Walking My Baby Back Home

Most people have heard me say, "my papa is my best friend". I grew up living with my mom and my grandparents until I was about 18. I did everything with my grandparents. We went for rides together so they could show me where they grew up, we went to the beach at night so I could count airplanes (this has to be a RI thing since most people live within 20 minutes of the airport) and I would even go with my Papa every single day when he went to pick up my Nana from work. Let's not leave out the fact that I wasn't allowed to stay home alone, and I could not go walk around the neighborhood by myself until I was old enough to drive. Luckily, I was able to walk around with friends. I just couldn't walk to their house alone, LOL.

My favorite memories are all the walks my Papa and I would take together. He loves going for walks. Even when we picked my Nana up from work, in Lincoln, we would go a little early so we could do a lap around Lincoln Woods. When I was a baby, my Papa was stopped by a photographer from the Cranston Herald. He asked if he could take a photograph of us and put it in the paper. He saw my Papa walking with me in the carriage every morning on his way to work. My Papa proudly said yes, and we were in the paper!

Okay, so what's the point? Last year, my Nana passed away. In the months leading up to this, I found myself watching all of the videos I had of them dancing together on Federal Hill and I realized how important it was for me to make more videos of them. One day I went to visit my Nana in the nursing home and we had the BEST time. She was telling me all kinds of hilarious stories from her childhood, from her and my papa's courtship, and from when my mother was little. At the end of our conversation, I asked her if I could take my camera in her room and interview her about her past. I loved hearing her stories and didn't want to ever forget them. She thought it was a great idea and told me to bring my camera next time. Every day I went there with my camera she would tell me she was tired and to do it another day. As the time progressed, I knew it was too much for her and I didn't want to aggravate her. I never got the chance to record those stories.

After she passed, I told myself that I have to make sure I record as much video of my family as I can. Being a videographer, I value video so much. Especially when it involves loved ones that you know won't be around forever.

This year we invested in a new camera that shoots 4K and slow motion. We also purchased a new stabilizer to get more smooth & steady motion shots. As soon as we had a warm day, I went to my Papa's house and asked if he could help me test out and learn how to use some new equipment. Of course he said, yes! Then it hit me! I could have just had him walk around and get a few shots, or I could make this a really cute video that hopefully my kids would like to watch some day. So, before I left the house, I grabbed the photo of us that the photographer from the Cranston Herald took 26 years ago. I asked my Papa if I could interview him, and during the interview, I asked him to tell some stories from when I was little. The first story he told was the one about us walking and how we ended up in the paper. He always tells people this story. I've heard it 1,000 times, but it never gets old.

That being said, I give you this video, "Walking My Baby Back Home". (That was the headline of the story in the paper). Hopefully, this is just the first of many more Papa videos to come. I hope you enjoy it!