Alex and Lisa Johnson are Georgia natives, deep-rooted in southern traditions, and UGA die-hards (even though one of their kids plans to betray them and apply to GA Tech in a few years!). They hold the center spot of a three-generation family who call Edinburgh home. Alex’s mom, Judy Johnson, lives with them, and Lisa’s parents, Al and Donna Consuega, live just a few doors down. Their boys, Dylan and Charlie, complete this sweet family, keeping all the parents and grandparents on their toes as they bounce from home to home and around the community daily. With three generations of one family on one street, our Mother’s Day edition is the perfect time to introduce this wonderful family to our community.

Alex and Lisa moved to Edinburgh in 2020 during the pandemic with their friends Todd and Chloe Salter and Phil and Monique Traylor. The ladies' friendships go back to high school. Alex and Phil are childhood best friends, and Monique and Phil met at a mutual friend’s wedding while Mo was living with Lisa and Alex. Alex even credits Chloe for giving him Lisa’s phone number during their college days in Athens. Bringing their families together in the same community allowed them to remain close during a time when it was so difficult to be together. Now, they share everyday moments with close friends, who are also their neighbors. 

Let’s start by meeting the heartbeat of the Johnson home, the boys! Ten-year-old Dylan and twelve-year-old Charlie are best friends and love spending time with their grandparents. They know they can eat ice cream straight from the container on the couch with Nana and Papa (Donna and Al), and JJ (Grandma Judy) will cook them up anything they want anytime. They are grateful for the closeness they share and the love they get to experience day in and day out. They do not know life any other way, and even to be so young, they truly understand what a blessing it is to be so close to their grandparents.  

Dylan is ten years old and a fourth grader at Riverside Elementary School. He loves soccer and has become quite good at chess. He credits his Papa with teaching him and his friends how to play. They’re involved in the Chess Club at Riverside and love being a part of a game you can play with friends and grandparents. While Social Studies is his favorite subject, he really wants to go to Georgia Tech (it’s hard for his parents to say it out loud!) to become an engineer. We asked Dylan to share something that maybe everyone does not know about him. He totally caught us off guard when he said, “Riverside has the best food in the county. It’s gourmet. I love the Asian food! And the Bread - it’s the best bread I’ve ever had. Riverside Elementary - 5 Star rating!”. He also mentioned being a Chief’s fan, but his family seemed to think that was not much of a secret! He loves Patrick Mahomes and loves to cheer on his favorite football team.

Twelve-year-old Charlie is in the sixth grade at North Gwinnett Middle School. He plays lacrosse, loves hunting, and is a cowboy at heart! Lisa’s family has a ranch in Oklahoma, and Charlie truly loves spending time there and working with the horses. He looks forward to horse camp each summer. Charlie also loves dove and deer hunting, and he killed two does this past season. Guitar is his favorite class, but he finds math the easiest subject. Charlie hopes to one day own a car dealership where he will sell the cars that his engineering guru brother Dylan builds. In fact, Charlie is quite the car aficionado. He said that many people know how much he admires sports cars, but it might be a secret that he can name almost all of them.

Alex and Lisa love to travel. They love couples, family, girls', and guys' trips. Two years ago, Alex and Lisa celebrated their 20th anniversary while traveling with Phil and Monique as they celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. Their Spring Break trip this year is all about the kids. They will head south and spend some time at a Dude Ranch near Orlando, Florida, to tap into Charlie’s cowboy spirit! It's not your typical spring break, but it is perfectly suited for their wild-at-heart boys. They each have a few trips just for the girls/just for the guys in the works. Lisa admits that she loves planning adventures, keeps all the itineraries, and probably should have been a travel agent!

Life is not all about travel and play; there is a little work built in. Out of college, Alex went to work for Lisa’s dad at their family gun ranges. Lisa now runs both of their ranges as Al is retired and focused on being a full-time grandparent. Alex eventually followed in his dad’s footsteps and now works in distribution. With both parents holding full-time careers, they are grateful for the hands-on help from the grandparents.

The grandparents are quick to say they are the grateful ones. Donna sums it up best: "Our reward for growing older is the grandkids.” While they may joke about how great it is to sugar them up and give them right back, they would not have it any other way. Judy agrees that the grandkids are what they enjoy most, and being a part of their lives has kept them all active and alive. 

Al and Donna, as well as Judy, have all lived very full lives. Judy was a Gwinnett County Public Schools bookkeeper and has been keeping grandbabies since retirement. Al and Donna have quite the love story. They met when Al was playing football at a Junior College in Oklahoma. After they were married, Al served in the Navy for nine years, which allowed Donna to see the ocean for the first time after growing up in the middle of Oklahoma. They have loved merging their family with Judy and are now best friends. They share stories that overlap with “the kids” (Alex and Lisa) and now the grandkids. 

Alex and Lisa know that having three moms and two dads is exactly what their family needs. Lisa tells us, “We share everything with them. It’s weird to me that grandparents would not be involved in their kids’ lives. I grew up surrounded by grandparents. I don’t know another way. I would hate to even know what that felt like. I don’t know any different, so for me, my kids will have that upbringing”.

Alex tells us that Lisa and his biggest fear is that “the boys will marry someone who does not want us close.” For now, they will soak up the day-to-day with their three generations of family in the mix of a beautiful life they have built right here inside the gates of Edinburgh.