My parents...how do I begin? Normal, average citizens, and then again not. I warn you, this post may be long.
My dad was born and raised (and will live his entire life and die) in Clay County. He is the 2nd of four boys. He was born into a legacy of J's: Jack and Jackie had Jack Jr., John, Jim and Joe. Grandsons would follow tradition for awhile - Jeremiah, Jason, Joshua, Jack III, Jeb, Justice - and would be broken by me and AJ and the other boys - William, Daniel, Augustine. The stories from his childhood are FRIGHTENING. He and his older brother used to torture toys. We like to imagine them like Sid from Toy Story. In his teenage years, he was a hippie, and a hitchhiker at that. All of this is insane when you consider the Big John you may know today. He has worked at the Co-op since he was 18 years old. That is hard to imagine for our generation. He has been a landowner for nearly that long and a beef cattle producer. He is a stereotypical male who has lived his entire life in the south. He loves OHA and MSU athletics, and he secretly hates that he missed out on the college experience. He is an extremely hard worker, a good provider, and a believer in the school of hard knocks...with love. Oh yeah, and he lives for our annual beach trips to PCB.
My mom was born in Illinois, the 4th of 8 children (the 2nd of 5 girls). She graduated high school early to marry my dad. He decided he wanted to date her after seeing her candy-striper picture in the paper. But I digress. Faith and family are core for her. She has been a jack of all trades since my little brother entered school. We were lucky that she was able to stay home with us when we were little. She most recently worked as a part-time bookkeeper for a small construction company, but she has worked as a butcher's assistant, a carpenter's assistant, a cafeteria worker, and a daycare worker at different times in her life. She has always been willing to do whatever needed to be done. She is my unofficial personal assistant, and she is now a professional grandmommy. How lucky are we that she picks the kids up every day after school and keeps them at my house until we all get home from work?!
Both of my parents are strong-willed and competitive people. Both have impressive tempers, though my dad's is quick and hot but dies fairly quickly (flash fire) while my mom's is stone cold and long lasting (ice age). A little glimpse into me...
2 comments:
I am laughing so hard at the thought of your Dad being a hippie! Can't picture it. Don't feel awkward about your last post. I love that we are friends and that we can read each others blogs without feeling weird about it. :)
Thank you, honey! Classy ladies are we! :)
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