Genealogy

Have you ever wondered where we came from? Did your ancestors cross the prairies in a covered wagon? Were they on the MayFlower? Things that make you go hmmm. Well, I recently became fascinated (my husband would say obsessed) with my family's genealogy thanks to a free trial with acenstry.com. My goal is not to give them free publicity, but sheesh, what an awesome site! Not only did I find a picture of my great, great, great grandmother on there, but I also found long lost family in Illinois and Colorado. I was also able to trace my father's family back to the year 1040! Isn't that when the crusades were happening??? Who would have thought!

Anyway, to feed my new obsession, I had the opportunity to sit down with my 92 year old grandmother this last weekend and ask about old pictures, mementos and people from her past. What a treasure! It also helps that this sometimes cantankerous, I mean mostly wonderful old woman has the memory of an elephant! The things she remembered were nothing short of amazing. Even though she couldn't see all the pictures (due to poor eyesight) she knew exactly what kind of tree she was standing in front of in a picture from Halloween in 1934!

I thoroughly enjoyed my discussions with my grandmother and I encourage all of you to gather as much info about your family from your parents and grandparents while you have the opportunity. It is truly rewarding.

By the way, don't mess with me because my ancestors were Vikings and pirates! For those of you who know me, I know this explains a lot! Ok, stop laughing. At least I've curbed the family trend of pillaging, stealing and throwing people overboard for fun!

Thanks for reading!