I remember growing up, thinking to myself that there was just no way that my grandparents could have possibly worked. By the time I came they were either retired or very close and I would hear in spotted conversations about their work history. Figure here I can give you a very real observation on each one of your grandparents as they are all currently still working. I am going to use the names that I assume you will refer to them by, but who knows if that will stick or not. Let’s start with mom’s side…

Papa – Lawyer

Papa is a Lawyer that specializes in business and real estate law. He graduated from USC undergrad, and then went to law school at Southwestern University. He has been practicing law for over 30 years at this point, and works from home. He has about 3 huge clients that he handles and also is an avid investor in real estate and some stock market.

Mia – Teacher/Real Estate/Food & Beverage/Stay-at-home-mom

Mia has done a variety of different things in her career. She graduated from USC with a degree in Political Science. She was a teacher in Palm Desert when mom was little, and once they moves to Sun Valley she took on a more motherly role. Once mom got into high school, Mia started doing real estate. She has also been with Michel for about 10 years at this point who owns a high end french restaurant in Ketchum. She helps him run the restaurant and serves as a hostess as well.

Now let’s look at my side…

Boppie – Railroad Engineer

Let me start by saying that I broke the Donegan tradition. 5 generations of Donegans had worked for the railroad, I broke the trend (always feel a bit guilty about that). Anyway, Bop is a railroad engineer meaning that he drives trains. He started working for the railroad when he was 19 years old, and will actually be retiring in March (you are due in February) and will have been there for 41 years.

Nonnie – Finance

Nonnie has been an accountant since graduating college. She graduated summa cum laude from University of Arizona with a degree in finance. She went to work for Ernst & Young straight out of college, didn’t care for the corporate world, so focused most of her career in the non-profit sector. She has been an accountant, bookkeeper, controller and even a CFO. She has a masters in education and a masters in business, and currently works for Smith Optics as an accountant (could have a higher position, but doesn’t like managing people).

That is the current status of everyone. As you can see, they kind of run the gamete in terms of diverse professions. This should be a good thing because you will have plenty of experts in various fields. Hope this will serve as a reference point for you in the future and you can avoid the confusion that I experienced.

Love, Dad