Melissa Gorga

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Like a Prayer

Melissa gives her dating advice -- ask and you shall receive!

Apr 30, 2012

This episode gave you a glimpse into what investments a lot of us are making and what is going on in our work lives. Words can’t even explain how proud I am of Joe. He’s a hard worker and never had anything handed to him. I was lucky to have everything a kid could want growing up, and then when my father died I was only 17 years old, so I didn’t want to bother my mother for much because I knew she had to take care of herself now. My parents always made sure I knew what it is like to work for something and not get anything handed to you. I put myself through college with the help of my godfather and worked three jobs doing it. I was substitute teaching, working in a tanning salon, and bar tending one night a week. Joe and I share a lot of the same values when it comes to our work ethic. I used to pray the same prayer every night before I found Joe. I would ask God to bless me with a man I was attracted too, one that was honest, one that was attracted to me, and he had to be a hard worker, not rich, but as hard as a worker as I am. Well God sent me Joe Gorga, and he hit the nail right on the head! He’s perfect! So single ladies, you need to try this and trust in God that he will too bring you exactly what you are looking for. (My dating advice for the day!)

I went to visit Joe at work with Gino and wanted to give him a collage of pictures I made for his office. I don’t get a lot of time to stop by and see him during the day, because I’m always with the kids and it gets a little crazy bringing them to construction sites. When Joe was showing me that he now has one building for each of our children, I can’t explain how happy I am for him, for my children too, but especially for him. I know it makes him so proud that he did that all on his own and worked his butt off to do it. I am very proud of him, and I think I love him more and more as we get older.

I think a big misconception about me and Joe is that we got married and were just rich and had everything we could ever want. Not true. When I first met Joe and for the first few years we were married, he owned a landscaping company. We did well for two newlyweds in our 20s, but nothing like we are now. We worked for it together. From the day we got engaged, Joe asked me to work in his office as his secretary and suggested not going into the school system to be a teacher. I had just graduated college and really wanted my own classroom. I did go to a teachers’ fair and got hired as a teacher, but after discussing it with Joe, I decided not to take the job and to work with him in his office. Joe felt like with me backing him up rather than have a stranger running things, we would make the business more successful. Well Joe was right. I worked in that office 9 to 5 Monday through Friday and did it. Even when Antonia was born, I used to bring her and all her toys to the office and I would work all day with her there. It wasn’t always easy. There were times (like the one you heard me remind Joe of) that we couldn’t even buy diapers when Gino was first born. 2008 was definitely a hard year. We had invested in real estate and the market went sour. I’m sure everyone remembers that and is still feeling the effects of the economy. Joe and I are gamblers, and I mean that in a good way. We take chances and sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, but as long as we have our two hands and each other, we can always get back on top, and that’s what we did.