Memories

Now that I have shared memories about my grandparents it is time for Joey to share some of his: 

"I have loved looking through old scrapbooks and sharing my memories with Lisa. In fact, I am grateful for the opportunity to share these memories with my kids. 

Grandma Beth is strong and sassy! She took the us to Lagoon every year. What a brave woman! She loves the color red. And it fits. She grew up on a farm. One day her brothers (she had 6 brothers!) asked her to help them milk the cows and her mom told her the best thing she could do would be to do a bad job so they wouldn't ask her to do hard jobs in the future. She always looks beautiful and put together. She taught me the value of a strong, independent woman. As an adult I had the opportunity to spend time overnight in the hospital while she was battling pneumonia and she told me stories all night and I discovered my love for my family history. My favorite stories were the legacy of my heritage that fought during World War II. I think this is part of why I love studying history. She has taught me what strength is through her example.

My grandpa, Melic, went by the Lebanese word for grandpa and we all called him Ghidi. In fact, many people actually thought this was his name, even my friends called him Ghidi. After World War II, he started a furniture store that was very small and it gradually increased in size over the years to become one of the largest furniture stores in the state at that time. You could see the growth that came from his ambition and drive. He was very successful in business and I strive to emulate this in my own professional career. Starting at a very young age, I worked for him at his furniture store and I learned the value of hard work. I also remember him telling me that if you are going to do a job do it to your best ability the first time. And he taught me the beauty of kind words. I watched him make his customers feel amazing and he was smooth! I often find myself talking to my clients and using my Ghidi's kind words and feel grateful for this example. It doesn't matter if they were buying an end table or an entire room ... He made them all feel like a million dollars. My grandpa attended all of my sporting events and was one of my biggest supporters. And he taught me that is important to keep yourself in physical shape. He played football at the U and competed in track and field. He was a champion wrestler. Even after he was diagnosed with cancer we had to fight him to quit lifting furniture. He was extremely strong physically and I thank him for those great genetics. 

My grandma Katie is very adventurous. She has always lived life to the fullest. She worked hard to get her nursing degree and worked her way to the top of St. Mark's Hospital. She always took time in the summers to take us on trips all over the western United States. We went to national parks, rafting rivers, snow skiing, and even slept in a tee pee on an Indian reservation. We fished more rivers and caught more fish than you could imagine. We hiked and saw the world. She taught me how to golf. In fact, you can still find her out on the golf course now. She also knew how to deal with fighting boys. We would start fighting on road trips and she would warn us and if we didn't shape up she would pull over and make us walk. And true to her word there were a few country roads that we had to walk. She would make us get out of the car and we had to walk about 45 minutes to catch up to where she was waiting with the car. She would pull over and tell us to get out and we didn't think she was serious. She would point to a mountain off in the distance and tell us she would be up there taking a nap. And sure enough we would find her napping or doing a crossword puzzle while waiting for us! She was amazing to take three teenage boys on vacation.  It was a valuable lesson and we thought twice before we fought on the next road trip. She loves her routines and I think that is where I learned the comfort in structure. She loves PBS! In fact, she receives free cable but disconnected it because all she watches is her shows on PBS! And she always had a never ending cookie jar! 

I am grateful for the heritage and legacy of my grandparents. I'm not ready to be a grandparent, although my oldest kids could make me a grandpa anytime! But I have great examples to follow and hope to build many memories for my own legacy."