I have had the incredible privilege growing up in a small town in Northern Indiana. It is your typical Midwestern town with small storefronts owned by local families, one "main" street, and 2 high schools. There are cornfields as far as the eye can see out in the countryside, where you can also catch a glimpse at an Amish buggy or two, and everyone loves watching Hoosier basketball. In an average town, I had an above-average upbringing. With both sets of grandparents living less than a mile away, innumerable cousins (literally), and an Italian heritage so thick that marinara sauce practically runs through my veins, I grew up surrounded by an enormous family to whom I owe everything.

In 1926, the Lucchese's began their journey of a lifetime, traveling by ship from the homeland to New York. At the time, my great-grandmother was pregnant with my grandfather. Without knowing a lick of English, they signed their names at Ellis Island and came to the only place they knew of: Elkhart, Indiana. This was where the legacy began. My great-grandparents raised seven children in their small home and taught them the essentials of life: the Catholic faith, work ethic, and how to cook. John, my grandfather, married Kathy Kretschmer in 1955. The next generation of Lucchese's was created soon after with yet another group of eight kids, while simultaneously running a local Italian deli called (you named it) Lucchese's. Now my family has expanded to 25 grandchildren just stemming from Gammy and Poppy. If we were going to add in 2nd cousins, as ridiculous as it may seem, I probably would not be able to tell you everyone's names.

Now I'll talk about where I come into the story. I was raised in a home where family came first. Sunday dinners at Gammy and Poppy's was mandatory, I always had to watch my brother's hockey games, and we always went to church as a family Sunday morning. Traditions are a big part of our culture and are emphasized almost as much as eating. For example, every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, my Uncle Greg reads 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, "the Bayou Edition." How that became a tradition or why it's the Bayou version is beyond me, but every Christmas Eve we read that book, eat some type of amazing fish that Uncle Mike brings, watch the family video for that year and wear pajamas. Besides Creole Christmas stories, another tradition of ours is making wine every Fall. We import grapes from Napa Valley and the entire family presses the grapes, barrels the juice, adds the secret ingredients and puts in in their basement for a year or two.

If I had to chose what are our biggest legacy as a family is, it would be our restaurant. The small deli that my grandparents started has transformed into a popular dining site for locals and even Presidential candidates. I grew up in that place, carrying a basket of mints in one arm and a tip jar in the other, I would peruse the dining room with a big smile on my face while my brother would be asleep in the corner, spread across two chairs under a table. One of my fondest memories were the sing-alongs we would have every Christmas; the room would belt out tunes for hours and the whole place would just beam with cheer. Whenever I go home, the daily groups of people that watched me grow and work still talk to me as though I've never left. It's an incredible sense of belonging, to come from a town where everyone knows your name, your family, and cares about you even though you're thousands of miles away.

My family has provided me with so many life lessons and I owe them all of my successes to this day. I have had examples of hard work, compassion and love throughout my entire life. They have shaped me into the woman I am and continue to help me grow. Every visit home is a blessing and as I continue to take steps in my Naval career, the visits get sweeter and sweeter. It is hard to live with the fact that as I get older, I am missing more and more of the traditions and significant family events that I looked forward to as a child. Reminiscing on my childhood brings back all of the happy memories of growing up in a small Midwestern town and I could not be more thankful to represent my home as I move forward in life. I will never forget my simple childhood nor will I forget the struggles my family had to endure to create the lives they did. With their example, I move forward, and with their support, I have no reason to turn back.

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