I’ve Been Tagged for a Meme!

Apparently, Randy at GeneaMusings started a meme. He tagged Jasia at Creative Gene, who in turn tagged me! Before I write out mine, you can go to Jasia’s post and read her answers. Or go to Randy’s post and read his.

Okay, here goes!

10 Years Ago I:
1. Was waiting for my oldest daughter to graduate high school
2. Had been working at my (present) job 9 months
3. Was planning to attend my 20th high school reunion
4. Made some of my own clothes
5. Enjoyed making homemade bread and egg noodles

5 Things on Today’s “To Do” List: (will update as I complete!)
1. Run Errands
2. Update Web sites
3. Plan my Bible Study Lesson
4. Send an anniversary card to my sister & brother-in-law
5. Watch the last Presidential Debate

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Jalapeno bombers from Church’s chicken
2. Frozen Yogurt
3. McDonald’s Chocolate shakes
4. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
5. Swiss Cheese

5 Places I Have Lived:
1. Beavercreek, Ohio
2. Lewisville, Texas
3. Denton, Texas
4. Grapevine, Texas
5. Kettering, Ohio

5 Jobs I’ve Had:
1. Prep for a Catering Company
2. Waitress
3. Graphic Artist/Designer
4. Clerk
5. After Market Sales Rep

5 Genea-bloggers I’m Passing This On To:
1. Jeanna at RootsReading
2. A. Spence at Spence-Lowry Family History
3. Nikki-ann at Notes of Life
4. M. Diane Rogers at CanadaGenealogy or ‘Jane’s Your Aunt’
5. Janet Iles at Janet the researcher

Please post your Meme and tag others!

X Marks the Spot

In Searching for Buried Treasure I listed my course of action to find some “buried treasure” in my genealogy files/ephemera.

My search took me a little off course – which is nothing unusual for me.  Before I actually pulled out the box of letters that I was going to look through, I noticed a box on my vanity that I’d only looked inside of one time.  That was a few years ago when my dad first gave it to me.  So I decided to open it back up to see exactly what was inside of it.

Upon opening the clasp and lifting a lid, there was an envelope on the top of the stack.  It was addressed to my grandmother, Ella Amore, and was from the US Army Recruiting Office at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio.  Apparently it was sent upon my dad’s enlistment in the Army Air Corps and wanted to make sure that all of his statements were true.

  

Behind that were other envelopes containing pictures I had actually sent to my dad many years ago as the kids were growing up.  He returned the pictures to me.

Next were two handkerchiefs.  One was sent from my dad to his mother when he was stationed in Iceland and the other was one that he had given to her when he was a young boy.

Underneath the hankies was a Webster notebook.  My dad had used it in 6th grade.  Apparently it was for History as he had pasted a photo from a magazine, book or newspaper on one page and opposite that wrote a brief explanation that related to history.

On the right hand side next to the books and documents were a horseshoe, a film canister filled with sand that was labeled White Sands, New Mexico 1933, a tiny lapel or tie pin that was labeled with my Uncle Paul’s name, a small lock, a watch without the wristband, a mother of pearl handled pocket-knife, a ceramic ashtray and a football with something inside.  My dad told me that he hasn’t opened that football in over 50 years.  He thinks there is a pecan or a nut inside the football. 

 

Underneath the notebook was a book on Agriculture.  I think my father either had an Ag course in high school or he bought it to read.

This gave me just a small glimpse into my dad’s younger life.  Items that he thought were important – or at least important to him.  And if they were important enough for him to keep in a trinket box, then they are important enough for me to hang on to in order to always have a part of my dad with me in the years to come.

Audio Tapes

In the 1950s when my parents lived in Japan, they bought a reel-to-reel tape player and recorded oral letters which they sent to my grandparents in Ohio.  There weren’t many that survived as they were erased, recorded over or became so bad no one could understand what was recorded on them.  Those that did survive were compiled into CDs by my cousin and sent out to those of us who were there.  I really wasn’t there as it was many years before I was born.  I’m on one or two tapes that were recorded at my dad’s family reunions. 

Yesterday I received these seven CDs in the mail and hurriedly put one in to listen.  I had never heard my sister as a young girl or my brother’s voice as a young man.  All of them – including my parents – sound so young.  Then today I listened to another CD that included the voices of my grandparents. 

To say that this is like Christmas for me would be an understatement.  I’m hearing people whose voices I haven’t heard in many years.  Even though I have dozens of handwritten letters, there is something to be said to actually hear family speak about their day to day activities.  I hear the excitement of being in a new country, the sadness of being so far from family, the laughter from being silly, and the fear when my aunt became very sick.

My cousin probably doesn’t really understand just how much these CDs mean to me.  It’s a piece of time that will never come again – yet it’s been captured forever in the lilting words of my family.

Yesterday’s Game Stats

Actually yesterday I worked some more on tagging photos and making sure I had good descriptions.  It was Texas Tax Free Weekend and I had yet to get my grandson some new school clothes and shoes. So to take advantage of no sales tax, we went shopping yesterday afternoon.  I also thought a lot about the biography that I will be writing about one of my ancestors. I have decided who I’m going to spotlight so stay tuned for that post! 

I also spent yesterday looking at other genealogy blogs and signing up to participate in the Songs that Shaped My Youth meme.  I found out that there is a national blogging day in October and the theme will be on Poverty so have been thinking a lot about how to tie in genealogy and poverty as it applies to my ancestors.

Today I’m enjoying the rain in North Texas. We’ve had some lately but no where near enough.  But today it’s been pretty steady so far.  Hopefully our grass will be greening up!

Day 8 Stats

I haven’t done much in the way of genealogy today as we attended a wedding and reception this afternoon.  We were priviledged to be invited to this wonderful event.  The bride is the daughter of dear friends of ours.  As she walked up the aisle on the arm of her father, with her mother, two brothers (one – her twin), her extended family, and her grandparents looking on, I couldn’t help but get all teary.  In our group of friends, she is like another daughter to all of us and we’ve watched her grow from a high school student to a woman with two bachelor degrees embarking on this exciting time of her life.  She was a beautiful bride and her groomed teared up as he watched her coming up the aisle toward him.  They had their beginning today and added a new branch to her family’s tree.  May their life and marriage be truly blessed.