It was January 1, 2010 and we were leaving Texas. On the way out, we stopped in Castroville to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma. We had lunch at the local diner and got one last Hershey's Bar with Almonds and a Diet Coke (hey, one thing has to be sugar-free, right?).

Lunch at Sammy's consisted of cheeseburgers, coffee and Big Red. The quick wit of Great Grandpa even had Dad laughing, which is unseen unless he's watching America's Funniest Videos.

You can't even keep the junk food out of the nursing home. Wyatt pulled back the curtain and found Ritz. Hidden in the fridge are Hershey's bars, Baby Ruth's and Diet Cokes. I love great grandparents!

When I see this, I see hands of a Great Grandma that form a heart. She is full of love, smiles and an occasional surprise curse word.

Great Grandpa's hands have always had his Shriner ring and a half chewed cigar. It's been this way for as long as I can remember.

A subtle smile appears on Great Grandpa's face as he gives me a hard time for taking photographs. In the background is one of the few things he brought to the nursing home. Amidst his old tape recorders and reading machine, he has his shadow box of his military accomplishments. He's a war hero. And even a WWII honoree.

As Great Grandpa said, "What makes a clock run faster, then?" I've been trying to answer that for a while now. I guess nothing makes it run faster, it's just the good times that make time fly right before our eyes and in a moment, it's all over.

As the night trickled on, firecrackers were shot, sparklers were lit, and champagne glasses were used as eye glasses. Thankfully, San Antonio got some rain so it was wet enough to actually light explosives rather than dream about the idea.

The lighting from the garage and the beautiful purple and orange sky made Wyatt look like a martian. Because of is ADHD tendencies and inability to sit still, we took this picture at least 25 times before we finally got an acceptable shot.

This was the New Year's Eve finale. This roman candle was a little wild so Dad decided to tame it like a lion, after he ran around acting as if it was the Olympic torch.

While preparing the midnight toast, Grandpa Charlie took the champagne glasses and used them as a kaleidoscope. They worked pretty well and made him look like a glass bug for a minute.

The family is gathered around Uncle Joe's living room watching the San Antonio news count down to midnight. Happy New Year!