Since moving to the East Coast, I've now experienced an earthquake and a hurricane - two natural disasters I had previously not had in my weather repertoire. I was out of town for the hurricane last year, so I'm a little behind, but I'm okay with it.
Over the weekend, we were warned that we'd be visited by Hurricane Sandy, dubbed "Frankenstorm" by the media in the early stages - but seemingly scrapped after sounding too frivolous and flippant about a storm that planned to wreak havoc all over the place - I'd say it's more fitting, but I guess we must respect Mother Nature and use their Christian names when talking about her rampaging daughters. No one was sure how badly it would hit the upper east coast, but no one wanted to be the reason people weren't prepared for a massive storm, so everyone was told to over-prepare and hope the media was all hyperbole in its warnings. Some people complain about how these storms get over-hyped, but I don't really mind, for a few reasons:
1. Better to plan for the worst, and get the best;
2. I got two days off of work from it.
Okay, so just 2 reasons, but both are completely valid and strong. I'd much rather we get prepared for the worst, so if the storm's weaker than planned, there's some room for error about anything else. What if they said it would be a mild storm, and then the storm is rather mild, but for 20 minutes, the wind is strong enough to throw a car around? No, I'd rather plan for an hour of powerful winds and just get 20 minutes of it, than to plan for medium strength winds and get 20 terrible minutes of deadly winds. You know? I'm all about "better safe than sorry."
Also, I really needed some time off work and to myself. I feel like I've been worn thin with obligations and social calls and meetings and responsibilities, and I really needed a day to myself, where I could sleep in and lounge in bed and do nothing - or whatever I felt like doing. All in my pajamas. With no makeup on. Without seeing anyone. I usually like to have at least Saturday morning like that, and I haven't even gotten that in the last few weeks. It's just been go go go, and I was exhausted. And then, I was told that our office was going to be closed on Monday! And on Tuesday! It was a miracle, wrapped up in a natural disaster.
Because I live in a spot that seems to get skipped over by the big effects of hurricanes apparently, I got to enjoy two quiet days of peace and relaxation, where I just snuggled up in my bed and watched movies and tv shows, and just hung out. Honestly, we probably could've gone back to work Tuesday, but I'm guessing the city wanted that day to check the areas and make sure there was nothing big they had to clean up before starting up the metro again and getting everything up and running again (totally fine by me). So I got my time to rest and recharge. It was beautiful.
My mom checked on me to make sure I was cozy and safe, with a good book to curl up in. My brother Ben, the amateur meteorologist, checked on me to make sure I was safe inside while the powerful 30 mph and growing winds swirled outside - no doubt he was following the storm via the Weather Channel and various news sites all day, tracking its course and strength as it spun northward. My sister Abby checked on me to make sure I was safe and that I was coming to Chicago for Christmas (mixed priorities, I totally understand). And a few friends checked on me to see if I had power - which I did. Turns out they didn't, so apparently it was on their minds. Weird.
So my first hurricane experience wasn't too bad at all. I'd rather not experience a worse one, though. My thoughts and prayers go out to those in New York and New Jersey who lost property or belongings from the havoc the hurricane caused up north. Hopefully they were at least all safe and evacuated away from their homes. And I hope the devastation can be cleaned up relatively quickly. Being displaced sucks, so fingers crossed it won't last too long for them.
And now it's Halloween, and I don't think it's quite as festive as usual - the after-effects of a giant storm, I suppose. But I'm {not so} secretly happy our trick-or-treating numbers are down a little this year: more chocolate for me!
Don't look at me like that. I just survived a hurricane. You battle Frankenstorm and I'll give you chocolate, too.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Halloween 2012 - Ushering in a New Phase of Life
Minutes before leaving for a big Halloween Dance Friday night, I teased this picture of my costume:
Now the last few years, I've been some variation of the Night Sky/the Milky Way (the stars, not the candy bar)/the Cosmos:
And I think it's safe to say that teaser picture above doesn't really look like an rendition of a starry night, unless that starry night has gone absolutely loco.
