Girl Running Tall




Wednesday, March 6, 2013

#Yearof40 Week 9 - A Different 40 Year Celebration

This week's post is about a different 40-year celebration - my mother's retirement after 40 years at what is now Wells Fargo. 


July 1973
The day Mom was hired at the bank
In July of 1973, when I was 6 months old, my mother was hired at First National Bank of Catawba County which became First Union, which became Wachovia, which became Wells Fargo.  For 40 years my mother gave the bank everything she had - and then some - as a way to provide for my sisters and me.  We cannot ever thank her enough for what she's given us. 

I think in modern times you'll be hard pressed to find very many people who have stayed loyal to one company for 40 years.  Her dedication to the bank was rewarded when it counted most.  Because those for whom she worked valued her work ethic, her reliability, and her work product, when Mom needed time away to be with Granddaddy before he left us, there was never a question asked or an eyebrow raised - she took the time she needed and wanted.  Same is true for when Rick fought against and beat the hell out of his cancer.   When Nolan was born, she made a quick phone call and was able to witness the birth of her first grandchild. 

The current generations, including my own, could all learn a lesson from my mother.  Get a job.  Work hard.  Be loyal.  

Forty years is a long time.  Let's think about some of the things that have happened since she started working at the bank in July of '73...

  • August 8, '74 - Nixon resigned
  • April 1, '76 - Apple Computers was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
  • May 29, '76 - Mom and Rick were married
  • May 25, '77 - First Star Wars movie was released
  • August 16, '77 - The King died
  • December 19, '77 - Little Leo was born
  • May 4, '79 - Margaret Thatcher became Britain's 1st female Prime Minister
  • July 1, '79 - Sony releases first Walkman
  • July 21, '81 - Charles and Diana's Wedding (I remember watching that with Mom...we lived in Boone at the time)
  • September 21, '81 - Sandra Day O'Connor confirmed as first female Supreme Court Justice
  • June 22, '82 - E.T. phoned home
  • April 3, '83 - NC State wins National Championship when a missed shot from Dereck Whittenburg turned into the alley-oop heard around the world...and 2 game-winning points from Lorenzo Charles
  • April 27, '83 - Mary Pye was born
  • July 13, '85 - Live Aid
  • January 28, '86 - Challenger explosion
  • November 9, '89 - Fall of the Berlin Wall
  • April 1, '91 - Duke beat Kansas for National Championship
  • March 28, '92 - The Shot.  Best basketball game in the history of NCAA. 
  • April 6, '92 - Duke beat Michigan for back-to-back National Championship
  • June 23, '93 - Lorena Bobbitt got mad and...
  • October 3, '95 - OJ Simpson found not guilty
  • December 20, '97 - Julia and Mark are married
  • December 31, '99 - We partied like it's...  Millennium! Y2K
  • October 2, '00 - Little Mister was born
  • November 7 - December 13, '00 - Hanging chads recount
  • April 2, '01 - Duke beat Arizona for National Championship
  • April 23, '01 - Apple introduces the iPod
  • September 11, '01 - The world as we know it changed forever
  • February 1, '04 - Janet Jackson had a 'wardrobe malfunction'
  • February 4, '04 - Facebook founded by Mark Zuckerburg
  • August 29, '05 - A crazy lady named Katrina...
  • July 21, '07 - First Harry Potter book released
  • September 6, '08 - Pye and Mitch are married
  • April 5, '10 - Duke beat Butler (in a hell of a game) for National Championship
  • May 2, '11 - Osama Bin Laden is killed
  • December 6, '12 - Ansley Kay was born
Mom's retirement was celebrated in grand style last Friday night in a private room at Yousef 242 in Hickory.  Yes, a private room is necessary for this crowd of family and family friends - we can get quite loud.  We had such a good time.  Food, drinks, presents and tons and tons of laughter. 
 
Trouble x 3:
Mom, Mama Michelle and Sister Susan

Joel & Michelle
Susan & Todd
Nolan and Leigh Ann

Little Leo, Mom, Julia & Mary Pye

Marty & Mark
The Three Ms: Mitch, Mark & Marty
This is what happens when they are together...
...and I'm sure we do not want to know what lies are
being told or what they're laughing at...
AK laughing it up at the party


AK being entertained by Nolan
Even the car ride home was fun...

I am happy to report that in spite of Ansley K's recent fear of strangers, she did not have stranger danger with me!  I was so afraid that she'd see me and scream bloody murder but alas, she did not.  Instead I was greeted with this precious, no-stranger-danger smile that melted me...

No Stranger Danger!
And before I left and before I all but kissed her little face off, we had play time where I melted some more...and considered putting her in my luggage...


Can you see me melting...
Big Girl time in her chair...
It was a great time shared with family and friends.  I love celebrating my family's accomplishments - even just a plain ol' birthday.  In a world where the news has nothing nice to report, I find great joy in the simple pleasures of my family - my crazy, hectic family.  But this was not a plain ol' celebration - this was 40 years in the making and I'm so happy for her.  She's going to enjoy spending her days with AK until early 2014.  After that, she has endless options for what to do with her time and I can't wait to read her next chapter.

More to come.

Running TALL,
Julia