Whew – finally got the video done! It’s been a long process – life, in general, always seems to get in the way.

Sandra Jean Mykyte (nee Murray) is my cousin. Her mother, Evelyn, is my father’s sister. Sandy is the oldest child of Evelyn and Don. She is not the oldest of all the cousins, that would be my sister, Cris.

I’ve been unable to interview Cris in person but hoping to do that soon. Yes, we could do it with a video chat but it’s just not the same. Hoping by this summer, we should be able to get together.

Anyways, back to Sandy. There are a couple of items I wanted to mention about the interview. We did the interview at Sandy’s home. You notice in the background a couple of items. The first is the beautiful piano. This piano belonged to my grandmother, Irene Briggs. I inherited it from my father who inherited it when she passed in 1995. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the room to have it in my apartment, so Sandy has kindly taken possession until I’m able to. She’s put a lot of money into moving and tuning it and I’m very thankful for what she has done. I certainly do miss having it at my fingertips! Sandy has tried to get me to play but it’s been many years since I’ve tickled the ivories so want to get some practicing in first!

The second is located on the lid of the piano keys – the “Briggs Family” tree. This is a hand-made item made by my uncle, Dave Layton (Evelyn’s husband). He has a wonderful talent and I’m so blessed that he has gifted me with this. I’m hoping to have this made into the We Are Family Briggs logo for the blogsite, just need to find someone to do it.

On to the interview! Sandy is a kindred spirit. Her and I are very much alike in our lives, and we get along fabulously. We’ve even lived together for a short period of time – that can certainly test relationships! She is a very busy lady and I’m so gratefully she took the time to chat with me. Take note, the interview is just over 30 minutes, however, our visit was much longer! That always seems to happen when we get together. When we did the pre-interview which should last about an hour, I ended up staying for dinner and it became a 7-hour visit – love it!

Please enjoy the interview and getting to know Sandy just a little bit more – she has a beautiful loving and giving soul. I’m blessed to have her as my cousin and kindred spirit.

Take care everyone, Vicky