Nope, after 3 years of the Night Sky, I've moved to my next brilliant costume idea - Crazy Cat Lady:
Great idea, right?! I planned on wearing pajamas and a robe and having cats all over, but in my time crunch, I came up with only 3 cats (note the one in my big bag - totally borrowed it from a house of full of guys...which seemed weird to me that they had a stuffed kitty. But whatever). And none of the pjs and robes I found were doing it for me. And then - then this beautiful, soft, wool cape sweater caught my eye as I walked through the plus-size section of TJ Maxx. It's a 1x, and while I swear I can still wear a medium in regular women's sizes, I feel like I could wear that sweater/jacket out and have it no be too ridiculous. It's amazingly warm and so comfortable, so I just might...which is a scary thought that my halloween costume might soon become my normal daily wear.
But then I thought - I'm still kind of young. So I'll be the crazy cat lady who still goes out in society sometimes. I think it worked out just great, actually. And I had my big purse, so I also felt kind of like a bag lady, with 2 of my precious kitties stored in it.
Also, the glasses might have been the best part. I loved them. I want to wear them all the time. They perfectly highlighted my too-brightly rouged cheeks and sketchy eye makeup. And thanks to former roommate Melissa for teasing my hair so nicely - on one side. And for flattening it on one side of the back - it's the little details. The bows were another nice little detail.
At one point during the night, my hair started to flatten a bit, so my friend gave me a little head massage to give it some height and texture again - WIN-WIN! Except he lost, because his hand was sticky from hair product after that...
And the slippers on my feet? Leopard print. In my husky smoking voice, I claimed to any passers-by who cared to listen (so no one) that they were my first cat. When he died, I wanted to keep him close. So I made these slippers. And I always wear them. So he's always with me. A bit macabre? Perhaps. And yet, I'm wearing them right now, as I type this up. There's a little bit of truth in every good lie, I hear.
But guys, I rocked this outfit. Seriously. I looked so good. A Hot Mess was what Melissa called it - which must be good, because she said I was HOT. I had a lot of people complimenting me during the evening. Usually repeatedly - most people had to tell me a few times how great it was, because once just wasn't sufficient. And I got to do whatever I felt like all night, because it was part of the act - I WAS CRAZY! It was awesome.
So I took a lot of pictures, but many of them were not my pictures, so I don't have them. Which is too bad, because I wish I could share so many of them. But you'll have to deal with the ones I took with my own camera. And my cute orange tabby, Mr. Cotton, photo-bombed a lot of pictures. He's just so photogenic and such a ham. He had to be involved in everything.
Here's the collage from my pre-dance photo shoot:
Meaning of each picture's emotions, clockwise from top left: normal face; "HELLLLLLLLOOOOOO!!!"; cat lady sexy face; pensive, considering "what is a cat? An animal by any other name would shed as thick."
Roommates! So check this out: a giraffe, cat lady, and replacement referee walk in to a bar...
A brother from the Jackson 5, a 20's flapper girl, and a crazy lady and her cat.
The teeth was my favorite part of her costume.
These friends of mine came dressed as each other, with name tags so it could be a little more obvious. But they dress so alike everyday anyway that they could've just come as twins. Mr. Cotton liked them though, so we hung out with them for a bit)
By the end of the night, all 4 of us were completely tuckered out. Jimmy and Marie (below) were pretty tired all night and slept in my bag on the outskirts of the dance floor.
But Mr. Cotton was a dancing machine and stuck with me all night! He made lots of friends and was really well-mannered all night. He worked hard to show me that he can come out with me more often.
One of my friends commented how much she liked my costume, and I responded that it was really comfortable and I was really happy with it, and that I can't wait for this to be my life. Compassionately, she commented that since I saw the irony in the outfit and could have such fun with it, she didn't worry that I would actually end up as a crazy cat lady.
To which I countered, "Actually, this outfit may make me work harder to get there faster - this is seriously the best! I really am so excited to get to this phase of life!"
And then she gave up and walked away, realizing I was indeed a lost cause.
Ma & Pa & Me!
Mom and Dad came to visit me in Washington, DC, for the first time since I moved here! Hurray! I finally talked them into it, and 2 weeks ago, they made their way to see me and my 'hood.
I pulled out the stops for them, too, during their visit. While they were here, we:
- ate thai food at Mai Thai, in trendy Dupont Circle
- walked around the Capitol, as I gave them a tour according to the knowledge I remembered from when my friend Berkley was in town a couple weeks before (it wasn't much...)
- walked 22 floors of stairs to the top of the Capitol Dome - it's an awesome view of DC from up there!
- ate at Good Stuf, a delicious and popular burger joint in stuffy Capitol Hill
- toured the Library of Congress and the Botanical Gardens (they did - I had to work...)
