Personal History: Newark, Ohio

Okay, we left off during the Purdue years...my dad graduated from Purdue and got a job with Owens Corning Fiberglass (and he ends up working there over 20 years). They moved us to Newark, Ohio which is a suburb right outside of Columbus. This was our first home and this is where my earliest memories begin. I remember the kitchen and the spiral staircase to the basement in that house.
This was right in front of our house. The tree had such beautiful blossoms in the Spring!

I also remember our awesome neighbors and my baby-sitter, Courtney. "Mama Jo" and "Papa Jo" lived right next door and they were always so nice to me. They are the couple on the left and the couple on the right are my Grandma and Grandpa Terry. Our other neighbors, Ann and Ed were also great neighbors. Their daughter was my baby-sitter and her grandfather lived with them and I called him "Pipe"...I'm guessing because he smoked a pipe. He had a refrigerator in his room and whenever I would come visit he would snag a piece of chocolate from his mini fridge. I thought that was so cool.
I had my second birthday in Newark and this is when I got my shiny red tricycle. I loved that thing! My mom told me that I used to ride around and around in the basement of that house all the time.

Halloween that year was really scary for me. I hated the trick or treaters and was totally freaked out.
This is the time when I started wanting to do everything my mom did. I loved the cook with her and help with the dishes. I even remember just loving to splash in the warm, soapy water.

My poor hair just got longer and curlier each year. Just watch as the hairstyle go. In this picture, I'm sporting the "just got out of bed on Christmas day" look.
By the next Halloween, I was a little more eager to celebrate so this was my first year I wanted to go trick-or-treating. Well, my dad got an offer to go up to headquarters in Toledo, Ohio so we packed up the moving van and headed up north and found a home in Perrysburg, Ohio. Until next time...