Sunday, December 28, 2008

Who We Are, Where We Come From, & How We Got Here

We are large in number, yet close knit.... diverse, yet full of acceptance.... full of opinions and spunk, yet extremely tender and loving.... (we hug and kiss everybody.... well, at least some of us... those that married in to this get a free pass). We accept all and if you don't have a family where you belong, come on over. We take in stragglers and most likely will never notice an extra person is there! All are welcome, as long as they know that BRETT IS THE GOLDEN CHILD!

We are composed of teachers, secretaries, stay-at-home moms, college students, nurses, doctors, lawyers, soldiers, computer gurus, musicians, corporate-level employees, valedictorians, managers, tugboat and oil-rig workers, personal fitness trainers, those with PhD's, graphic designers, ministry leaders, federal officers, physical therapists, grad students... and that is just the grandchildren! (Mimi & Poppie are so proud!)

Once you meet a Poche, you NEVER forget them. And, if you have ever attended a Poche family gathering, you REALLY never forget them.... (and if for some reason you do, you seem to never be able to forget Mimi's cooking)

Some may wonder how this wonderfully made family came to be.... well, it all started with a very young Mimi & Poppie. Here is her account. It is priceless....

As for our meeting, it was actually the first day of school in September, 1946, at St. Anthony"s High in Beaumont, Texas. I was the new girl in town, who had just transferred in from Providence Academy in Alexandria. It was an "all girls' school". Needless to say, I was delighted to finally be going to a co-educational school. Anyway, it so happened that one of the captains on the football team asked me for a date. Poppie heard about it, & his first words to me as we were leaving class, were, "You're doing okay for yourself, Kid". (Isn't that tender --- & so memorable) Actually, Poppie had already met Uncle Buddy during football practice, but he & I had never met before that day. As luck would have it, Poppie & I had our first date, on October 26, 1946 --- we went to see "Two Years Before the Mast". If you ask him, he can tell you what I was wearing.