- ate at some place in Crystal City, which was good, but obviously not amazing if I already forgot the name of it...but my butternut squash ravioli was delicious.
- explored Eastern Market, where I got a cute green pashmina scarf - I only get my scarves there these days.
- roamed the grounds of the White House, in an orderly, designated walkway sort of roaming, for the White House Fall Garden Tour.
- spent Saturday night apart as I went to Stake Conference for church, and they relaxed from 2 crazy days I had just put them through.
- drove around the National Arboretum and wished it stayed open past 5pm.
- Ate at a pizzeria in fashionable Old Town/Del Ray.
- Slurped up some delicious Wisconsin-style Frozen Custard at Dairy Godmother.
- Said a sad farewell, as I returned to my normal life and ma & pa made headed off to Williamsburg.
All in all, it was a fabulously exhausting 4 days with the parents, and I'm so glad they finally visited!
As usual, dad took most of the pictures (though he got a cold halfway through the trip, and he didn't take his usual amount of one thousand photos, so...you know it was a bad cold.) At any rate, you're going to have to make due with the few random pictures from my phone and blackberry below:
The view of the Dome's interior, halfway up the stairs to the top.
The people below - so small!!!
The painting - the Apotheosis of George Washington - from directly next to/below it. It's giant, y'all.
Mom at the top of the Dome! She was such a trooper up the many narrow, dizzying stairs - way to make it! I love your hair!
Another view from the top of the Dome - the building on the left: the Library of Congress; on the right: my old office building. The space in the center? That's where I played with my old chief of staff's bulldog puppy last summer...memories...
Don't they look so happy to be on the metro? With me?!
Mom and Dad and the White House. You wouldn't even know that half the people in the world were walking the grounds with us at the same time.
Live music at Eastern Market. These guys were good, and played for a long time. I love street music.
Okay, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for coming to visit Mom and Dad!
Walking Down the Autumnal Memory Lane - So Vibrant!
I went on a short Nature stroll this morning with a friend, basking in the bright-to-fading Autumn colors we're so abundantly blessed with on the East Coast. I also took a quick walk to a friend's house a few blocks away, to return something I'd borrowed earlier. With the soft sunshine and slight breeze, the 65 degree day has been so beautiful, and I think we all feel this urge to get as much time outside as possible, before winter blankets us in dreary coldness.
(Plus, Hurricane Sandy, aka "Frankenstorm," according the weathermen here, is freaking everyone out and will probably ruin our beautiful weather for the next week...rude! So everyone's getting outside like it's the last time they'll ever breathe fresh air again - because who knows, it might be.)
As I walked back from my friend's house and got to my street, the leaves piled up on the side of the road from brooms and leaf blowers clearing yards of the fallen foliage, I thought back to the Autumns in Wisconsin, how we gathered the leaves in our backyard and how beautiful they were after they'd just fallen off the tree, still rich in their reds, oranges, and yellows, not yet sapped of their moisture and life, not yet dry and brown and broken. I shuffled through the leaves on the side of my street now, wondering if I ever really played in leaf piles growing up - did I ever really jump in a pile of leaves, scattering them everywhere? It was usually so cold by the time they fell, I raked them as quickly as possible, muttering my frustration and chilliness about this chore I found completely unnecessary. I didn't think playing in leaves was nearly as fun in real life as it seemed in cartoons and comic strips. But as my feet sloshed through these leaves today, one memory rose up - the memory I always go back to when I think of Autumn:
One day, when I was about 9 or so, my brother Zach and I were asked by our mom to rake the leaves in the backyard. We had a lot of trees clumped together by our house, and that spot in particular was in great need of clearing. It was a normal Fall day - overcast, cool, with a wintery chill in the light wind. We donned some warm layers, pairs of gloves, and thick socks, and, likely grudgingly, made our way to the backyard to rake up the leaves. Mom came out and helped us for a bit in the beginning, and it went quickly - we had raked up more than half the area by the time our noses were pink. Then mom left us to finish raking while she went inside and finished some other things.
Zach and I got a really great leaf pile going - it was huge. We combined the little piles we'd made with mom, so there was a pile the size of a bed, rising almost up to my waist. It was beautiful to my young eyes. Gone was the cold, the exhaustion, the arm aches, the annoyance. Our hard work had created a mass of leaves that was bigger than me!
As we gazed at our accomplishment, Zach said, "You know what would be really great?" Assuming that whatever he said would inevitably be the best idea I'd ever heard in my life, as it always was with my older siblings, I asked, "what?"
