The Original CJ

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to the original CJ.  

Carol Jean was my nana.  I, Carla Jean, had the honor of being named after her.

Nana was stylish and beautiful. She was tall and athletic.  She loved to tell jokes even though she often forgot the punch line and she loved to laugh.  If you got her laughing at church the whole pew would shake before she regained her composure. When nana was young she learned how to sew.  She loved ice skating and tennis.  I remember hearing the stories of how she would make herself pleated skirts for just such occasions.  It always made me think of actresses in old movies.  Who goes skating in pleated skirts?  My nana did.

Nana worked in retail as well.  She spent her hours in the lingerie/hosiery department of the old Lauerman’s department store in Marinette, Wisconsin.  

Nana never wore jeans.  Can you even imagine?  She never left the house without her hair done and her lipstick on.  She was classic and tailored.  Beautiful by any definition.

When I was in college nana gave me a black velvet swing coat with bracelet sleeves that she had worn.  I still wear that coat.  It is timeless.  It is something I will always treasure.

Nana was about presentation.  She passed this down to my mom and my mom has instilled these teachings into her three children.  Whether it is the way you present yourself to the world every day or the way you set a table or celebrate a birthday,  every moment is an opportunity to make something beautiful.  

So from the Original CJ and her blessed grand daughter, the other 

CJ – 

Someday, someone will think of you and remember your place in their life.  Make it a beautiful memory.