Paragraff Prose

Some places are just a part of your story. Every spring break, we pick strawberries at Hickory Bluff, and these fields have watched the Graffises grow.

Ready to write your story?
👉🏻 paragraffprose.com

Raising the next generation of book nerds! POV: it’s the first day of spring break, and I said I’d take them anywhere they wanted to go. We’re at the library 😆🤷🏼‍♀️.

Happy Veteran’s Day to this special guy… my Papaw John. On a whim, I wrote his biography as a birthday gift several years ago, and it was such an awesome experience, I decided to create Paragraff Prose to help other families preserve their history. I owe my business success to him, but he also played a large role in my upbringing… showing me the importance of faith, discipline, and hugs (among countless other things). He will forever be one of my heroes!

Happy Veteran’s Day to all who served! ❤️

Since this page is about all things history, let’s throw it back to the hippie movement, which began in San Francisco in the mid-1960s, fueled by the rejection of mainstream American culture and opposition of the Vietnam War. The movement eventually spread across the country (and across the world) with teenagers and young adults calling themselves “flower children,” spreading ideals of peace and love. ☮️❤️

My kids are celebrating Blast from the Past Day at school!

Since I write about history, let’s throw it back to 2005 when two 20-year-old kids met at a house party in Knoxville. I won’t get into the details of the party, but let’s just say there was some debauchery… to the point where it didn’t even register with me that I shared a first name with the guy I’d just met. 🍻

After sobering up and realizing we’re both Jordans (and that I really liked him), I declared we must choose nicknames. From that day forward, we were Jordi and Graff. Seven years later, we said our wedding vows using those nicknames. And two years after that, we started our family; to this day, our kids occasionally forget that our legal names are not Jordi and Graff. (There have been several instances where Smith has told his teachers that his dad’s name is Graff Graffis).

Can having the same name be difficult? Yeah. But life is difficult. Marriage is difficult. And choosing nicknames on literally Day 1 was us choosing each other… choosing to make a relationship work however we needed to. I didn’t realize it the night we met, but choosing nicknames was the beginning of learning how to pivot while also rising to a challenge, and while we’re far from perfect, I’d say we’ve continued to pivot and rise whenever needed, and most importantly, we’ve continued to choose each other.

Happy 13th Anniversary to my love, Graff Graffis! 😉