One thing that always amazed me about Pegs was how easily she got along
with my entire family. She wasn't the most outgoing person by nature;
she was retiring and tended not to dominate the conversation. In my
family, whether on my father's (American) or my mother's (French) side,
discussions tend to be loud and animated. The decibel level reaches
dangerous proportions whenever more than five of us get together, and if
it's a family reunion, you pretty much need to wear ear plugs to keep
your eardrums from bleeding. I was genuinely afraid that Pegs would get
intimidated or lost in the shuffle, especially when interacting with the
French side because of the language barrier. But if there was one thing
that outweighed her naturally quiet nature, it was her love of family. She may not have been the loudest person in the room, but her quick
responses and witty insights often provoked the loudest laughs. For a
family that prides itself on one-upsmanship, she more than held her own.
Panagiota was especially close to my French grandparents, whom she got to know
very well while we lived in France. In fact, it was Panagiota who would often suggest going
to visit them on the weekends; I don't know of very many 30-somethings who would push their spouses to spend half of their weekend going to visit their in-laws. I'd like to think that says a lot about my family, but I think it says even more about Panagiota.
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| New Orleans, Thanksgiving 2006 |
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| Bondues, Christmas 2008 |
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| Las Vegas, 2010 |
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