A lot of people have asked us why we picked the name Cameron
Jay, so I wanted to take a few minutes to explain.
I want
to start out by saying that jokes about why we aren’t naming him Austin or
Dallas, or whatever Texas town people can think of in the moment, aren’t funny.
I will never be rude to your face, but please know that question gets so old
and I am so annoyed on the inside when people think they are being so clever!!
Houston’s name has nothing to do with Texas. He is actually named after one of
the attorneys my mom used to work for when I was very little. I always liked
the name, and as I grew up and learned what a great group of attorneys my mom
worked for (most of them were related), I knew it would be a great choice. Drew
also had a friend in grade school named Houston, so he liked the idea also (although
that isn’t the person we named our son after). Obviously Houston’s middle name,
Andrew, is after Drew.
I just
tried looking up the meaning of the name Cameron, and the results were that
it’s a Scottish name meaning crooked or bent nose. That’s pretty funny to me,
because I have honestly never looked into that. I guess we’ll see in a few days
just how appropriate that is!! We just both liked the name Cameron. His first
name has no other significance than that. It doesn’t seem to be in the list of
most popular names lately, which was of huge importance to us! We don’t want
him going to kindergarten with 10 other Cameron’s, just spelled differently
(like the whole Aidan, Brayden, Caden thing lately!!). Of course no offense to
those of you who chose those names!!
However,
his middle name, Jay, holds quite a bit of significance to us. We wanted to
choose a family member to name him after, but it had to be someone worthy of
that honor and it had to be a name we actually liked. For example, an obvious
choice would have been my father, but I am not a fan of the names Bradley or
Keith, so he was out of the running (sorry Grandma!). We tossed around a few
possibilities and both easily came to the conclusion that he should be named
after my mom’s dad, my Grandpa Jay.
My
Grandpa Jay is the only grandfather I ever really knew, since my dad’s father
passed away when I was three. Drew and I are both very close to him, and love
that man so much! We call him Gramps.
Gramps
was born in 1937, the sixth of eight children. A lot of people in that
generation grew up with very little, but it’s safe to say that his family
survived on the lower end of “poor”. He has been described as kind of a “runt”
of the family and spent a lot of his childhood very sick, but he was definitely
born a fighter! From a very young age, he knew what it would take and did what
he could to survive. He has told me that growing up in a family that large,
with such rough and rowdy siblings, you had to fight for every meal you ate –
if you didn’t eat quick, you didn’t eat! He delivered newspapers and even
gathered glass bottles to help pay for the things he needed and wanted, such as
going to the “show”.
He
struggled a lot in school, and he has told me how mean the other kids were.
While kids now complain about having to wear uniforms, he would have given anything
to wear a uniform so the other kids wouldn’t know how poor he was. He dropped
out of high school, partly because of illness, but mostly because it was such a
struggle for him. It was a battle he didn’t feel was important enough to fight.
Without a lot of family support and influence, I imagine I wouldn’t have seen
the importance back then either! However, after a lot of convincing from one of
his older brothers, he eventually returned and graduated and I am so proud of
him for doing so! He also overcame his struggles with reading – there is always
a book sitting by his recliner (the television remote is always close by too,
haha, but honestly he probably reads way more than he watches tv!).
Gramps
met my Gramm when she was 14. She was living with his oldest brother and his
wife, as a foster child (someday I will write about her life and what an
amazing woman she is…). He was 18 and wanted to marry her, but she insisted on
waiting until she was done with high school. Her senior year of high school,
she graduated at semester and they were married at the end of January. She had
to get special permission from her father, since she wouldn’t turn 18 until
March of that year. This past January they celebrated their 53rd
anniversary!
In
1965, when my mom was five years old, they bought their house on Kearney Street,
where they still live now. Back then it was considered an “All-American”
neighborhood, with very nice houses and kids always playing in the streets. It
has changed A LOT over the years, but their house is one of those that stands
out as one that is taken care of. The yard always looks great, the snow is
always shoveled off the sidewalks, and you can tell that the people who live
there actually care and take pride in the place they call home. It’s not like
they are living in the ghetto, but it’s easy to see which houses are now
neglected rentals, and which ones are still home to the original owners!
Gramps
worked extremely hard to provide for Gramm and their three daughters. Even now,
at the age of almost 75, he is only partially retired. He still works two and
half days a week. I imagine he will work until the day he dies! This seems like
a cliché phrase, but he has really made a life for himself. He came from
nothing and worked for everything he has! Neither Gramps nor Gramm is bitter
about their childhood or their struggles in life, which is also impressive to
me. That’s the kind of person I really look up to!
Even
Gramps would tell you that he was (and still is a little bit) rough around the
edges. To illustrate what I mean by this, the first time my dad met him, he was
drunk and was threatening to punch my dad in the face. However, he completely
changed his life! Close to thirty years ago he completely gave up drinking AND
smoking – cold turkey! My mom has always told me it was because of his
grandkids (she didn’t want us around all of that), which I find touching! That’s
how grandparents should really be!! I honestly can’t even picture him any other
way than he is now!
Gramps
has the biggest heart of anyone I know (well, except for Gramm, but that’s for
a different blog!). He is the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his
back if you asked for it! He is always willing to lend a hand to help out in
any way you can think of! I still remember once when my parents (due to a huge
miscommunication) left me at the mall when I was about ten. Gramps was the only
one I could get a hold of and he raced across town immediately to come get his
crying granddaughter! Their doors (and spare bedrooms and couch and fridge) are
always open, anytime, whether they are there or not! We all have our own keys
and know that we are welcome anytime we want or need! In fact, I have lived
with my grandparents twice in my life (the first time for eight months and then
three more a few years later!).
I also
have to mention what a fun, and slightly crazy, guy he is! He and Gramm went
out dancing a lot in their younger years, and he is an excellent dancer. At my
wedding reception he was right there in the circle with me and a group of my
girlfriends! He still goes out on the roller rink or ice rink with his
grandkids and great-grandkids! He rides his bike and walks all over town as
well. One of the things I remember most about staying the night with them was
going to play putt-putt golf. We went all the time!! He is also always up for
any card game or board game any of the kids want to play! Other talents you can
add to the list include boxing, water skiing, hunting, fishing, golfing,
bowling, and diving…. There’s probably not anything he wouldn’t try!
He
loves all of his grandchildren, and doesn’t play favorites. He also treats all
of our significant others like they are a part of the family too! He is so
proud of Drew, in fact, that sometimes it’s nauseating! He is the number one
cheerleader for all of us! I remember MANY school plays where I was completely
mortified to hear “Go (embarrassing nickname!)!!!!” from the stands! Now it
means the world to me that he was there, though! Even now that I live so far away, he still knows what is going
on in my life (and Drew’s and Houston’s).
My
point here isn’t all the significant contributions he has made to society or
all the great things he has done in life. What’s important to Drew and me is
that he is significant in OUR lives! We couldn’t think of anyone we would
rather name our son after!