"What if we bury you in the leaves to hide, and I'll go get mom, and when she comes out, you pop out and surprise her?!"
It was, in fact, the best idea I'd ever heard in my entire life.
I quickly agreed to it.
Since the pile was bigger than my whole body, it was a pretty simple task hiding me in it. I laid down in the leaves and Zach piled more on top of me, so I was covered, but could still jump out easily. He left a nice hole for me to breathe through, then left me to hang out by myself, not moving, while he ran inside to get mom and bring her out "to inspect our work."
So I laid there, not moving, but giggling to myself as I imagined how scared my mom would be when I jumped out at her. In my mind, it was going to be awesome.
9-year-olds aren't usually known for their patience, and after awhile, I began to get antsy, wondering why it was taking Zach so long to get mom outside. I thought it over and considered that it'd take some time to get inside, then he'd have to located mom, persuade her to come outside, right away, and then for her to find her shoes and jacket and come out. So I needed to have more patience than 5 minutes' worth, which I'd assumed had already passed. My ability to judge time has always been poor, so I didn't really trust my instincts in how long I'd been out there anyway; I might've been laying in the leaves anywhere between 2 minutes and 25 minutes at that point.
So I laid there a little longer, not moving, but really wishing I could scare mom already!
Finally, my patience was completely worn out, and my cold, stiff body could no longer remain hiding in the leaves, with just the wind to keep me company (though the wind has been a good friend of mine since childhood - I've always loved it). So I worked my way out of the leaves, disturbing the pile as little as possible, and went inside to track down my brother and tell him our plan was a failure. I had hoped to find him trying to push mom out to the backyard, while she was trying to finish an important chore.
Instead, I found them both in the office upstairs, Zach showing mom how to do something on the computer - that something being something that was completely unimportant and totally non-urgent.
!!!!
I had been left in that pile of leaves for 45 minutes, according to the clock, while mom and Zach enjoyed the warmth of our home and the comforts of modern technology.
As I quietly walked into the room, neither of them looked at me at first, both absorbed in what they were doing. Then Zach, feeling my presence behind him, turned around toward me,and a sheepish grin spread across his face, which confirmed my deepest fear:
I had been forgotten underneath the leaves.
It wasn't the first time I was forgotten and left somewhere, and, as the youngest child in our large family, it definitely wasn't the last time. But it left its mark on me -
I never trusted anyone again when they mentioned playing hide-and-seek, or suggested anything that left me to hide by myself.
And I never played in large leaf piles again.
(Plus, Hurricane Sandy, aka "Frankenstorm," according the weathermen here, is freaking everyone out and will probably ruin our beautiful weather for the next week...rude! So everyone's getting outside like it's the last time they'll ever breathe fresh air again - because who knows, it might be.)
As I walked back from my friend's house and got to my street, the leaves piled up on the side of the road from brooms and leaf blowers clearing yards of the fallen foliage, I thought back to the Autumns in Wisconsin, how we gathered the leaves in our backyard and how beautiful they were after they'd just fallen off the tree, still rich in their reds, oranges, and yellows, not yet sapped of their moisture and life, not yet dry and brown and broken. I shuffled through the leaves on the side of my street now, wondering if I ever really played in leaf piles growing up - did I ever really jump in a pile of leaves, scattering them everywhere? It was usually so cold by the time they fell, I raked them as quickly as possible, muttering my frustration and chilliness about this chore I found completely unnecessary. I didn't think playing in leaves was nearly as fun in real life as it seemed in cartoons and comic strips. But as my feet sloshed through these leaves today, one memory rose up - the memory I always go back to when I think of Autumn:
One day, when I was about 9 or so, my brother Zach and I were asked by our mom to rake the leaves in the backyard. We had a lot of trees clumped together by our house, and that spot in particular was in great need of clearing. It was a normal Fall day - overcast, cool, with a wintery chill in the light wind. We donned some warm layers, pairs of gloves, and thick socks, and, likely grudgingly, made our way to the backyard to rake up the leaves. Mom came out and helped us for a bit in the beginning, and it went quickly - we had raked up more than half the area by the time our noses were pink. Then mom left us to finish raking while she went inside and finished some other things.
