Memorial Day: Franklin Bowers

In memorandum of my great uncle, Franklin Bowers, who gave his life in service for this country 9 July 1944 in Normandy, France, just 13 days before his 22 birthday. (He is the young man on the left).

Photograph and burial information courtesy of my Great Aunt Lois, 26 May 2009.

Happy Birthday to Me:-)

Last Day as a 20-Something

I remember my 20th birthday well.  It was the last day of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever", a show I co-directed with my friend Tom.  We had a sold out audience for both shows that day, an amazing cast, and they gave me a birthday cake on stage at the end.  I had no idea at the time how fantastic my 20s would be; beyond a doubt my favorite decade yet.

I remember random other birthdays in the past decade: 21 was a crazy night out week, one was spent in Las Vegas (24?) where I fell asleep at about 8 pm due to the time change, 25 was a co-birthday party with my friend Matt, 28 was a sad one, as my grandfather had just died, 29 was spent in the ER after I slipped on ice and sprained my ankle walking between classes.  Nearly of those birthdays faded into the shadows of my memory where I can guess the place I was and who I spent it with, but can't for the life of me know for sure (22 in Canandaigua, 23 in Oneonta, 26 and 27 in Syracuse...)

Never would I have guessed I would be so excited to turn 30 and enter that next decade.  My 20s rocked; I had more than my fair share of fun, crazy, happy times.  I am in an excellent place in my life and can see things only getting better.

Happy 4th of July!

Me, 1985 (3 1/2 years old)

Happy Flag Day!

(Source: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/linder6580)

Flag Day became an official holiday in 1949, after being celebrated since 1877 unofficially (http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/flag-day.htm).  In my lifetime there has only been one US flag, with 50 stars for the 50 states.  How about in yours?  Or in your ancestors?

Happy Easter!

My mom used to sing this every Easter when my sister and I were little.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Celebrating my first married Valentine's Day:-)  (This picture is from right after we got engaged<3)

Advent Calendar - If Only In My Dreams...

"I'll be home for Christmas... If only in my dreams..."

Today's Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories is a grab bag, so I thought I would talk about those times I was unable to be home for Christmas.  As a retail manager this has happened often.  While at FYE I would work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, so driving home was difficult with the 4-hour trip each way.  Now that I am at Starbucks, I often work Christmas, as they do not often find people and it means I get off Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, which is when my mom's family tends to get together.  Coming home to Buffalo when it is only 2 hours away is much easier.

Those years when I did not get to go home at all I was always very lucky to have friends who were like family that I could spend the day with.  Lauren, Sterling, Matt and Christmas Eve at Emily's parents' party, are the ones that stick in my mind most.  Now, I spend the day with my husband and in-laws.  It was always hard to be away, but we would talk on the phone and having those wonderful friends and their families around made it much less lonely than it could have been.

I will be home this year from Tuesday until Christmas Eve.  Late Christmas Eve my husband and I will drive back so that I can work at 7am, then we will be at his parents house Christmas day.  I am thrilled that I will be able to see almost all of my family and my friends who still live in Buffalo this holiday season.  I am blessed to have so many people who have invited me for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day through the years.

Pearl Harbor Day: Marion F. Hubler

On Pearl Harbor Day, I will be remembering those who died in the attack.  I will also be thinking about those who survived, such as mu uncle Marion F. Hubler.

Here is an image of the muster roll for the quarter the attack took place of the ship he was on.

 



And here is a close-up of his name:



 

Source: Marion F. Hubler, muster rolls of the Ship Medusa (AR-1), 31 December 1941; Muster rolls and reports of changes, 1939-47; Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798 - 2003, Record Group 24; digital images, Footnote, "Pearl Harbor Muster Rolls," Footnote (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 7 Dec 2010).

Valentine's Day Family Word Mosiacs

In honor of Valentines Day I have created Word Mosiacs at ImageChef.  The first is for my paternal side and the second for my maternal side.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Candy Heart for All of You!

Thanks for reading and commenting on my posts all year:-)

Made at from Candy Hearts

SNGF - What I received for Christmas

This weeks Saturday Night Genealogy Fun:
1) What gift that you received for Christmas is your favorite for genealogy purposes? Book, magazine, hardware, software, website subscription, research time - what was it, and how will it affect your genealogy research?

2) Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook in response to this post.


