as it was 1939, and that sort of thing was, well, to put it lightly, frowned upon. Naturally, she had to tell her sister that they had been married several days ago.

J.D. and Mary Kay. August, 1939

J.D. and Mary Kay had three children, Julie, Marcy, and Michael, my grandfather. Mary Kay's father was an animator for some of the original Disney movies and cartoons, so my grandfather and great aunts grew up interacting with people in the Disney world. Michael used to ask his parents when watching Snow White "why Grandpa had to make that witch so scary," and Julie's Godfather was Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck. I can only imagine that it was an interesting childhood.

The light table that Fantasia was drawn on

Like her father, Mary Kay is an artist. She creates beautiful portraits, my favorites being a pencil sketch of my seven-year-old self, and a watercolor of my great-great-grandmother. She has also done many paintings of the many places she has lived and traveled. She also writes letters that are beautiful both in content and presentation. Family is paramount in her life, and many of her letters and paintings have been given to those close to her.

Thanksgiving at The Eiland's , 1951

While Disney and art had a big place in the lives of The Eilands, the military had an equal place. Both J.D. and his older brother, Bob, as well as their father, served in the military.

It seems that Mike's military family had a bit of an effect on him.

Despite their military upbringing, Mike's children, my mother, Sandra and her sister, Michelle, showed little desire to join the armed forces. Instead, my mother attended the University of El Paso, where she met and married my father, Luke. Sandra and Luke had five children, obviously being me and my siblings.

Sandra and Luke at Mt. Rushmore June, 2010

I did not meet my Gma and Gpa until I was 5, but it is difficult to remember a time when they were not part of my life. My Gma's art has played a big role in my life, and she has always encouraged me to create. I remember my Gma telling me all of these stories, and she feels more like a grandma than anyone else I have ever known.

One of Mary Kay's Watercolors

Happy Birthday, Gma.

Mary Kay and Me, 2001