My Absenteeism

I am fully aware that I have been fairly absent from the blog recently. I can't exactly help it...It seems as though I am always being pulled in about twelve different directions and, honestly, I have just been incredibly busy over the past few months. I know, I know...I am a stay-at-home mom. I should have all the time in the world and then a little extra on the side for things such as blogging. But, the truth is, it seems as though my to-do list is getting longer and my days are getting shorter. And, it doesn't help that this is actually my second attempt on this post...It came up as an error earlier when trying to post it and despite repeated 'save now' hits, somehow disappeared. I have some choice words for Blogger, but I will keep them to myself for now.

So, why have I been so busy? Well, first off...I signed up to be a 'Room Mother' for Alex's class. I have spent the past few months planning parties, organizing fundraiser baskets, organizing parents, needs, and supplies, as well as been keeping in contact with everyone via email. The good news is that, as of Sunday, my responsibilities with regards to being 'Room Mother' have dwindled drastically. The Valentine's Day Party is but a memory and the dreaded Fundraiser Baskets have been turned in and have been delivered to some lucky winner. Aside from some small responsibilities in the coming months, I have been able to shed this stressful, yet fulfilling responsibility for now.

As if things could not be any crazier, Daddy and I accepted the challenge to complete the "Pizza Puzzle" right in the middle of the chaos of organizing and putting together the fundraiser baskets. It was a 500 piece monstrosity (Only 500, you say?? Well, come over...we'll tear it apart and see what you can do with it!), but we were able to get it done with sheer determination and maybe a bit of blood, sweat, and tears. Let's just say that I lost quite a bit of sleep that week...especially since when I finally did climb into bed, all I could see was puzzle pieces floating around in my mind.

Most importantly, any extra time that I have had recently has been reserved for genealogical research. I recently became determined to attempt to solve a family mystery...one of those 'skeletons in the closet' kind of family mystery. I am trying to find the family of the man in the picture above...my grandfather. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, but never knew his biological father. I am actually not even sure when he realized that his stepfather was not actually his biological father...My mother didn't even find out until she was an adult. It just wasn't talked about...a 'hush, hush' kind of family secret.

So, what started all of this? Well, I have always been interested in genealogy. It is of great interest to me and I have always taken great pride in the extensive family tree I detailed for a project for an Anthropology course in college (By today's standards, it would be considered absolutely pathetic. You can do so much more with technology these days). My cousin started doing a little research in December and hit upon some promising leads using Ancestory.com...and before I knew it, I was shoulder deep in obsession with trying to figure out the mystery.

Google has been my best friend over the past few months. Even Daddy has made a comment here or there about all the 'searching' I've been doing (He is none to happy about his new full time role helping fold laundry...I must say that I'm not missing it too much). I am constantly reviewing searches in my mind and trying to come up with new combinations in order to produce results that have gone previously unnoticed. All in all, I believe that I have been able to unofficially determine who my grandpa's father was based on stories shared over the generations and also by obtaining pictures of his potential half-siblings (It is amazing what you can obtain just by asking...nicely). Of course, pictures are worth a thousand words...but, your mind can convince you of just about anything when you want so desperately for there to be a connection. So, I've continued trying to find any information that can possibly validate what I think may be the truth.

In my search, I have discovered just how easy it can be to go backwards in the family tree. I have been able to trace my grandpa's possible family line from North Dakota, to Illinois, to Indiana, and finally into Kentucky at the beginning of the 1800s. My struggle has been going forward...anywhere past the 1940s. Ancestory.com just doesn't have the documentation for recent decades to assist in my search and, in a time of people moving from place to place, it is hard to order census records, marriage documents, and death certificates if you don't know where to look for them. At points, I thought it would be so easy to just use the white pages online, but, unfortunately, it just was not that simple. Trust me, I tried.

So, forward I go...I am still looking for the descendants of my grandfather's potential half-siblings. My hope is that they will be able to provide me with some information to corroborate what I believe may be the truth. For now, the truth still eludes me, but I am right at its heels...and I don't plan on giving up anytime soon.

My only regret is that I have not been able to share any information that I have discovered with my grandpa, who passed away in 2000. He died not knowing...I am doing this for him because I know, deep down inside, that he wanted to know. He just didn't have the resources at the time to try and figure it out...Now I do and I am going to see what I can figure out!