Where Were You Born?

[NatsAddict]

Thanks for passing along the greeting.  I hope to hear all is well with them, and will let you know when we get in town.

[nospinzone1]

fishte a bissel?

DA...dont forget when you are coming to the jcc let me know in adv ance to see if we can have lunch or coffee or something together.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

You can't make this kind of thing up...how amazing!!  Kind of like discovering at the WNFF tailgate that the kid of old family friends I hadn't seen in 25 years lives in the house next door.  Baseball shrinks the world ;-)

HOLY COW!!! YES YES YES!!!  That's my Aunt Doris!  The only cousin I ever really knew was Dawn.   You see, Gran being one of 10 and all 10 having anywhere from 1-5 kids, then you add their spouses, children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and you have anywhere from 200-300 people in your family!  And yes, Uncle Jack is a total sweetie!  I don't hardly ever see him.  But I remember him coming to Gran's house soon before and after she died.  We never left her alone and there were about 45 of us in the family then.  But he and Uncle Charlie have always been the kindest and gentlest men we had in our family!  So yes, by some dog-leg line we're distant "cousins" a bunch of times removed kinda sorta. 


I called my dad's sister, my Aunt Linda who was married to a Lawson for 35 years (had 2 kids Donna & Scott now ages 48 & 45) and she told me that yes, Smeltzer is Aunt Doris' maiden name.  As far as Tom goes, we always called him Tommy even though he's about your age now.  Old habit die hard.  Shoot Scott still calls me Kimmy, Kimster,  Kimmysue, whatever.  And I'm 38!  Frankly though, I still call him Skeeter, Skeets, Skeeter-eater, Skeetszo.    We can be a rather silly clan! 

Neat that you have great memories of the Scoreboard, too!  I sure miss that place!  Herndon sure isn't what it used to be!

So, nice to meet ya, cuz!  

[kimnat]

That's funny!  I didn't realize you had one of these moments too!  Yes, baseball does shrink the world!  Isn't it wonderful!

Hey Erica, you have to pass these kind of stories along to Debbie!  they're priceless!

[kimnat]

DA...dont forget when you are coming to the jcc let me know in adv ance to see if we can have lunch or coffee or something together.

You two should totally do that!  What a fantastic group and family we have here!

[NatsAddict]

I thought it was pretty amazing when I found out that natsfan1a and I both used to do work for the same company in Alexandria.

[kimnat]

Salty!  Thank you for starting this thread!  As you can see, it has made a huge difference/connection for 2 of us here!

I called my Uncle & Aunt tonight and told her about finding their next door neighbor/my "connect the dots", newfound, kinda sorta cousin, NatsAddict. Aunt Doris was floored!  She was doubly floored when I told her about Andrew's bout w/ Hodgkin's!  We talked shared cancer stories and found out that my cousin Dawn & Andrew shared the same oncologist!  I can't wait to run into Dr. Greenberg tomorrow and tell him!  I want to find out if they had the same type of Hodgkins!  Big difference is that she was about 20 when diagnosed and was at a Stage 4, Andrew was 7 and a stage 1A.  She had a year of chemo compared to Andrew's 4 mo.

So, thank you so much!  This has really made a huge difference.  My grandma's family is very big and we're very scattered about.  So this brought a couple of us very close together!  And it introduced me more closely to a "pseudo" cousin!  Thanks again!!!

[UMDNats]

Is this the origin of your Steelers fanhood?

More or less. My mom and her WHOLE family is from Pittsburgh and always had us over to watch games. I didn't really follow the NFL closely until the NHL lockout in 2004, but I always kinda rooted for the Steelers because my mom liked em. As soon as I got into football, I became a hardcore Steelers fan. Coincidentally, they became awesome in those years. People will call me and bandwagon fan but I'm rootin for them forever. I love the mentality of the team and the fans around it.

[saltydad]

Kimnat-
It's always amazing where a given thread will end up. Happy that this one was so posititve for you!

