Well I survived the end of the semester with little sleep but a lot of confidence. There are classes that one may dread, not because of the course load or content, but because of the professor. So with that particular class, I did my best under the circumstance, and hopefully when grades come out I'll be somewhat satisfied with her assessment.
Anywho, Christmas has been wonderful. Good company here with the family. My first few days were full of unpacking boxes and helping them get settled in better. We got a little Christmas tree and made our own decorations- popcorn garland and paper chains :) My brother came to visit with his little family from MD. That was a blast because I haven't seen them for a few years. The rest of the family is doing great! My little sister and I have had a lot of time to chill and goof around too, it's been a lot of fun. And I found out that my sister's husband is going to receive a bronze star for his service in Afghanistan later this year too. So nothing but good news!
Our two little pugs went on an adventure- they escaped for a whole day and sent us on a goose-chase after them~ that was a little nerve racking, but they're back safe and sound now :)

So the goals for the rest of the break are: to get the rest of the new house un-packed, have a fun birthday, and help my family to relax!

Merry Christmas

xxoo

Lots of Success today with Susan Catherine's family research! I started to really look through my Waesche Family History book written by Margaret B. Waesche. Her entry on Charles Albert Waesche mentions all the places he lived and land  he farmed- there are going to be a lot of land records for this fellow. It also mentions that he worked the small store that was separated from his father's farm after the settlement of the estate - bingo- probate records to go find too! I'm also finding that his father, George Henry Waesche, was a prominent figure in the community of Frederick County, MD in the later 1800s. It seems that the elder generation (Charles Albert's siblings, etc) are well talked about and there will be lots of records to find for them. Here's a link to that great book- I wonder if vol. 2 has any mention of the Waesche family as well...
http://books.google.com/books?id=h6w1YPiY0nYC&dq=double+pipe+creek,+md+waesche+church&source=gbs_navlinks_s

This has been an interesting couple of weeks.
Its often the case, that when something good is coming your way, there's a monster under the bridge that wants to eat it and it seems there's no way you'll ever see that goodness except in tiny little shredded pieces...
But then I remember all the times in the past that such times always work out in the end and the loots from the monster battle are glorious. Suck it up and give 'em heck!
Sorry about all the music videos, but sometimes its necessary... speaking of necessary, I think that was the first time - ever - that I spelled that word correctly on my first go. wow. this is quite the day.

There are no words more perfect that that.

The essence of all that is childhood should never leave us. Its that curiosity and joy of learning that gives life to the day-to-day. It increases appreciation for the small joys and beauties of this world. It keeps me breathing. I can't let that inner child go to Neverland forever; I make sure she visits as often as possible to play. There is too much to be said and a lifetime of learning on this subject that I am so intimate with. I love when others capture small snippits of how I feel. Thanks to Gotye and Ari Gibsonfor this beautiful story. Enjoy.

Just some thoughts.

I'm pretty sure that Autumn is my favorite season. When I step outside at dusk, in my charcoal grey zip-hoodie, and the smell of the decaying leaves in the cool air reaches my nose... I have to sigh and whisper a prayer of thanks. The summer is gone and the snow has not yet come.

I'm going through a phase in my life where I feel that, like the turning and falling leaves, I'm changing. It feels like I'm on the brink of something grand, like I'm stepping into a new world, or about to uncover a lost treasure. Perhaps think of it as the moment Alice opened the door to Wonderland, or when Peter takes Wendy's hand and she flies for the first time.

The change comes as I find myself wanting to refine myself, evolve, and become something more exquisite- and yet, something more simplistic. Content and happy, but hungry for that metamorphosis. Content, because I know it is attainable. Confident.

Take a deep breath and open your eyes.

Found an entire 1877 Atlas online with beautiful quality jpgs! Oh, I love my homework... minus the deadlines :)

https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/32814

Previous post- case in point.

Brilliant.

Ohh.

This is perfect.

Thanks everyone for your lovin' while I've been sick.

Tune in to the latest adventure of Ickle and Lardee.

http://mymilktoof.blogspot.com/2011/08/sick-lardee.html

There's something to be said about cuddling up to your favorite plushie when you're sick. I have a small skele-animal rabbit named Jack that keeps me company when I'm not feeling my best. I took my day in doses of sleep, chicken noodle soup, and drinking oj. I think the combination of all three is the equivalent to the five magic rings from Captain Planet; with their powers combined they summon a force to be reckoned with. So I'm feeling a bit better- forming complete sentences an all- although I'm not quite sitting up-right yet... maybe I'd better throw a blankie into the equation.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/e503

This is the best website for fun ideas.

http://www.designsponge.com/

Here's a sample from the DIY section.

http://www.designsponge.com/2011/08/diy-project-vintage-book-travel-tech-organizer.html

Enjoy.

The Relief Society Broadcast was refreshing. Elder Utchdorf talked about his favorite flower, the forget-me-not. Their simplistic beauty remind us of 5 points that we should never forget.

1. Be patient and Compassionate with yourselves
2. Some Sacrifices are better than others (Temperance)
3. You need not wait for a golden ticket to be Happy (find happiness now)
4. Never forget that the 'Why' of the gospel of Jesus
   Christ will inspire and uplift you
5. Never forget that your Heavenly Father Knows, Loves, and Cherishes you (you are never forgotten)

They really are beautiful, little flowers.

http://www.speckunderthesky.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/_dsc3124.jpg

Sigh of relief. Both families picked. Thus the research begins!

I did a brief locality survey, etc for Carroll County, MD, and I'm pumped. The family lived in Carroll, Frederick, and Baltimore Counties. My primary is Susan Catherine Waesche, daughter of Charles Albert Waesche, born in 1870.

First order of business is a locality history. That'll give me the historical and social context that will drop a lot of clues... Jinkies.

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/m9n95i

Whew! I picked my family from Mexico, now I really have to finalize who I'm going to work with for my Southern US class. I hope I can choose a family that already has some info established because most of that data is unconfirmed and/or fishy...

http://joeolson.blogspot.com/

Tir Nan Og

We often fear what we don't understand. If we took the time to look a little deeper, we may find something beautiful.

New objectives

Ok so here we go adventuring.

I have two genealogical research classes this semester. For my Southern European/Latin American class, I'm going to work on my family from Chihuahua, Mexico. For my Southern United States class, I'm selecting some ancestry from Maryland. My previous research experience has been in Maine and Massachusetts, so it will be good to learn how to function in some other localities.

Thanks goes out to my Aunt Carol for sending me updated gedcoms, stories, and pictures for my maternal line.

Let the research begin!