Kathy’s Family at Disney World

Kathy: Kathy is the oldest of four children. She has a brother, two sisters and five nieces and nephews ranging in age from 3 years to 8 years. Even though we only live 3 miles from Kathy’s parents, we live the furthest away. Kathy's family is extremely close and very supportive of each other.

Kathy's family has several traditions. We have the customary holiday traditions such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. But we also have a tradition of going to Kathy's parents' house every Sunday after church for dinner, where her parents' prepare the most wonderful meal. In addition to dinner, we enjoy spending the afternoon together and playing with the kids. Our time together is very jovial and relaxing. During the summer, Kathy's family usually spends the afternoon out at the pool after lunch. The kids also enjoy riding on the four wheeler with their grandfather, fishing, riding the pedal boat on the pond or just playing any game that they happen to make up at the time.

Sal with Our 3 Oldest Nieces and Nephews Enjoying Our Boat

Sal: Sal is the oldest of three children. His mother passed away a few years ago and he misses her very much. Sal's father lives in Idaho, along with his middle brother, who is married and has three daughters, the oldest is starting college. Sal's youngest brother lives in Florida with his wife and both are police officers.

Sal grew up in New York and had a terrific childhood. His parents lavished him and his brothers with gifts and lived in a fairly upper-lifestyle home. However, his parents suffered economic hardships and that has actually been very important in his life, making him extremely aware of the necessity to plan ahead.

Sal's family enjoyed great times during the holidays. They would invite family and friends over to their home for huge meals and talk late into the evening. He grew up on the water and spent many weekends and holidays on his parents' boat. During the winter, they would go skiing and stay at a friend's chalet. He hopes to give his children the best of everything and create the many fun memories that he had from his childhood, while tempering their life and preparing for the future.

Our Home

We began our married life traveling. First with the U.S. Navy for Kathy and later while we both obtained graduate degrees. Before settling down, we discussed our "dream house" and the desire to live in the country with some land. After completing our graduate degrees, we found about 13 acres of land in North Carolina near Kathy's family and decided to build a dream house.

After much searching, Kathy was unable to find plans of her dream house, so she drew a sketch of her dream house on the back of an envelope. Kathy's dad, a general contractor and developer, actually took the sketches and designed the plans for our house. Our house is truly one of a kind.

The Playroom

We live in a two story brick home with a wrap around porch. In anticipation of an expanding family, we included two extra bedrooms, each with its own bath. The house also has a playroom, exercise room and home offices for us. We also plan to finish the library in the future. We built the house while dreaming of an expanding family and cannot wait to fill our home with children to love.

We live in a rural, farming community. Kathy's parents have a small (1-2 acres) garden which we enjoy during the summer, and even in the fall and winter, thanks to the canning and freezing done by Kathy's mom. We have blueberry bushes and grapevines on our property along with a pond stocked with fish. We enjoy living in the country where we can enjoy peace and quiet as well as a beautiful view of the sky.