2010's Top Favorite Posts, Mostly Mine

Carol from Reflections From the Fence shamed me into writing this post for Barbara, my 'distant cousin', at Life At the Roots.  Barbara and Carol are so knowledgeable that I feel dwarfed in their world.  Nevertheless, I will stretch and grow on the last day of the year.
My Top 5 Favorite Posts are as follows.

1.  1/31/2010 Sentimental Sunday The Hero Posts (1st one)

2.  1/1/2010 17th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage @Culture Irish Treasures

3.  7/3/2010 July Fourth Tribute to Benawell Bonfoey Connecticut 6th Regiment

4.  7/6/2010  B D Langley and the Anti Horse Thief Association

5.  6/6/2010  Sentimental Sunday The Hero and Lemon Pie

Okay so I am partial to the Hero stories.  I am excited that I have stayed on track with these and hope next year to compile them for my family.  Thanks Barbara for the prompt.

2011 Genealogy Goals

 Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.
Fitzhugh Dodson

I promised myself that I would make goals this year.  I have worked toward goals, but this last year the only one I really had was to make the Sentimental Sunday Post.  I think I only missed one Sunday.
 Below are my 2011 goals, I made a collage that pretty much encompasses the areas I do well with, my Hero posts, putting together a family tree, land records, and searches from both ancestors down the tree to from down the tree to ancestors.  I need to stretch and grow.  I am not a professional so there is much to glean to be a better researcher.

This year in the area of  
Personal Growth Goals:
Financially I can not afford to purchase classes.
1.  Take and finish three free online classes through FamilySearch.org.
      a. U S Research
      b. Research Principles and Tools
      c.  England Beginning Research
2.  Continue and stress improvement with each PROGEN discussion session.
      a. Practice good sourcing methods as learned in PROGEN and
Elizabeth Mills book  Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian
3.   Research and Decide to if I want be Professional with Certification
4.   Attend one Genealogical Conference
5.   Join at least one Genealogical Society

Family Tree Goals
1.   Take two trees across the pond.
2.   Find and prove William Henry Langley's father.
3.   Collaborate better with other researchers.
4.  Submit two names to DAR and one name for First Texans.

Individual Worth Goals (Doing Something for Others)
1.  Index minimum of 400 names a month
2.  Arbitrate minimum of 400 names a month
3.  Help minimum of one person a month grow their family tree.
4.  Begin compiling Hero stories chronologically for family to publish.

The vision is to actually work on these goals, not just wish for them to happen.  I do have challenges ahead.  A new grandchild will be born, must stop and go to California to help in this area.   A granddaughter will be performing as Kate in Taming of the Shrew will HAVE to go to Idaho to see this. The first month will be spent with my sister-in-law until she gets back on her feet. 
Now, they could be distractions or hmmm.... I could incorporate them in my grand scheme of family stories. 

Sentimental Sunday The Hero and Our First New Years Eve

The first year we were married, I was in college and the Hero worked.   At the end of my fall semester, my mom and dad came and took me to visit with them.   The plan was for the Hero to come up to Oklahoma for New Years, then we would come back home to Texas. 

He and I were filled with excitement and anticipation the morning of New Year's Eve.  It was the first time we had been separated since we were married.  We talked at noon and he said they were closing, and he would leave as soon as he picked up his clothes at home.  It was in the days before cell phones.  I figured out how long it would take him.  It was in the days before the Interstate highways were built.  The roads were two lanes, and fraught with small towns and stop lights. [Thought since it was about archaic times, I would use an archaic term. ; ) ]   I expected him about 11 pm, but at 6:30pm he called and said he was sick.  He had nearly passed out on the road and was startled into alertness by a truck honking at him as he veered across the white line.  The best choice was for him was to check into a motel and sleep until morning.  We were so disappointed, and I was worried. 
My father took pity on us. He packed me in the car to go and get the Hero.  At 8:30 pm we picked the puny looking Hero up and started home.  Since the Hero was not holding things down on his stomach, (my nice way of putting it.) my father decided it would be best if I drove his car and he drove the Hero in the Hero's car.  With a few stops on the way, we found ourselves winding through the Arbuckle Mountains at 11:50 pm.  My father signaled to pull over at a rest stop.  We waited until Midnight. I got to give the Hero a kiss for our First New Year.  An embrace was exchanged with the kiss and then we proceeded to my father's home.  It was so worth the drive.  I was grateful to my father for his thoughtfulness and it was a memory worth keeping.
This next month I will be helping the Hero's sister.  She has sustained an injury to her foot and will not be able to take care of herself for a while.  I am sorry she is hurt, but...(wiggling eyebrows) I am excited about spending time hearing early Hero stories. ; )  