[natsfan1a]

Charming new avatar, saltydad! The cat that ate the canary, or is that the oriole? 

[kimnat]

That's the Executor!

[saltydad]

Charming new avatar, saltydad! The cat that ate the canary, or is that the oriole? 

Ha...I wish it had feasted on tiger!

[natsfan1a]

Me, too! 

Ha...I wish it had feasted on tiger!

[DPMOmaha]

Omaha, NE.  I live in Lincoln NE now.  More of a college sports fan than a professional sports fan.  The Nats is the only professional team I follow.

[NatsAddict]

Salty!  Thank you for starting this thread!  As you can see, it has made a huge difference/connection for 2 of us here!

I called my Uncle & Aunt tonight and told her about finding their next door neighbor/my "connect the dots", newfound, kinda sorta cousin, NatsAddict. Aunt Doris was floored!  She was doubly floored when I told her about Andrew's bout w/ Hodgkin's!  We talked shared cancer stories and found out that my cousin Dawn & Andrew shared the same oncologist!  I can't wait to run into Dr. Greenberg tomorrow and tell him!  I want to find out if they had the same type of Hodgkins!  Big difference is that she was about 20 when diagnosed and was at a Stage 4, Andrew was 7 and a stage 1A.  She had a year of chemo compared to Andrew's 4 mo.

So, thank you so much!  This has really made a huge difference.  My grandma's family is very big and we're very scattered about.  So this brought a couple of us very close together!  And it introduced me more closely to a "pseudo" cousin!  Thanks again!!!

I just finished talking with Kim's aunt and uncle, catching up on some things, sharing some stories.  That was so nice!  They are still in close contact with my parents, and I've heard things indirectly, but it's always great to speak directly with somebody.   I had forgotten what a nice and soothing voice Jack had.  The moment I heard his voice again, I don't know how to describe the feeling.  He is a great man.  When he was my coach, he could chew you out in such a manner, that, when he was done, you'd say, "Thank you."  I'm going to meet up with them when I'm up there for some Nats games is a few weeks.  I am so anxious to get up there now, I don't think I'll sleep between now and then.

My mom has all the genealogy for the family, and according to Family Tree Maker, Kimnat and I are third cousins. 

[kimnat]

Oh my gosh!  We really are cousins!!  That's so neat!  HI!!      This could only happen here!  Isn't this neat!?  I understand about not being able to sleep!  It's actually "kept" me awake a bit too.  I'm so glad you talked to Uncle Jack tonight.  Yes, he does have such a kind and gentle voice and way w/ words!  I didn't know him well when I was younger and have only grown to appreciate and love him and Aunt Doris as I have gotten older.  All the men in the Fletcher family (that I knew) have been like Uncle Jack, kind & soft-spoken.  From the stories Gran told me (and she told me many), my great-grandfather was this same way! 

There was one time when Gran was a kid, that after dinner, her dad tipped his chair back against the wall and took a little nap.  He was snoring and she took a small spoon of vinegar and dumped it in his mouth.  He jumped up gagging and chased her up one set of stairs in their farmhouse and down the other.  Around and around until they were both give out.  She thought she was in trouble.  But he caught her and just hugged her and said, "I love you."  That's the type of man he was.  I always wished I had been able to know him! 

All this has really prompted me to make sure I really work to see and spend time w/ the remaining 2 uncles and 2 aunts in the family (plus their spouses).  My kids need to know them!  So, this makes your daughter and my kids 4th cousins!     I used to joke and tell people who worked w/ me at the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce back a long time ago, to make sure that whoever they wanted to bust on wasn't related to me first, as it seemed like that about everyone other person in the county back then was related to me on one side of the house or the other.  My mother-in-law jokes that I always run into someone I know everytime I take her out when I go out to Purcellville!  This will completely freak her out!!!

When you come up, we have to get together!  I can't wait to meet you!

