Parents Meet
It's Tuesday, January 20th and I'm pretty much taking it easy during my 1 week vacation in the Twin Cities. I've been driving around visiting friends before I go back to "Motown" tomorrow. During my visit, I was showing pictures online of my brother's wedding. I got a thought to share my parents' story on how they met, so I went home and decided to ask my mom.
This is what my mom shared:
My mom's cousin worked with my dad at a store called Radio Wealth as a bookkeeper in the capital city of Manilla in the Philippines. Her cousin invited my dad to a wedding in Labrador, Pangasinaan (3 1/2 hour drive northwest from Manilla), where my mom grew-up and lived. She was at the same wedding (May of 1970), which my dad's eyes were drawn to her. At the wedding, my dad and mom went together with their friends to the beach where they got to know each other more.
After that wedding, my dad and mom continued to keep in contact through letters-love letters! My dad proposed to her 3 months later. They would finally get married in a short-time later-in January 10th of 1971!
High School Days
Dad shared about how he transferred from 3 different schools during his high school years. He was involved in swim class.
-Mom
Mom graduated in a class size of 50+ students. She played volleyball.
College Days
Dad was involved in prison ministry. He would encourage the folks to "be involved" church. Also, he and his group would encourage them to get married. He joined a reserved (military) program, which he participated for only 2 years as he wasn't able to finish due to cadet "trouble". He also was involved in a religious club called "Student Catholics Actions". To help pay for college, he was a door to door salesman for various (e.g. piano, appliances, etc..). He shared a story of how they accidentally delivered a piano he sold to his parent's house.
Coming to America!
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Immigrants, Foreigners, Aliens, etc.. Outreach
Before my mom and dad got married, my dad applied for a working visa in the U.S.A. His papers were approved to come to America after they got married. Dad came to America in 1973, which he was able to petition my mom to follow him to this country by 1974.
New Family
2 years later, my parents had Thelma-April of 1976!
Career Background of my Dad's side
My dad worked as a sales person (e.g. refrigerator, t.v., and various appliances) during his 5 years in college to help pay for his schooling....more down below.
Career Background of My Dad
My dad has been a business person since he started making money as a kid when his mom owned a family store. He was managing the store already at age 18 or 19 years old. From then on, he would pursue many types of businesses: sold household goods (appliances, like refrigerators), furniture, pianos, houses (realtor, landlord), insurance, and is currently working on ebay.
-House Buying
My dad pursued the house buying market around 1988 when the market was easy (many houses were for sale)! He would buy a house after another within 3-6 months for years to come until he had around 8. With these many houses came many challenges:
One-time, he rented one of his duplex apartments to a guy that he evicted and would ended-up breaking in to the rental unit. This guy turned up to be a son of a Maplewood Policeman!
Another time, he rented one of his units to drug dealers, which he didn't know at the time. He would find the hard way after St. Paul Police stormed this apartment unit. They destroyed windows and ruined the house as they had a suprised drug bust. My dad told me that as a landlord, he was responsible for paying the damages as the city is not liable. It's the landlord's duty and responsibility!
One good thing that came out of a bad scenario was an apartment fire in one of his rental units (Como Ave). Due to insurance, he was able to get money to help pay for the fire damages. In fact, the money paid more than what needed to be repaired! The repair project ended-up making the rental unit better than it was before! Thus making the property value higher and the monthly rent more!
Also, the biggest challenge was for the mediate family. My dad had a full-time job as an accountant for the Metropolitan Transit Company in downtown Minneapolis (moved from downtown St. Paul). When he started to manage these apartments, he would work on these houses (paint, collect rent money, deal with renter's issues/problems, etc...) after a long 8-9 hour day in the office. Sometimes he wouldn't come home till 9 or 10 in the evening. My mom, like any wife of a husband's hectic schedule, would get worried or mad because of my dad's type of schedule. I remember myself and my siblings (around 11 to 18 years old) would help do different house maintenance work: paint many times becuase renters would move in-out many times, mow the lawn during hot summer days, clean-up after very "dirty" renters (e.g. sweep live/dead cochroaches), etc..). My dad would reward us by taking us to the local Dairy Queen, which was one of my fondest memories growing-up despite the work we did.
