Festival of Colors

I'm kind of bummed that I missed this, this year. But look how awesome and fun!! This needs to happen like in all the major college towns in honor of Spring!

Yay for throwing chalk at the Festival of Colors!



Then I found this video. It looks like a bunch of drunk kids. Ha.



Happy Spring!

xoxo

FamilySearch Indexing

I'm just going to take a moment to reflect on my recent indexing experiences.

I've heard numerous people bear testimony on the blessings and things they have learned from doing indexing and family history work. Some of them really are quite special and really touching stories. I don't have any of those. Don't get me wrong, I know the importance of doing indexing and family history, but I haven't experienced anything like that and I probably won't ever. That's okay. I don't index for those experiences. However, lately it seems to be more personal or maybe I'm just getting more from them. 

I've been doing it because it is super easy and for me it is a lot of fun.  Plus anyone can do it! You don't need any education, or experience, or anything really! Just sign up on FamilySearch website! I personally enjoy interpreting the handwriting and catching glimpses into the past. I also feel like I'm doing a service. We all know how important serving is, so it is an easy way for me to serve without having to go out of my way to do it. Sounds bad right? Ha. I don't mean it that way. It's easy to do and it only takes a few minutes a day or as long as I want to spend on it and I don't have to leave the comfort of my couch. 

Anyways, on to getting my point across. So I've been indexing. I've only done like 100 names, which really isn't that many. I haven't encountered that many unusual things. I've indexed a census from 1900's from England, WWI registration cards, and some death records. You only have to record certain parts of the files but I've been finding myself reading every single part of the record. It is kind of cool to try and picture a face for that person or imagine how I think they would have looked or what their life may have been like. It is crazy because so many people couldn't spell back then so I have to try and figure out what they meant by what they wrote. Sound-it-out...it actually helps!  It's also crazy to see that so many people don't know where they were born or when they were born. It seems like common knowledge that you have to know about yourself, but so many people didn't back then! Plus I have come across some awesome things! Some of them are merchants from Turkey, or housewives, businessmen, farmers, and various other occupations. The death certificates have been interesting too. They have to write the cause of death. It's like an obituary but with causes; Cancer, disease, premature birth, old age, pneumonia,etc. 

Today, I was working on some and came across some infants. So sad! They only lived like 30 minutes, a couple days, or like a few months. Most of the ones I have come across have been born prematurely. This last batch of names I worked on though had other causes: Malnutrition, burns, one of them looked like it said bruises, and another one was 3rd degree burns from a gas iron. So sad! They barely got to live their lives. Guess the Lord had bigger plans for them! It just breaks my heart. I came across some older people too that had different causes of death: suicide, accident on the highway, and even murder. Can you believe that? I mean I know that happens now but I guess it makes you realize how precious life is. Also, in my mind I like to pretend people die of old age or one day that will be my cause of death. Morbid, I know.  

Have I gotten my point across yet or is it just me rambling? Ha. I know, I know, me rambling. Each name I do I feel connected to them in some different unexplainable way. They may not be my ancestors. But they are someones. I'm not doing that much, but I am helping. I feel as though I am uncovering just a part of their history that may lead to to discoveries of many other stories, or a link in the missing chain. (Maybe I've been watching too many educational family history videos. Ha) I just feel like my role is so vital. It may not seem much, but to me it feels like so much more. Also, I may be uncovering my own ancestors without even knowing it! For example, I found a Elizabeth Staton from Georgia. Staton is a name on my grandma's side. I haven't looked into it yet, but maybe just maybe that is my ancestor. Crazy!

Okay, I feel like I have rambled enough, and still feel like I didn't really get to my main point. Oh ramblings....bravo to those who kept on reading through this long post. Ha! 

Keep on smiling. =)

xoxo

Strawberry fields forever

You see those things in the middle and the back? The little round things? Those are mango and strawberry poppers. Divine! Also, my favorite. I'll try and describe them. They are kind of like those Ice Breakers liquid ice mints.



Remember them?  So imagine the texture of the outside and then you bite into it and the mint-ness gushes out? Well the poppers are like that. But bigger and strawberry or mango flavored. Seriously, I love them. Yogurtland, in Orem had them and then I moved here and I couldn't find them. Plus all the fro-yo places here are lame and ridiculously expensive. Then I remembered we had a Menchies, and they have them! Yeah! A yogurt place that is good! I was excited. You should definitely try them next time you get fro-yo and they have them. =)

Oh, Oh, I got a job. Yay! Took a little while there. But good things happen to those who patiently wait. I got a job at one of the bank's here. It's a really great opportunity. I'm excited. I start next week! Training is in Atlanta, where the headquarters is located. Kind of lame that I have to go to Atlanta but I will be getting paid so that's good! There is also so much time sensitive information that had to be filled out quickly. Kind of a hassle since I'm not checking my email all the time. 

Geocaching. Have you heard of it before? GPS treasure hunting basically. There is an app and an official website. Look it up. Makes for a fun time or maybe a good group date. I went with Justin and Norma yesterday at the local park.It was my first time going and I must say it was a good time! We found 5 of them. Some of them were really tiny and difficult to find. This one was like in a sandwich container and they put mustaches in it. So naturally we put them on. Check it out...

Funny right?! We look rather silly. It was fun though. Maybe, I'll go in the future. 

Guess what I did for the first time last night? I was reading a news articles on Deseret News and somehow got sidetracked and before I knew it I had downloaded Family Search. I started indexing!! For those who don't know what that means, it's like records scanned from all over the world and then volunteers enter them into this database. This way anyone can use the website and search for their ancestors. I know you may think, oh here we go, but listen--or read. Ha. I've never been one to do much family history and I have never indexed before but it really is so easy. Especially with the technology we have today. Family search is amazing. I downloaded a "batch" or records that have been scanned in and then I'm prompted on what to fill out in the given fields. It' super easy. I like to think that I am helping someone link their families and find ancestors. It's really neat and honestly fun. I got a census from like 1870 in England. The writing is all in cursive and really difficult to read but I like trying to interpret the writing. So this is only the beginning...onward! Then hopefully, I can also do some personal family history work and find some missing links. Exciting!

This is becoming an extremely long post. So I'll be done now. Ha.

Ps. Blogger apparently hates  me posting pictures...it keeps freaking out. What a boob.

xoxo