Zach and I got a really great leaf pile going - it was huge. We combined the little piles we'd made with mom, so there was a pile the size of a bed, rising almost up to my waist. It was beautiful to my young eyes. Gone was the cold, the exhaustion, the arm aches, the annoyance. Our hard work had created a mass of leaves that was bigger than me!
As we gazed at our accomplishment, Zach said, "You know what would be really great?" Assuming that whatever he said would inevitably be the best idea I'd ever heard in my life, as it always was with my older siblings, I asked, "what?"
"What if we bury you in the leaves to hide, and I'll go get mom, and when she comes out, you pop out and surprise her?!"
It was, in fact, the best idea I'd ever heard in my entire life.
I quickly agreed to it.
Since the pile was bigger than my whole body, it was a pretty simple task hiding me in it. I laid down in the leaves and Zach piled more on top of me, so I was covered, but could still jump out easily. He left a nice hole for me to breathe through, then left me to hang out by myself, not moving, while he ran inside to get mom and bring her out "to inspect our work."
So I laid there, not moving, but giggling to myself as I imagined how scared my mom would be when I jumped out at her. In my mind, it was going to be awesome.
9-year-olds aren't usually known for their patience, and after awhile, I began to get antsy, wondering why it was taking Zach so long to get mom outside. I thought it over and considered that it'd take some time to get inside, then he'd have to located mom, persuade her to come outside, right away, and then for her to find her shoes and jacket and come out. So I needed to have more patience than 5 minutes' worth, which I'd assumed had already passed. My ability to judge time has always been poor, so I didn't really trust my instincts in how long I'd been out there anyway; I might've been laying in the leaves anywhere between 2 minutes and 25 minutes at that point.
So I laid there a little longer, not moving, but really wishing I could scare mom already!
Finally, my patience was completely worn out, and my cold, stiff body could no longer remain hiding in the leaves, with just the wind to keep me company (though the wind has been a good friend of mine since childhood - I've always loved it). So I worked my way out of the leaves, disturbing the pile as little as possible, and went inside to track down my brother and tell him our plan was a failure. I had hoped to find him trying to push mom out to the backyard, while she was trying to finish an important chore.
Instead, I found them both in the office upstairs, Zach showing mom how to do something on the computer - that something being something that was completely unimportant and totally non-urgent.
!!!!
I had been left in that pile of leaves for 45 minutes, according to the clock, while mom and Zach enjoyed the warmth of our home and the comforts of modern technology.
As I quietly walked into the room, neither of them looked at me at first, both absorbed in what they were doing. Then Zach, feeling my presence behind him, turned around toward me,and a sheepish grin spread across his face, which confirmed my deepest fear:
I had been forgotten underneath the leaves.
It wasn't the first time I was forgotten and left somewhere, and, as the youngest child in our large family, it definitely wasn't the last time. But it left its mark on me -
I never trusted anyone again when they mentioned playing hide-and-seek, or suggested anything that left me to hide by myself.
And I never played in large leaf piles again.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
The Halloween Season is Upon Us
We are on the brink of the annual end-of-the-year-holiday-extravanganza!
Halloween-Veterans Day (I count it, now that I have a government job that gives me it off!)-Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years.
I have certain traditions for certain holidays. Halloween is one of those certain holidays. Like with Independence Day, when I have to watch the enthralling President's speech from the fabulous movie, aptly titled, Independence Day, I have a certain video clip that I have to watch in preparation for Halloween:
That's right, Ellen's scare montage, where she shows clips of the various people she scared over the last year (2010).
This seriously makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it. EVERY TIME! It truly feels like Halloween after I've viewed this. Even when I feel the need to watch it in March - it feels like Halloween.
As a backup video, this also sends me into spastic giggle fits, too (warning - there are a few swearing bleeps, already bleeped - she's scared pretty $@!#less though, in fairness):
Nothing like a montage to get you into the holiday spirit.
As a complete aside, I had a peppermint shake tonight at dinner - just doing what I can to get prepared for the holiday blitz.
Halloween-Veterans Day (I count it, now that I have a government job that gives me it off!)-Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years.
I have certain traditions for certain holidays. Halloween is one of those certain holidays. Like with Independence Day, when I have to watch the enthralling President's speech from the fabulous movie, aptly titled, Independence Day, I have a certain video clip that I have to watch in preparation for Halloween:
That's right, Ellen's scare montage, where she shows clips of the various people she scared over the last year (2010).
This seriously makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it. EVERY TIME! It truly feels like Halloween after I've viewed this. Even when I feel the need to watch it in March - it feels like Halloween.
