"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Family Traits

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

The prompt for the week is:    

Family Traits

The Brief:

• Do you exhibit any family traits?
• Do you even recognise them or simply accept them as face value?
• Do traits exist or are they simply a coincidence?

My first step to this post was to look up the words family traits. And even in doing that was interesting. Why you ask? The answer is there was more than one definition.

Ask defines it as:

"A family trait is a genetic likeness that is passed through parents' genes to their children. Most specific traits are passed directly from one parent. Genetic disorders are also traits that can be passed from a parent to a child." and "Recessive traits can be passed down by both parents. Green eyes and blue eyes are considered recessive traits, so a child with one blue-eyed parent and one green-eyed parent can have either eye color. Other recessive traits include nearsighted vision, red hair, blond hair, thin lips and attached earlobes."

Teach Genetics at University of Utah defines it as:

"Traits can be inherited from a parent, or traits can be learned. Family and cultural traditions often influence learned traits. "

As you can see, it depends on your definition as to which way you look at this prompt.

Inherited down from parents
I think I inherited my blue eyes, brown hair from both parents. As I've been researching, I've found that many of my ancestors had both brown hair and blue eyes which, to me, seems strange as usually you have a blonde or red head thrown in there.

Dad & I

Mom & I

I do have red highlights in my hair, which we think come from some ancestor in the past from Ireland. I do have Irish DNA (a tiny bit) which is probably why I have the red highlights in the hair.

I do know my annoyed or angry face I get from my mother. As everyone tells me, when I'm mad there is no doubt in anyone's mind as the annoyance factor.

I get the height from my mother as we are or were within a few inches of each other.

Inherited Traits
I'm not sure what traits I've inherited as I'm more of my own person. I do know that family means everything to me and if someone goes to hurt or do something to one of them, I'm there for them. I'm like that with my friends as well. Where do I get this? I have no idea. This might be just a by product of my Polish heritage and I have that from both sides of the family.

EU and Belgium flags

I know I've been told I'm a human Switzerland as well. In fact, when I was at my trade school at Orange Ulster BOCES or Vocational Center, the teacher would have me hash out differences with people because I treated each side the same and would work to get them do have a friendly outcome. The same thing when I was at the Computer Club at OCCC. They would have me work out differences. Could this be my Belgium side coming out? After all Belgium is the official seats of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Council, as well as a seat (officially the second seat but de facto the most important one) of the European Parliament as Wikipedia states.

I'm not sure what other traits I have except for fighting. This must be the German coming out because the German's I've always known love to fight.

I'm not sure what other traits or other parts I've gotten from anyone as I've usually made my own way in my life rather than play follow the leader.

  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Topic 3 - My Physical Self

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

The prompt for week 3 is:

My Physical Self

Some examples are:

• Your size – clothes size                                   
• Height
• Body build
• Glasses? Contacts/
• Shoe size
• Teeth
• Scars / Birth marks
• Eye colour
• Draw your hands Finger Prints
• Hand size
• Jewelry you normally wear (rings, earrings)

This week's topic is an interesting one. Its a balance of what to tell others about me and privacy. I am normally a very public person, but due to this week's topic, its also a balance so people do not impinge on my identity.

I've always been a bigger size girl/woman. By the time I was aged 17 I was a size 14 in pants and fighting my weight. I've been like that throughout my life - fighting my weight. However, in the past few years its been a real struggle, but I'm overcoming that struggle. How you may ask? Through watching my diet and exercising. Yes, its completely yuck, but the alternative of diabetes and all that goes with that horrible disease keeps me going. I do splash out with some sweets from time to time, but I do watch it. In saying that, how do you think I went from a size 24 to a size 16 in about 6 months? In the last 7 months I have stabilized that weight, however, I am still loosing weight because I can see the difference in my stomach area, but the muscle I'm putting on is counteracting the weight so I'm still the same but healthier because more muscle equals more burning of fat.

Jo in Sydney March 2012

Jo & Brett April 2013

I'm of average height - 5 foot 4 /2 inches tall. My husband is a bit smaller in height too. I follow my mother's height. Upon doing some of my family research, I found that grandmother Jean's father, my great grandfather, was about the same size as I am. My grandmother Jean was only 4 foot 10 inches and always wore high heals and had cushions on every place she sat to be taller.

My shoe size is a normal size for my height - a size 8. I do have to watch how narrow the shoes are due to me having a wide feet.

As for my build, I'm of medium build, but my shoulders are wider than the normal woman's shoulders. I get these from my father.

I wear glasses constantly due to being both near and far sided. I started to wear glasses in 5th grade and this was because I once tried on my brother's glasses to see. After that is when I started to have problems and my 5th grade teacher, Mr. David McGinnis, noticed and told my mother to get my eyes checked. I do have contacts that I wear, but usually that is confined to when we go out and I'm not expecting to read.

I have very good teeth for my family. My sisters and mother, Jo Ann, all have had problems with their teeth after they have children. However, I have only had a couple of handfuls of cavities and, to date, only one tooth pulled. That being said, I have never given birth to any children, so that plays a part in it too.


I have blue eyes, which both parents, Jo Ann and Matthew G., have. My father's mother, Jean, also had blue eyes as well. According to some documents I found, Jean's father had blue eyes as well.

Birthmark on my back

Malformed ear

 I have one birth mark in the middle and a little to the right of my back. It looks like a tiny island on my back. I have plenty of scars due to the numerous pimples I had growing up and continue to have. These are from the hormonal imbalances I have due to having PCOS.  The scars are on both upper arms, face, upper body, and breasts. I also have both darker and lighter hair all over my body another symptom of PCOS.

All this being said, I do have to mention some of the physical defects I had when I was born. I have ear that is not normal - It has a point. Further, I'm pigeon toed and was born that way. My mother, grandmother and many doctors when I was very young, tried to get my legs pointed correctly for many years, but it wasn't to be. They had me in braces, casts, and even had medal on the sides of my shoes to try and force my feet straight. Most of the time you don't even notice them but if you keep a careful watch on how I walk, you can tell my toes point inwards.

My Adult Foot

My Baby Foot

My hand size is about 16cm long (from wrist to top of middle finger) and 12cm wide.  I have very large knuckles from popping my knuckles growing up. My fingers swell up if I have too much salt in my diet and this makes getting my wedding and engagement rings sometimes a big challenge. I only rarely take my wedding and engagement rings off - only when forced to for surgery. Further for the last nearly 10 years, I have worn a necklace with emblems of an angel and of Saint Gerard Majella. The angel was due to us loosing an angel.

Impression of my hand

My hand with my normal watch, Wedding & Engagement Rings

Check back next week for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.