“Where the Wild Things Are”

:a glimpse of my other half.

For my Wild Card, I decided to interview my mom, Trecia Todd Gemes, in order to get a glimpse into her side of the family to tie in the other half of me. My mom grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in a small town called Pass Christian, Mississippi. Her home of 34 years was blown away to a slab after Hurricane Katrina hit on August, 29, 2005. She was raised in a very extensive Catholic family and has many funny stories from growing up. Her side of the family is my wild side; they encourage me to take the dare— to be crazy, travel far, and laugh hard. Although the Gemes side is amazing, I wouldn’t be telling my story right if I didn’t include the Todds.

Interview with Mom: Wild Card:

1. What was the best part about growing up? Being part of family that always accepted and loved you no matter what. It is foundation of who we all are! I was brought up with a Christian faith and heritage that taught us that God loves us deeply and our job is to share that love with others. And we always made memories! FUN memories, family times, friends around, great travels; we made lots of wonderful memories!

2. Describe your hometown and the different people and places that made it what it is to you. It is a beautiful small town nestled along the Gulf of Mexico on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Our home had a view of the water. We woke up to the sun rising over the water and went to sleep with a bright moon reflecting on the gulf. It was an easy way of life, everything was close to home and laid back. We spent most warm days in the pool, running back and forth to the beach, and grilling out lunch. The local restaurants and folks that owned them made it an experience to eat; good food and great people! Growing up there holds fond memories!

3. In the introduction I mentioned about Pass Christian? What’s the story of your house on the Coast? My home was built by my parents in the early 1970’s when they bought an empty gulf front lot that had a slab left on it as a remnant of Hurricane Camille that devastated the coast in the late 1960s. They took a chance and built a big beautiful family centered home and pool with a lush landscaped yard. There were 34 years of family, fun, faith and friends that filled the walls of that home. The walls were filled with pictures and quotes by my father. The attic was filled with years of memorabilia and my grandmother’s antiques. On Monday morning August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina washed all that away in a matter of a couple hours. We returned the next week to a clean slab with no debris to be found. We hold dear memories and never once regret building that home on the gulf front lot.

4. How often did you get together with your extended family? Family is very important. We have spent much time together and built relationships that go through thick and thin. Our home was like Grand Central Station to our extended family. Most Sundays in the spring and summer everyone gathered after church for lunch and to hang out by the pool and beach. Everyone would bring the most delicious food. We had parties for every holiday with lots of food and even more cousins, aunts and uncles! After Hurricane Katrina, the gathering spot was not there anymore. Actually most of my extended family also lost homes in the storm. So our family moved our gatherings to the beach in Destin, FL. Every year, this raucous, fun group from the MS Gulf Coast takes over a spot on the Destin beach and we laugh and talk all day and night long. Days are spent lounging in beach chairs and swimming in the Gulf. Nights are spent as everyone gathers in one condo, eating, visiting and sometimes even having a talent show.

5. What are some funny stories that describe your relationship with your family? with your extended family? We always had fun! We all thought we were the main entertainment. Someone was usually singing and wanting the spotlight. My sisters and myself would dress up and stand on the coffee table and have a show like we were Diana Ross and the Supremes. Cousins would come over and join our show. My Dad loved it; he would sing and direct the music. There were usually some neighbors over to be part of the audience. Every night when my Dad came home from work, we would hide under the kitchen counter bar and attack him and wrestle. It always made my mom nervous that someone would get hurt.

6. How did your relationship with your parents encourage you and affect who you are? I could write a book on this subject. My Mother is one of the most animated, lively women you could ever meet. She walks into a room and all notice. Her big blonde hair and thick New Orleans accent brings attention to her winsome attitude. She always thought her kids were the best, encouraging, helping, and giving opportunities that other people might not have. She always wanted us to travel, meet new people and have new opportunities. My father died when I was 25. I learned more from him in those 25 years than most people could ever learn in a long time from someone else. He believed God had a big plan for his kids — plans to prosper them and plan to use them for God’s glory. He instilled in us dreams and helped us think through how those dreams could come to life.

7. If you could pick one thing that PawPaw really thought was important to the family or something he really stressed to y’all, what would it be? Dream BIG and GO FOR IT! Nothing is impossible with God!

8. What was it like growing up in a Catholic family, whether religious wise or fun times? Our faith was very important. Everyone went to church every Sunday. Every one practiced their faith and were encouraged to grow in it. My parents led Bible Studies, Prayers meetings and groups from our church at the church and in our home. It was rich with tradition and faith.

9. How does your family inspire you to live better? Always encouraging, always giving and inspiring! My family also gave me the resources and opportunity to do those things.

10. In your extended family (whether it be grandmother or cousins, etc.), who was/were the most influential person/people in your life? Why? The most influential was my Mom or Dad. But I will talk about my Dad. He went ahead of us to heaven but left us a great desire to join him there. He built in us dreams and desires. He told us we could do those things and achieve the things God had for us!

11. What is “the House of Dreams”? What does it mean to you? “Welcome to the House of Dreams, in this Dreams are born, nourished and nurtured….” These words open up a poem that my Father wrote and posted by our kitchen table. Daily we would read and remember that home was a safe place to share and to aspire to things that we desired. When a dream is born, it is nourished and that home was a safe place that fostered those dreams!

12. How did Hurricane Katrina affect both your family and your extended family? Hurricane Katrina was a raging storm that destroyed many homes, businesses, livelihoods and lives. It hit our family hard. My childhood home my Mother lived in and most of my cousins and aunts homes were completely lost. Even though my Mother’s whole life of memories and earthly possessions were washed out to sea, she knew she would be okay. When I saw her the first time after the storm when we got news that everything was destroyed, we cried, but she said, “I would be more upset if someone hurt your feelings.” Her perspective was not on earthly things but on her family and her God.

13. Now, what is one of your favorite things about your family? The memories and the fun. We still have fun, travel, play, cook, eat and laugh!

14. Is there anything else, any stories, that you want to share about your family? I try now to do the things and create the fun memories with my family that I had when I was growing up.