[nospinzone1]

Oh my gosh!  We really are cousins!!  That's so neat!  HI!!     This could only happen here!  Isn't this neat!?  I understand about not being able to sleep!  It's actually "kept" me awake a bit too.  I'm so glad you talked to Uncle Jack tonight.  Yes, he does have such a kind and gentle voice and way w/ words!  I didn't know him well when I was younger and have only grown to appreciate and love him and Aunt Doris as I have gotten older.  All the men in the Fletcher family (that I knew) have been like Uncle Jack, kind & soft-spoken.  From the stories Gran told me (and she told me many), my great-grandfather was this same way! 

There was one time when Gran was a kid, that after dinner, her dad tipped his chair back against the wall and took a little nap.  He was snoring and she took a small spoon of vinegar and dumped it in his mouth.  He jumped up gagging and chased her up one set of stairs in their farmhouse and down the other.  Around and around until they were both give out.  She thought she was in trouble.  But he caught her and just hugged her and said, "I love you."  That's the type of man he was.  I always wished I had been able to know him! 

All this has really prompted me to make sure I really work to see and spend time w/ the remaining 2 uncles and 2 aunts in the family (plus their spouses).  My kids need to know them!  So, this makes your daughter and my kids 4th cousins!     I used to joke and tell people who worked w/ me at the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce back a long time ago, to make sure that whoever they wanted to bust on wasn't related to me first, as it seemed like that about everyone other person in the county back then was related to me on one side of the house or the other.  My mother-in-law jokes that I always run into someone I know everytime I take her out when I go out to Purcellville!  This will completely freak her out!!!

who knows? I might even find somebody with a cuban jewish background. it would probably have to be an askeleton in the closet. hee haw!
When you come up, we have to get together!  I can't wait to meet you!

[CALSGR8]

I was born in DC, GW hospital.  Lived in Springfield, Arlington, Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and now in Manassas.

Smeltzer.      Did anyone in the Smeltzer family ever have a big house in Bannockburn in Bethesda?  When I was in 2nd Grade, my brother and I used to go to Mrs. Smeltzer's house and she would watch us until our parents picked us up. 

She was also known as the calmer of new hamsters.  I had allergies, so I couldn't have your normal cats or dogs as a pet.  I had to have something where the fur was fairly contained.  Mom and Dad bought my brother and I hamsters at the petshop, but they were kind of hyper.  We took them to Mrs. Smeltzer and she held them in a washcloth in her hand until they calmed down (one at a time of course).  After that, they were the calmest hamsters you ever held.

Got to go to work.  Bye!

PS.  Speaking of Herndon I work at EDS off 28!

[tomterp]

Speaking of Herndon I work at EDS off 28!

I worked for Perot Systems for 10 years.

[NatsAddict]

I worked for Perot Systems for 10 years.

Was that around DC or somewhere else?

[tomterp]

Was that around DC or somewhere else?

Reston, Herndon, Reston, Dallas the last two years, '91-'01.

[NatsAddict]

Reston, Herndon, Reston, Dallas the last two years, '91-'01.

My brother-in-law worked for them based out of Tampa, but spent most of his time the past few years up around Boston.

[tomterp]

My brother-in-law worked for them based out of Tampa, but spent most of his time the past few years up around Boston.

We had a small office in Tampa for a while, that I visited once.  It was in a tall office building, right on the water, at the end of a long causeway opposite side from the city proper.  I remember looking out the window from the 10th floor (approx) and seeing redfish cruising along the shore right below me.  Tough to concentrate on work.

The office was trying to develop some sort of banking system, but the customer had quit funding so we had to shut the project down.

[metssuck]

I was born in DC, and lived there til age 7 before moveing to to Milwaukee, WI and then i moved back to DC at age 9 and lived here until age 13 before moving back to Milwaukee til age 17 before finally moving back to DC. I stay in BMore now a majority of the year, and DC for the summer.

[nameless600]

Born and Raised in Wisconsin...town about 30 minutes outside of Madison...Been stuck here my whole life...however I would love to go to D.C. for college and sooner or later live in the Northeast (Maine, Vermont, NH, Conn., R.I, NJ) somewhere along those lines.