Raised by a single mother, Susan Laurita's curiosity led her on a search to discover more about the grandparents she never knew. Her quest took her to another time, another place where she discovered a story worth telling and a legacy worth embracing. Rooted and Established tells the true story of her grandparents' lives revealed through journal entries, letters, poetry, and the author's personal storytelling. The cultures Frank and Mae Noel sprang from were vastly different. Yet together they worked through forbidden love, the death of a child, a flood so horrific it has yet to be matched, and an Indian uprising that had the entire nation on edge. They weathered a pandemic, the Great Depression, and failing health all while raising fourteen children. Life can be hard. It can also be good. Susan Laurita had a career in early childhood education, working on the practical level as well as the college and regional levels. Her two previous books, Stepping in Wet Cement and God Made the World and Me, are written with that focus. She lives with her veteran husband and high school sweetheart, Larry, and their two dogs. After retiring, they moved to Vancouver, Washington to be near their two daughters, Andrea and Amanda. Seven grandchildren later, they spend a lot of their time with their family, celebrating milestones and traveling.