Once Upon a Time…

…I had the busiest summer ever, and then when everything was finished, I died.

OK, not really. But kinda. I’ve been such a lazy slob for the last few weeks, it’s kind of unbelievable. I finished off October with the babies’ Halloween costumes

HOP!

Spunky little Fall Fairy

Will this kiss make you a prince again?

and promptly declared myself “on vacation” from any new projects. I’ve basically been lying around the house in my yoga pants, playing with the babies and watching reruns of Lost and Parks & Rec on Netflix.

Slowly, though, I’ve been regaining my mojo. I even picked up my knitting needles after more than a month and started work on the center of my Rock Island. It’s such an interesting pattern–almost too interesting when I was tired–but I’m really enjoying working on it now. After 71 repeats of edging rows, the center’s going really quickly.

I’m also plugging along lately with my genealogy. It’s something I’ve been working on for about 5-6 years, now. I have source documents fleshing out most everyone’s lives going back a few generations, but I have some holes and there are a few people whose parentage is in question. I’d like to get them figured out.

But the really fun part has been finding photos of a lot of my family. Between Findagrave.com, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, and Ancestry.com, I’ve found quite a few. It’s so awesome to be able to see the faces of these people whom I feel I’ve come to know. Digging through someone’s life through documents is a fascinating process–you see them as children, with siblings, and then as they marry, have children, lose children, and move from state to state or even to a new country. Census records tell of their occupations, and seeing those change over the years is fascinating. Through time, you really come to create a story for these people who came before you, and putting a face with those names is kind of incredible. I’m really enjoying that.

Best news? Thanksgiving’s coming soon! Woot! It’s my favorite holiday of the year–and not just for the food. :) There’s something so comforting and wonderful about a holiday that’s just devoted to being with family and being grateful for what we have. I’m looking forward to it.