52 Questions in 52 Weeks: 1 of 52
I recently came across a post, 52 Questions in 52 Weeks: Writing Your Life Story Has Never Been Easier, on Family Search. The concept is that if you answered one question a week for the entire year you will have written down important stories of your life. I think this is geared more to people further along in their lives, but I told Alison about it and she thought we should give it a shot. I don't really know if we will actually complete the full 52 weeks, but we will start with the first question and see where it takes us:
Question 1:
What is your full name? Explain why your parents gave you that name.
Eric - The name my parents gave me when I was born was, Eric Lee Scheib. I read this question and at first, that is almost all I really knew. I reached out to my mom and Kurt to see if they would give me some more insight into why they chose this name. From what I understand Kurt and my mom both really liked the name, Eric. Kurt also had a best friend growing up whose name was Eric. That certainly influenced their decision to name me Eric. My middle name Lee is a family name. Kurt's dad, Jerry's middle name is Lee and I was named after him. When Kurt responded about where my name came from he told me that he thought the name Eric fit as soon as he first saw me.
The story of my name wouldn't be complete without explaining how my last name went from Scheib to Troff. When I was young my parents went through a divorce. As I grew older I began to have a desire to change my name. My name is an important part of my identity. My grandpa, Arno Troff, stepped in and helped my mom raise me. He was a really important influence in my life. I wanted to have the same last name as the family I loved. When I was in 6th grade my name was officially changed.
There is one other important story about my name that I should share. When Alison and I got married we went back and forth quite a bit about our last names. I am traditional and wanted Alison to take my last name. Alison wasn't sure whether she wanted to. In fact, she didn't really like the idea at all. At one point she even suggested that I take her last name. I considered it but thought it would be too unusual. After much thought and deliberation, Alison decided to change her last name. Looking back we aren't always sure we made the right choice. Sometimes I think maybe I should have taken Alison's last name. Alison is just so close to her family and so tied into the history and tradition of her family. Ultimately, I am glad we chose to keep the Troff name. I love my family and I am proud of my name.
Alison - My full name is Alison Lea Nielson Troff. My dad told me that there was a bishop in his ward on his mission whose wife was named Alison, and he always thought it was a pretty name and she was a great lady. On the way to the hospital when I was about to be born, my parents were trying to decide between Alison and Sara. They asked my sister, Kristin, if she wanted her baby sister to be named Alison or Sara. 2-year-old Kristin replied that she wanted me to be named Alison Wonderland. It seems very fitting that my second favorite ride in Fantasyland is the Alice in Wonderland ride, we go on it every time we go to Disneyland.
My middle name is Lea, which is the same as Eric's middle name! My Dad's grandma died when my Mom was pregnant with me and her middle name was Leatha. My parents wanted me to have a little of her name, so they chose Lea. I've always loved my middle name because it's so simple, and yet so unique. I've never seen anyone else spell Lea that way.
I am glad that I took Eric's last name when we got married, however, there are still times that I wish that we had the last name of Nielson. I love my last name and my Scandinavian heritage. I have often approached the idea of hyphenating our kids' last names to Nielson-Troff so they have their Scandinavian heritage as part of their name as well. However, I'm not a fan of hyphenating, so I'm still working on a compromise. I really love my name and the heritage it represents.
Alison - My full name is Alison Lea Nielson Troff. My dad told me that there was a bishop in his ward on his mission whose wife was named Alison, and he always thought it was a pretty name and she was a great lady. On the way to the hospital when I was about to be born, my parents were trying to decide between Alison and Sara. They asked my sister, Kristin, if she wanted her baby sister to be named Alison or Sara. 2-year-old Kristin replied that she wanted me to be named Alison Wonderland. It seems very fitting that my second favorite ride in Fantasyland is the Alice in Wonderland ride, we go on it every time we go to Disneyland.
My middle name is Lea, which is the same as Eric's middle name! My Dad's grandma died when my Mom was pregnant with me and her middle name was Leatha. My parents wanted me to have a little of her name, so they chose Lea. I've always loved my middle name because it's so simple, and yet so unique. I've never seen anyone else spell Lea that way.
I am glad that I took Eric's last name when we got married, however, there are still times that I wish that we had the last name of Nielson. I love my last name and my Scandinavian heritage. I have often approached the idea of hyphenating our kids' last names to Nielson-Troff so they have their Scandinavian heritage as part of their name as well. However, I'm not a fan of hyphenating, so I'm still working on a compromise. I really love my name and the heritage it represents.
Comments
Post a Comment