Lina

Paul and Lina officially met with the intent of dating on November 10th, 2006. However, this was not how the story of this new family began. As kids, the story goes that they met through their parents, Lina being seven, and Paul ten. And yet again, this was not the beginning of this union. Another generation back, Misha Karetsky and Philla Belman somehow found a common ground through their travels around Ukraine and Russia. History would show that a bottle of Moonshine and some fresh deli fish would go a long way in the creation of a friendship, which would years later cement this union of the two families. And yet, fait isn’t always the answer and the reason for these sorts of things. Although their meeting was inescapable, the rest of the journey would not be written by their past, but by their future. Many hurdles had to be cleared on the way to the beautiful events we are all partaking in today, but these were hurdles not of pain, but of joy. Growing up in two separate towns and states, the road to each other was never an easy one (considering the only way to go was to clear the Belt Parkway), but they always seemed to find a way. Regina never did like Lina driving out to Brooklyn on her own, but that wouldn’t stop her little girl. A way to Paul she did frequently find, but ultimately it was he who left it all behind for a promise, one that would change both of their lives forever. But the sacrifice didn’t stop there; getting adjusted to Paul’s hyperactive schedule is not an easy burden, but that didn’t bother Lina. Soon, she became his #1 fan no matter whether he was taking on school, taking on a new job, playing football, or playing that new awesome video game till five in the morning. Lina wasn’t the only one though that had to get used to changes. It seemed as though every week Lina went through drastic changes, as she successfully completed her schooling, successfully began her career, and successfully began early motherhood when everyone’s favorite boy by the name of Peanut was brought into their home. With much effort though, this was something Paul soon embraced, and made sure he was there for her every step of the way.