Family.

This weekend was our annual York family reunion in Clayton. My dad looks forward to this all year long and I love seeing him so excited. It's the only time he gets to see some of his cousins (there are dozens of them) and his aunts. My grandmother was one of 11 children in less than 21 years. It still blows my mind when I think about it. There were nine girls and two boys. Six of the girls are still alive and that's a feat seeing as the oldest is 98! I love seeing them because they look so much like my Grandma who passed away when I was in fourth grade. I can only hope I get some of their genes because they've obviously got some good ones! I also pray I have the patience of their mother, Martha. Can you even imagine? And I thought I wanted a house full of youngins... 

My sweet parents

My two favorites

We are slightly obsessed with him

Two distant cousins who are planning an even bigger family reunion in September!

I know that I'm in the minority because I actually care about my family history and genealogy. I haven't met anyone my age who shares my interest. Maybe that's why I always get along better with retirees! I guess I'll be ahead of the game when I've got it down to a science by the time other people find an interest in it. It is fascinating and by far my favorite hobby. I will never understand why people aren't interested in where they come from!

I've worked on my dad's paternal lineage for the past several years so I'm taking a break to work on my grandmother's family. Thank heavens for the two ladies above and all the other lovely cousin friends I've made recently. Research is so much easier with help! In the next month I'll be working on my application for the United Daughters of the Confederacy so I've got to get my ducks in a row in a hurry!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I can't encourage you enough to take a look at where you came from. I bet you will probably find some skeletons in your closet, but we all have them. The good and the bad make me love my life even more. Enjoy your loved ones while you have them and have them tell you a story for me. I bet nothing would make them happier.



ps, Happy Birthday to the greatest man I've ever known. Thank you for being the best father I could have ever asked for and the best role model for what I wanted and needed in my life. Thank you for encouraging my love of family, God's beautiful creations, and the simple things in life. You mean more to me than you will ever know. I love you, daddy!