For me, I thought the "busyness" of my dad caused my dad to not able to spend time with the family as much. I remember I was mad as a teen in high school at my dad for not being able to be there at my after school activities: soccer, track, and baseball. My dad kept telling me that this investment will pay in the long run to help pay for my siblings and I's college. This motivated me to keep doing what I was doing despite the sacrifices as a kid-teen (e.g. not being able to hangout with neighborhood friend or high school friends as much as I would like too) However, because of the unexpected business challenges, this didn't came about. As I look back (now 2005), I understand the "good things" that came about:
For example, the work I did for my dad made me more disciplined and a hard worker. Not being able to have money stored for college, I work hard academically and became more involved in after-school programs. This enabled me to get scholarship money for academic and other related achievements.
Also, during college, I pursued some activities that I would've not got into due to the lack of money for college. One was being a Residential Adviser, which paid off my room and board. This brought many opportunities (e.g. long-time frienships) and skills(e.g. confidence and leadership) that got me where I am right now!
My dad ended-up giving-up this landlord business after 10 years in 1998. First, the city bought one of his rental units (York St.) and others within the city block for a big city project. This made my dad happy after the hard work he did on this unit and the other 7 duplex aparment unit houses all in the East-Side.
Career Background of my Mom
(Sal)
My mom was a teacher for 13 years (started at the age of 20) at a secondary school-St. Colomban (Catholic, Rev. Fr. Joseph Gallagher (history) was the founder in 1954) School in Labrador, Pangasinan- Philippines. In fact, November-December of 2004, she attended the 50th Anniversery & Grand Alumni Homecoming. When she came home from a 3-week vacation to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event, she showed us this reunion-book. As I was paging through this book, the picture of Father Joseph Gallagher look very familiar. Father Gallagher is from Swinford, Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland. My mom reminded me that he stayed at our house one-time when I was a kid. It contained many alumn's contacts and businesses:
Bax Global, in Paranaque City
When she came to the U.S. she would take on various jobs (room cleaner at Holiday Inn), including her current job doing clerical office work at the State Revenue Service.
Story of Grandparents
-Mom's Side
My grandma (mother's side)-Basilisa Inacay stayed at home, while grandpa-Aurelio Cruz would use pan to fish. Both stayed home
lingayen beach - fishing
5 Siblings:
-Dad's Side
My grandpa (father's side)-Benedicto was a bus inspector for the Laguna province. He would travel from one bus to another by getting on and off.
My Grandpa (Benedicto) owned a store in Narcalan, Laguna. Greatgrandpa (Carlos) maintained buses in Manilla, which he would fix city buses whenever they needed repaired wherever they needed some "fixing".
Architecture
Biography
Colleges
Genealogy
What a God divine message this morning (Sunday, August 15th @8:45-10:15a) at my local church in St. Paul (Woodland Hills Church). Efrem Smith (Irish, Cherokee, African-American), a guest speaker from Sanctuary Convenant Church, passionately shared about "Blood of Jesus"; challenging us to ask our Heavenly Father-"What's the next season (e.g. purpose, calling, job/career, step, etc...) in my life?" and to look back (e.g. sanhofa-bird that walks forward with it's head facing back) to know where we are going: geneaology under the family of Christ. He shared about no matter what your ethnic background is, we are one BIG family if (personal relationship)in Christ...
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham....-Matthew 1
Others in the Bible:
Related Links:
Family Trees Online
-Charts (print online)
Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire. Please come back and visit again!
Fun For Kids Company, ammusement inflatables
GeoLogistics Centre, in Paranaque City, Philippines
Gold Patch Link International , air and sea freight forwarder and custom broker
headquarters in Ermita-Manilla, Philippines
Rex Book Store Branches, chain stores throuhgout the islands
Sand Castle Vacation, in National City, California
Yusen Air&Sea Service, headquarters in Paranaque City, Philippines
Lagos, Nigeria residents (class of 1977)
-Asterio: (4 kids-Genevive, Giovanni "Bunny", Gladys, Herald)
-Necita (3 kids-Thelma, Salvador, Marcello)
-Aurellio Jr. -"Ely": (Erdy, Laarni, Chris, Al, Reily)
-Fey
-Zoilo -"Lou": Sherwin, Jong-Jong, Mia "Diana Rose",
{Monteagudo Family Tree}
Recommended Resources
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Family: Believers, Brethren, Brothers, Father, Daugher, Mother, Sisters, Son, Unity, etc...
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