Updates!

Life has changed SO much for me since I last updated.. so I will fill you in!

I got engaged in May.  The date is set for less than 6 months from now- July 14, 2012.

I changed jobs in May, same company different position. 

Fiance got a job up north in small town Iowa.  That new position? Leaving it to move to BFE Iowa.  Can't wait.  No seriously, I look forward to NOT working full time, going to school full time, and planning a wedding.  It will be nice to have a break.

Speaking of school- I graduate in April! I am in my last term and still maintaining Dean's List.  All set to graduate with honors. 

There have been a few breakthroughs as far as the genie side goes.  I have connected with a third cousin located in the South and i look forward to sharing information with him.  I have also upgraded my software. For those of you using older versions of FTM, I HIGHLY suggest the update to FTM 2012.  The integration to your Ancestry tree is amazing and long over due.

Are you ready to know who you are?

I have gotten a lot of questions from people once they find out that there is a 24 (almost 25!) year old obsessed with genealogy.  Let's face it, most of us who caught the genie bug are much older than 24.  The main question I get is "What got you into this?".  Such a simple answer comes with quite an interesting story- thus the rest of my family tree! I simply wanted to know where I came from.

I grew up not knowing many people from my dad's side of the family.  There was a reason for that and as I dug deeper and deeper I began to find out why.   Many many dark secrets start to come out of the woodwork... I remember a stranger telling me to be careful- what I find will not please many people.  A lot of skeletons get excavated amidst the rubble that is our relative's pasts.  The damage was done years ago and the ripples felt even through to today.  If not careful, it could cause more damage.

I feel that anyone who dives into genealogy must be prepared for anything- good and bad.  To know who you are is to know where you came from.  Parts of my family are a mess- quite literally.  Generations of fighting relatives, torn apart for various reason- neither one really worth it.  It is still that way, it hasn't changed much. 

I feel I understand members of my family better.  I also have a better relationship with my dad because of the work we are doing together on this project.  I also have a new, stronger sense of pride when I say " I know where I came from, and I will never forget it!".