Memories Of Our First Home

We have many great memories, all worth remembering. So, instead of writing about aging and its arduous challenges, I’ll go light and reminisce.

I want to share some of the love and adventure we experienced in our first home. Soon after our marriage, Lenette found a 900 sq. ft., two-bedroom GI house in Northridge, California. At the time, we carried three mortgages on a house worth $12,000.

Shortly after we moved in, we got our cat, Cleo, and two dogs. Many readers will recall Brutus, a Beagle-Hound dog, and Heidi, a huge German Shepherd. As I’ve often recounted, they loved each other, and we became family.

It wasn’t long afterward that Lenette remade our backyard, landscaping it into two levels and adding a rock-faced waterfall and trees for shade. We loved it, and so did the animals. 

Here, we held our first-ever Christmas Party for our entire family. It was such a memorable success it became part of our family’s history.

Yet, there was far more that happened here. Jeff’s story is known by most; he came to live with us as a troubled 11-year-old, and he also found his first home here. We all became a close and loving family in every sense and shared the confines of the 900-square-foot space very well.

After Jeff graduated high school, he went off on his own. Eventually, he joined the Army and served in the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. He and Georgia have been happily married for over 45 years.

That small home gave birth to some amazing memories!

Sy

Author: Sy Ogulnick

Sy Ogulnick received a BA from UCLA, Teacher’s Credential from Los Angeles Board of Education and completed phase I (Master’s portion) in a Doctor of Behavioral Science program at California Coast University. Sy leased and operated a summer day camp in LA. He and his wife then purchased virgin wilderness land in Northern CA, where they built and operated a coed summer camp. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, and purchased, built and operated a community children’s program for families staying in a major resort casino in Las Vegas. They have created programs for children nationwide that employed many people and in the process developed successful training programs for personnel. This led Sy to lecture on how to train staff and the creating of community within the workplace. Sy was then invited to speak at professional conferences on how best to hire and train employees, which led to his becoming a consultant in the art of improving relationships in a work environment and eventually to his epiphany that “Leaders are the primary problem and the answer to the personnel issues that arise in the workplace.” Sy has written numerous papers on the subject of interpersonal relationships, leadership and power. He has lectured throughout the United States, has been interviewed by the media and has appeared on many radio and TV talk shows

One thought on “Memories Of Our First Home”

  1. Yes, I was at that first Christmas dinner with my whole family and I still remember it. My grandmother, Sy’s mom, was afraid to go to a Christmas dinner because she knew nothing of Christmas. We had a wonderful time. And that house was adorable. Love you

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