As a backup video, this also sends me into spastic giggle fits, too (warning - there are a few swearing bleeps, already bleeped - she's scared pretty $@!#less though, in fairness):
Nothing like a montage to get you into the holiday spirit.
As a complete aside, I had a peppermint shake tonight at dinner - just doing what I can to get prepared for the holiday blitz.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Indexing is Fun!
I am the newest member of the Indexing Community, as of an hour ago tonight.
And I won't lie, I'm SO EXCITED!
I've already indexed/transcribed 2 names of veterans from wars during 1912, and now I'm working on a ship passenger list from 1932 - which is an easy one because it was typed out before. No crazy handwriting to have to work out just yet.
I'm, of course, starting on beginner level - because I need to ease into this. You start off too difficult and you never get the excitement and joy that comes from those first quick flashes of success.
I admit it, I'm giddy about indexing. And I'm getting so excited about family history - this new calling I got for church, as the family history co-chair, is really getting into my blood. Not so much that I actually know what I'm doing yet and can add to my tree, but just enough that I want to know more about all the people already found and connected on my branches. I'm craving the stories of my ancestors like I never have before.
I'm also craving my own story, feeling this fire to make sure I have a record to pass on - preferably more than my journals from my teenage years. That just seems like an incomplete story...unless the only character illustration I want to pass on of myself is the boy-crazy young teenager who only goes to church dances and sports practices. Which is pretty accurate.
But I'm working on being better at writing in my journal now, as the young adult with a real job, working on Capitol Hill, involved in the Nation's political movements, in the midst of her Church's sudden spotlight moment in the public eye, living in a big city, still thinking a lot about cute boys. I feel like I have a lot that has shaped me and continues to shape me, and I want my descendants to know my story, if they realize one day, like I am, that it's really cool to know where you came from.
I've always known that my past includes my ancestors' pasts, and that I can know where I'm going by knowing where I came from, but I'm really craving details and specifics right now. Luckily, my parents have never been shy about telling those stories, so I know a few of my ancestors well. And hopefully I'm giving my descendants enough to know me as well - because they matter to me, so hopefully they can learn something through my experiences, like I learn from those who came before me.
All this to say I'm excited to be actively and positively contributing to others' searches for information on their ancestors. I've been meaning to get started on this for months and years now, but tonight I finally got that last push I needed to just git 'er done.
What are you doing to know more about where you come from? I'd love to hear!
And I won't lie, I'm SO EXCITED!
I've already indexed/transcribed 2 names of veterans from wars during 1912, and now I'm working on a ship passenger list from 1932 - which is an easy one because it was typed out before. No crazy handwriting to have to work out just yet.
I'm, of course, starting on beginner level - because I need to ease into this. You start off too difficult and you never get the excitement and joy that comes from those first quick flashes of success.
I admit it, I'm giddy about indexing. And I'm getting so excited about family history - this new calling I got for church, as the family history co-chair, is really getting into my blood. Not so much that I actually know what I'm doing yet and can add to my tree, but just enough that I want to know more about all the people already found and connected on my branches. I'm craving the stories of my ancestors like I never have before.
I'm also craving my own story, feeling this fire to make sure I have a record to pass on - preferably more than my journals from my teenage years. That just seems like an incomplete story...unless the only character illustration I want to pass on of myself is the boy-crazy young teenager who only goes to church dances and sports practices. Which is pretty accurate.
But I'm working on being better at writing in my journal now, as the young adult with a real job, working on Capitol Hill, involved in the Nation's political movements, in the midst of her Church's sudden spotlight moment in the public eye, living in a big city, still thinking a lot about cute boys. I feel like I have a lot that has shaped me and continues to shape me, and I want my descendants to know my story, if they realize one day, like I am, that it's really cool to know where you came from.
I've always known that my past includes my ancestors' pasts, and that I can know where I'm going by knowing where I came from, but I'm really craving details and specifics right now. Luckily, my parents have never been shy about telling those stories, so I know a few of my ancestors well. And hopefully I'm giving my descendants enough to know me as well - because they matter to me, so hopefully they can learn something through my experiences, like I learn from those who came before me.
All this to say I'm excited to be actively and positively contributing to others' searches for information on their ancestors. I've been meaning to get started on this for months and years now, but tonight I finally got that last push I needed to just git 'er done.
What are you doing to know more about where you come from? I'd love to hear!
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