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Health & Fitness

This Is What Really Matters in Life

Reminiscing about our first days in Cartersville.

Back home, there is a huge Fourth of July celebration in a town near us that we went to every year. As a person that hates large crowds, this was well worth the 1 to 2 hours sitting in the parking lot, waiting to leave. It was that big. When we first moved to Cartersville, it was around July 4. Of course I was homesick and my heart ached to be somewhere, anywhere but here. 

Our national “birthday” had always been one of the more important holidays in my family growing up. My parents have a love for this country like no one else. My maternal great grandfather came to America from Greece when he was 17 years old, all by himself. He owned a small chain of successful restaurants in Miami until his death. My mother remembers him saying, “We are American!” and Greek was only spoken when his buddies were at the house.  My paternal grandfather was first generation American from Germany who lost his father and older brother at a young age. So he had to stop speaking German and learn English in order to support his mother, sister and aunt. He fought in WWII (on our side!) and later owned a small town grocery store. Both families worked hard to be successful without any government assistance. Both families were exponentially proud to be American and passed that love to my parents.

I’ll never forget hearing a commercial on the radio here saying, “God bless America, the best country in the world!” I knew then that my family was in the right place. You would never ever hear that truth publically announced over the airwaves in Florida! Hold on, there’s a Sunday morning religious show on a non-religious radio station, too? Get out of here!

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Some of you may know me as “Cartersville Avon.”  (Great contest going on right now to meet Patrick Dempsey and go to his movie premier at Beth Sanborn, Independent Avon Rep!  No purchase necessary!)  My Facebook page has only local friends. Each day I see people posting Bible verses, prayer requests and general celebrations for God. You have no idea how refreshing it is to be among people that have no qualms of professing God’s greatness! 

Chris and I have discussed at length the differences of Florida and Georgia. It all comes down to the people, the natives. The importance of God, country and family is so prevalent in Cartersville. I hope this never changes because it's what's important to us. We are in a great place to raise our family!      

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