Merry Christmas

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is a time of family gathering around.  I have a confession to make.  I many times was cloistered in a room with a sewing machine finishing my gifts.  I have been know to be up until 4 am.  Yes, the Hero was rolling his eyes.  A fellow blogger said about shoppers who were agitated in long lines, 'Dec 25 comes the same time every year.'  LOL, yep, my planning skills were just not the best in the world.
I took a poll among some of my children, and they told me that our Christmas Eve was a series of attempts at different traditions.  We read the Nativity story from St. Luke in the Bible. We made cookies and milk for Santa.  As they grew older, the older children got to play Santa for the younger ones.   They liked that as it gave them distinction. 

My personal most memorable Christmas Eve was in my third year of school.  My Uncle Ed and his family came to have Christmas with my family since my grandmother was living with us. 
As it began to be late, the adults were playing cards and drinking eggnog.  My cousin Dale and I were playing with some toys (yes, that means, I don't remember what we were doing) .  Uncle Ed and my older cousin Darryl, who was home for the holidays from the service, began to fuss at my younger cousin and I to go to bed or Santa wouldn't be able to come.  We went off to our rooms to get ready for bed.  All of a sudden,  we heard bells and the slamming of the front door.  Of course, that meant the two of us had to come out to see what was going on.  To our surprise there was a huge stuffed panda bear and a set of cowboy guns sitting in front of the tree.  The panda was mine the guns were Dale's.  They told us that Santa had been in a hurry because we had stayed up so late, so he dropped them off at the front door on his way to the next town.  Yes, we believed him and were delighted with the presents.  The next day my cousin and I played Cowboys and Indians.  Wow. Innocent times in a different world.
(Many years later Darryl confessed to being Santa that year.)

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories Deceased Relatives/Sweetheart Memories

I was babysitting the toddlers yesterday so I did not get my post done...It is okay, because the yesterday's and today's topics go hand in hand for me.  Two years ago at approximately 9 am, the time is fuzzy for me, the Hero passed from this life into peace.  For some reason this year has been harder than the previous years. 
As for what we do, one of my children, last year it was my youngest son, and I go to the grave site and take flowers.  I have planted rosemary and thyme which have done very well.  It is an older cemetery without all the restrictions.  Believe it or not I still have not been able to decide on a tombstone. 
The holiday is lonely without his voice, so I hope you have not minded me sharing his stories.  It helps to get them written while they are still vivid. I can tell you with out hesitation, he is my hero, and love of my life.  I miss him.

Collage from when we met until when we parted.

 

 

 

 

My favorite much used item that the Hero gave me for our first Christmas was my first sewing machine.  Little did he know that it would affect his life as much as it did, nor how many hours of  joy it would give me.  I have blogged about the sewing machine click here to read about it if you would like. I stitched this poem for my daughter when she was eight.

When I'm a grown up woman
With hair up on my head,
I'll sit and sew till very late
And never go to bed.

She believed it because, mom was always sewing late at night after I got home from work.  I love sewing, he could not have gotten me a better present. 

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories Christmas Music

The Hero's favorite song was 'O' Holy Night'.  We always sang Christmas carols as we would drive.  The whole family would join in. Each one would start off singing a carol and the others would join in.  It was understood that this carol was his.  I can see his face as he started singing it, so serious and reverent.
I hope you can tell that Christmas music was a basic part of our celebration of the Christmas holiday season.  It filled our hearts with joy.