As the Puyallup fair ended, Justin and I had the opportunity to peruse the various booths and strange collections of things for sale and trade. One of the booths was a geneaology booth, which had thousands of last names and family histories. Imagine Justin’s dismay when he learned that his family coat of arms was a simple green shrub, which paled in comparison to mine, which had winged birds and lightning and all sorts of really cool imagery.

Not content to let it rest, Justin investigated further. Turns out, the Esch coat of arms is actually much more than just a shrub. We’re still trying to interpret its meaning, but there is some obvious symbolism and perhaps a bit of pre-determined destiny here. The only thing missing are slices of bacon where the stripes should be…