Everyone assumes I'm Italian. Because of my last name, and my childrens names.
(Full names : Rocco Agostino, Luciana Elizabeth, Elisabetta Leola)
BUT the truth is, I don't have one drop of Italian blood in me. But my husband is, so my kids are, and by marriage I proudly claim the Italian heritage.
But the real answer is; I'm part Irish and part Hillbilly
Yes, you see, my Moms family is Irish, and my Dad's… well, they are Hillbillys.
For real, all the way from the Bootheel of Missouri. It stems mostly from my Grandmas family. And not necessarily her, but the folks who came before her. Front porch sitting, overall wearing, straw chewing Hillbillies! Trust me, I've seen the family reunion photos :)
My Grandma had the cutest little Hillbilly accent and had brothers with names like ; "Short", "Cotton" and "Boots". I can hear her in the kitchen like it was yesterday "Dad-gummit Kelly Marie can you grab that rollin' pin for me" - when she got out the rollin' pin it meant she was making Chicken and Dumplings from scratch. My favorite.
My Grandpas name was Lester Sylvester. Yes, first name "Lester" middle name "Sylvester" I swear on my life. But we all called him "Buck".
I remember my Grandma saying she knew her family was Hillbillies when her Dad hit a possum in the road with his car, got out, threw it in the trunk and took it home and cooked it for dinner.
So while on vacation last week in Branson Missouri (Hillbilly Heaven) I drug my family kicking and screaming into one of those old "saloon" type photo places. But when we saw they had Hillbilly Gear we were so excited!
We had soooo much fun doing this shoot. We laughed and laughed. In the photos are: my husband and kids, my Mom and Dad, and my Brother and his kids. And yes, that is Luci in front wearing a pink dress and holding flowers like a damn homecoming queen. She would NOT put on the Hillbilly clothes because they were "ugly and weird" and if you know Luci and how important clothes are to her, it wasn't worth the fight.
My Grandparents both passed away in just the last few years and they would think these photos were hysterical. I know they would be framed on her walls with pride. I'm trying to talk my husband into a 16x20 above our fireplace. But so far, he's not going for it ;)
