How It All Began

It all started with Pops and Gigi, also known as Nick Sr. and Nettie. They are my husband Nick Jr.’s Mom and Dad, and two of my favorite people.

Pops grew up in the South, farming and building things with his dad and granddad. It was a good life, and he loved the work, but he wanted something more. He wanted to see the world and explore life beyond his small town.

So, when he turned 18, he convinced his older brother to go with him, and together they struck out for North Haven, a small city in the Midwest where they landed what people used to call “a good factory job.”

It was a courageous leap of faith, and it meant leaving everyone they loved behind, including Pop’s girlfriend, Nettie.

GiGi was only 16 at the time and had not yet finished high school. Before Pops left, they made a pact that when she graduated, they would get married, and she would move to the Midwest too. They had big plans, but as it turns out, her parents had even bigger plans.

When they heard what the two young love birds had planned, they said when you leave this house you are going to college. You see, GiGi has always been smart. Her Momma and Daddy knew from the time she was a little girl, that GiGi was destined for more than picking cotton, which is how their family had made a living for generations.

They wanted more for her. So, they scrimped and saved her whole life, so that she could be the first in their family to get a degree. It was an infinite source of pride for her family, and yet GiGi wanted to be with Pops. 

Her Dad finally made a deal with her, “Nettie, after you finish college, you can do whatever you want with your life, and your Momma and I will do our best to support you. Just remember, wherever you go, to always be a blessing to others, as God has blessed you.”

So GiGi agreed and went off to school, and four years later got her teaching degree. 

At her graduation party, Pops famously serenaded her with “My Girl,” dropped down on one knee, and popped the question in front of her whole family. Can you imagine? Y’all, my heart melts a little bit every time they tell their story.