Where I Came From #Blogtember

This past January I participated in a blogging challenge and really found myself loving it. There’s something about having writing prompts that gets the creative juices flowing and helps me really get back to the basics of writing & blogging. So I’ve decided to go for it again and participate in the Blogtember challenge with Jenni over at her lovely blog, Story of my Life. And I’m really excited to get to writing!

But again, as with the one I did in January, I will probably find myself slacking a little and missing a day here and there. I mean… I’m already a day late on this entry, ha!  Typical. But it will be fun either way. Today’s (ahem or yesterday’s) challenge is “Where I Came From” – the people & places that made me who I am. Hope you enjoy and play along in the challenge if you’re up to it! :) 

I came from my lovely grandparents on my mom's side. Whom I unfortunately didn't have the privilege of knowing very well, but always love hearing stories about. Stories that I still ask my mom to repeat. For some reason, especially when I'm sad... the stories of her childhood, of her parents, and siblings can always make me smile.

I came from these two very special people. My grandparents on my dad's side. Oh how I miss them. My parents, my younger sister, and I lived with them till I was almost 16 years old. So naturally, I was super close and attached to them. I do not even think I could begin to recount to you all the amazing ways they influenced my life and shaped who I am. Put simply, I'm better for having known them.

I came from my loving parents. A dad who's a pastor (& of whom I'm sure I got my love of baking from), a mom who's always been an amazing homemaker. They taught my sister and I what it means to love & serve God & others. I see them in myself (& in my sister) more & more with each passing day.. and I'm blessed to think for the most part, that's a really good thing. I love that they are not only my parents but have become my friends as well.

(A photo of my grandparents house at Christmas. It was my grandpa’s tradition to deck out the house at the holidays.) 

I came from this house, my grandparents house, which was pretty small... yet somehow always chock full of family. Picnics in the back yard, a best friend right across the street, cousins to play Barbie's with. A grandpa that would sometimes play his saxophone very loudly (but beautifully) very early in the morning, a grandma who made the best homemade tortilla's ever. A house that has both good & bad memories attached to it. A house that a lot of life and growing up happened in. Oh dear, if those walls could speak.. ha!

I came from a family where God, family, music, and food were always four of the most important things.

I came from this church, where my dad is the pastor, and this house (where I still currently live). A church that my mom's dad was the pastor of when she was a teenager and the house they lived in at that time. A place with so much family history. A place that I'm getting ready to leave very soon. Admittedly, it will be hard. It's been home for so long and it will always be special to me.

A small town with a name that means "Palace"... and if you live here that seems very ironic lol. Really, I suppose it's not so bad... it's cute even. It's just that there's not much here. We don't have a mall, a movie theater, or even a stinkin' Walmart. But we do have a pretty bay front...

 

(Photo found here)

and a big statue of Jesus watching over all the many shrimpers in the area. :D No, I make fun but I'm positive I'll be sentimental about it once I move.

So this is where I came from. All these people and places have in some way shaped who I am. They are and always will be pieces of me. I came from years of some happy & some sad. Some light & some dark. Some good & some bad. Just like everyone else. This journey of mine, this background, has been far from perfect but it's mine. And I'm thankful for it.