Friday, December 26, 2008

Happy New Year!

It seems that about this time of year I'm stunned with the fact that another year has gone by. I take stock and wonder if I've done enough, or if there was something that I would have done differently, and attempt to set resolutions for the coming year.
This year begins the tenth anniversary of the Heycuz newsgroup, and as I peruse the 19,488 messages and counting, made by Heycuz members since December 2, 1998, I'm overwhelmed. It occurred to me that I can trace the major ups and downs of my personal life just reading our messages. It reminds me that we don't have just an online newsgroup about genealogy but a huge extended family.
I'm so thankful that you've been a part of my life. I can be as emotional as the next gal, but when reading over the messages, I get unusually chocked up. One moment, I'll be laughing about cousin Gale Ford's experience with a bull in a cemetery and the next I'll recall the grief we all felt when James Bradford admitted how difficult the holidays were for him since his beloved wife Kathy had passed. I can "hear" the excitement in our voices when reading the messages about our Heycuz reunion or the Harp cemetery trip and their unorthodox use of dousing rods.
Over the years, we've lost cousins and gained new ones. We've welcomed new grandchildren and babies. We've shared jokes and family stories. In addition, we've shared a lot of research. In case, you're interested you can access the Heycuz archives online at Yahoo groups, if you're a member of Heycuz. I also have saved a copy of every message on a CD. If you have Microsoft Access, or if you can handle a csv file, I can send you a copy of the archives.
Just to think it all started when a couple of us cousins wanted an easier way to share our research without having to remember to copy all the others in our emails. Still, it seems like there's so much still to do.
And yet, I'm baffled on how to begin a list of resolutions for Heycuz: There's brick walls we need to overcome, plans for another reunion, organizing photos and sources, and so much more. Here are some of my genealogy resolutions for the upcoming year:
Getting Organized: One year, I had a hard drive failure and ever since then I've become the backup queen. Unfortunately, now I have drawers and boxes of CDs, DVDs, clippings, census records, notes, deeds, etc. I've swung too far in the other direction. I need to put them into some manageable order so that I can find anything.
Go to the Family History Center: Ever since we moved, I have not yet been back to an LDS family history center, even though there's supposedly one in our town. There are also other local resources I want to check out.
Make a schedule: It seems that I'm letting events of my life run me, when it should be the other way around. It feels like I'm jumping from one unplanned event to the next without rhyme or reason. I feel like I'm constantly just putting out fires. I need to set down and figure out a plan, a schedule, where I can actually say on such and such a day of the month, I'm going to work on something specific. For example, I will work on a specific brick wall in my family tree on the second and fourth Tuesdays for one hour minimum.
Anyway, I'd be very interested in hearing your goals for Heycuz. What direction would you like to see Heycuz go? Do you have any genealogy resolutions?
Finally, I want to wish a very happy new year to all of my cousins. May each of us find just what (whom) we're looking for in 2009!
Your Cuz,
April

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas Cousins!

They say that every seven seconds or so, the phrase 'Merry Christmas" is posted on the internet. Well let me join in on the Chorus and wish all of you a very, merry Christmas!


Your cuz,


April

Happy New Year!

It seems that about this time of year I'm stunned with the fact that another year has gone by. I take stock and wonder if I've done enough, or if there was something that I would have done differently, and attempt to set resolutions for the coming year.
This year begins the tenth anniversary of the Heycuz newsgroup, and as I peruse the 19,488 messages and counting, made by Heycuz members since December 2, 1998, I'm overwhelmed. It occurred to me that I can trace the major ups and downs of my personal life just reading our messages. It reminds me that we don't have just an online newsgroup about genealogy but a huge extended family.
I'm so thankful that you've been a part of my life. I can be as emotional as the next gal, but when reading over the messages, I get unusually chocked up. One moment, I'll be laughing about cousin Gale Ford's experience with a bull in a cemetery and the next I'll recall the grief we all felt when James Bradford admitted how difficult the holidays were for him since his beloved wife Kathy had passed. I can "hear" the excitement in our voices when reading the messages about our Heycuz reunion or the Harp cemetery trip and their unorthodox use of dousing rods.
Over the years, we've lost cousins and gained new ones. We've welcomed new grandchildren and babies. We've shared jokes and family stories. In addition, we've shared a lot of research. In case, you're interested you can access the Heycuz archives online at Yahoo groups, if you're a member of Heycuz. I also have saved a copy of every message on a CD. If you have Microsoft Access, or if you can handle a csv file, I can send you a copy of the archives.
Just to think it all started when a couple of us cousins wanted an easier way to share our research without having to remember to copy all the others in our emails. Still, it seems like there's so much still to do.
And yet, I'm baffled on how to begin a list of resolutions for Heycuz: There's brick walls we need to overcome, plans for another reunion, organizing photos and sources, and so much more. Here are some of my genealogy resolutions for the upcoming year:
Getting Organized: One year, I had a hard drive failure and ever since then I've become the backup queen. Unfortunately, now I have drawers and boxes of CDs, DVDs, clippings, census records, notes, deeds, etc. I've swung too far in the other direction. I need to put them into some manageable order so that I can find anything.
Go to the Family History Center: Ever since we moved, I have not yet been back to an LDS family history center, even though there's supposedly one in our town. There are also other local resources I want to check out.
Make a schedule: It seems that I'm letting events of my life run me, when it should be the other way around. It feels like I'm jumping from one unplanned event to the next without rhyme or reason. I feel like I'm constantly just putting out fires. I need to set down and figure out a plan, a schedule, where I can actually say on such and such a day of the month, I'm going to work on something specific. For example, I will work on a specific brick wall in my family tree on the second and fourth Tuesdays for one hour minimum.
Anyway, I'd be very interested in hearing your goals for Heycuz. What direction would you like to see Heycuz go? Do you have any genealogy resolutions?
Finally, I want to wish a very happy new year to all of my cousins. May each of us find just what (whom) we're looking for in 2009!
Your Cuz,
April

Merry Christmas Cousins!

They say that every seven seconds or so, the phrase 'Merry Christmas" is posted on the internet. Well let me join in on the Chorus and wish all of you a very, merry Christmas!


Your cuz,


April