9 Out of 10 Relatives Agree

These three lovely gals recently contacted a passel of relatives to find out how they've been influenced by their family tree. We sent out a "Nature vs. Nurture" survey to see what our genetic roots look like. The results are in!

Nature (DNA)

Out of 24 responders:

- blue-eyed, right-handers predominate

- 4 people have dimples when they smile (I love dimples!)

- a whopping 8 relatives can raise one eyebrow. And Grandma Dollie can raise TWO, the talented gal!

-There are absolutely no twins, triplets, quadruplets or split personalities in our family. (That was a joke.) But we make up for it by passing down these family traits: belly fat, stubby fingers, tallness, bent pinky fingers, chin moles, hairiness, freckles, and the infamous "Wauer nose" (which Grandpa so handsomely displays below).

Now, wouldn't you like to meet my family in a dark alley?

Nurture (Upbringing)

Some interesting highlights:

- Popular childhood games and activities include tag, Kick the Can, soccer, baseball, basketball, Cowboys and Indians, Hide and Seek, riding Bigwheels (oh yeah!), Freeze Tag, bike riding, Red Rover, Ghost in the Graveyard, and putting pennies on the railroad tracks to watch the trains smoosh them. (Kimmy is an upstanding citizen these days)

-Family pets included the usual cats and dogs, a few ducks, a parakeet named Shakespeare, hamsters, rabbits and fish. Pet names were Pepper, Smokey, Rascal, Cutie, Tyke, Prezie, Chichi, Chumpy, Sasha, Charcoal, Snowball, Magillafuddy, Murphy, Bo, and "a stray dog dad named, Herpes, because we couldn't get rid of it."

- How is the world different today from what it was like when you were a child? "much more technological and complicated. Not the easy-going world." "Faster pace now. More crime and violence. More natural disasters." "Today my world is too busy with things that don't include enough family time." "Self-entertainment is the thing now. People have too much and do not take care of it, they just buy new." "Ability to travel long distances easily. Telecommunications." "Gasoline is much more expensive."

- Professional life. We're a family that has a secretary, car mechanic, Christian bookstore manager, RN in psychology, realtor, upholsterer, photographer/script-writer/video- producer, military officer, computer systems engineer, musician, carpenter, marketer, and a few parents (just to round things out with the hardest job of all!)

- Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable? "To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." "The importance of having a relationship with God and loving your kids." "To be a Christian that believes in the God of the Bible." "I learned how to work. Although I did not like it at the time it has taught me how to survive no matter what. That is a very valuable thing." "Think before you speak or react." "We would visit widows or shut-ins growing up. My parents still do this and I would like our family to as well." "To love and honor God." "unconditional love and support." "honesty and love."

- Famous relatives: Absolutely ZIPPO. So nice to be anonymous. I deal with the papparazzi enough as it is. (Seriously though, here's a website related to our family. B.G. Sulzle. Someone on my husband's maternal grandmother's side makes these medical needles up in New York. Could this be the rich uncle we've been waiting for?)

And finally, when asked what special items she remembered from her first house, Grandma Pat answered, "Mice."