Hey Designer Geeks!
This post is for those that want to know us a little better. We are born and raised in Southbay, CA, and are a mix of Filipino and Chinese. We come from a big family with 2 older half-brothers from our dad’s side and a younger half-brother and sister from our mother’s side.
Growing up both Janette and I have constantly moved from CA to Seattle, WA and back, but had settled in California because we fell in love with the California sun and enjoyed spending time with our family and friends. One of our favorite aspects of living in California is being able to grow up in such a diverse community. Although we know not every community in California is diverse, we were fortunate enough to experience many cultures growing up and still continue to do so. We enjoy the finer things in life like going to the beach, hiking trails, mini road trips and parks with friends and family.
High School is a very memorable experience for the both of us because it was when we found God. For a very long time we never felt like we fit in with any of the crowds. We were also undergoing a lot of changes in our life personally. During high school, we discovered our high school Christian Club, where we finally felt comfortable and accepted.
Our mother has been a major inspiration in our lives. Sadly she passed away when we were 20. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve noticed that we carry a lot of her traits. Our mom was a healthcare worker and a major thrifter, something that we didn’t expect in our life but have ended up taking a great interest in. She also designed and owned her own nursing home which sparked our own interest in home design. We remember her saying, “One day you will be wiping butts with me”. Our response was, “Heck no!”; however, 10 years later it became a norm as we both became Certified Nurse Assistants during our Highschool and College years.
We also remember asking our mom, “Why can’t we shop at the mall like our friends?” Just thinking about it makes us laugh because we are both huge fans of thrift shopping and searching for the best deals. If our mom was alive right now, I imagine her telling us, “I told you so!” She would often take us thrift shopping, and our favorite part would always be trying on the clothes and showing them off to each other when we got home. It was just a great bonding moment between a mother and her daughters. Now we both have a hobby for creating designs at a low cost. We are frugal people who enjoy a great deal.
We grew up pretty fast but we wouldn’t change it for the world. God has placed these struggles in our lives which we know are there for us to grow stronger. The struggles that we went through had led Janette and I to really focus on our goals and work hard to continuously save for a home. Without our dedication and belief, we would not have been able to reach these accomplishments, such as owning a home.
We hope you enjoyed this read. We thought it would be a great way to be more personable. We will leave it to this, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything”, Hebrews 3:4.
God bless,
Jessie and Janette Wong