I received a fantastic genealogy present on Christmas - a reply to a blog post from my second cousin, once removed!  I couldn't have asked for anything better.  Thank you Alan, for a fantastic present!

Advent Calender - Opening Day 5

The GeneaBlogger Advent Calender prompt #5: December 5 - Outdoor Decorations
Did people in your neighborhood decorate with lights? Did some people really go “all out” when decorating? Any stories involving your ancestors and decorations?

In recent years, my sister has slowly become one of the more out-of-control light people. Each year after Christmas, she gets another one of those lit, movable, holiday animals to add to the collection. Her and my mom also put up icicle lights around the house for a complete winter wonderland.

My favorite lights are those of an unknown neighbor. Each year, for as long as I can remember, he has put up a huge Christmas tree, made out of green lights. It never feels like Christmas until I go home and see the tree all lit up against the dark night sky.

Advent Calender - Opening Day 4

The GeneaBlogger Advent Calender prompt #4: December 4 - Christmas Cards
Did your family send cards? Did your family display the ones they received? Do you still send Christmas cards? Do you have any cards from your ancestors?

My mother is fantastic about sending Christmas cards, which is a trait I am trying hard to pick up on. She would write out dozens each year, as would my grandmother and, in return, our mailbox would be full each day leading up to Christmas. Trying to display each one could be tricky, but we went through a multitude of card holders over the years to do so.

I do not have any cards from my ancestors and until reading this prompt had never thought to look for some. It looks like it is time to mention that to relatives as they pull out all their holiday items and hopefully find some old cards tucked away.

Advent Calender - Opening Day 3

The GeneaBlogger Advent Calender prompt #3: December 3 - Christmas Tree Ornaments
Did your family have heirloom or cherished ornaments? Did you ever string popcorn and cranberries? Did your family or ancestors make Christmas ornaments?

My mother has a multitude of ornaments her grandmother and other female relatives made over the years. Each year we would hang a few of these on the tree along with all of our Hallmark ornaments from more recent years. The ornaments I love the most are those with a story attached and my mom does an excellent job at picking them out for us year after year. My favorite from last year was the "First Christmas Together 2008" she got for Aaron and I and our first apartment together.

We also tell the story each year of when my grandmother bought each family a pickle ornament and my cousin Jake picked one up and it just crushed in his hand. He had the most crestfallen look ever, but after making sure he was okay, we all just laughed and laughed. Glass ornaments around a bunch of active kids did not work out too well. But they received another of the ornaments at a later date and it became family legend.

Advent Calender - Opening Day 2

The GeneaBlogger Advent Calender prompt #2: December 2 - Holiday Foods
Did your family or ancestors serve traditional dishes for the holidays? Was there one dish that was unusual?

My favorite holiday food story is also always brought up by my Gramma Acquard every time I see her:-) We spend Christmas each year with my father's family and for every Christmas dinner my grandmother makes baked beans. Every year she also forgets to take them out of the oven, which is where I come in. I always remember that they aren't out on the counter in the buffet line with everything else, so she will pull them out of the oven and find a place for them with everything else. This is apparently a long running tradition, as my mother used to always remind her before I was old enough to. She makes fantastic baked beans.

Advent Calender - Opening Day 1

The GeneaBlogger Advent Calender prompt #1: December 1 - The Christmas Tree

Did you have a real tree or was it artificial? How big was the tree? Who decorated the tree? What types of Christmas trees did your ancestors have?

We almost always had an artificial tree growing up, except for the few years my sister convinced my mom that a real one was necessary. After still picking up needles in July, we would switch back to the artificial for another year. We all helped decorate, pulling all the ornament boxes out of the attic and remembering why we had received each one or which relative had made them back in the day. Everyones favorite part was always the tinsel. As kids, we would throw it on in globs and my mom would add it in a more restrained way.

Since moving out, I have a very small artificial tree, which works perfectly with the miniature ornaments that I love. I put the few larger ornaments around it on the table, along with my Charlie Brown nativity scene and other random holiday items. Doing this post reminded me that I need to clear the school books and papers off the coffee table, pull my Christmas box out of the closet, turn some carols on and start the holiday decorating!

Happy Valentine's Day (part 2)

Happy Valentine's Day to all my new blogging friends!  Here are some roses just for you!

You can even download it (right-click on picture, Save As Picture, put it in a file where you can find it) and send it to your favorite bloggers or email friends.  Thank you to Randy for this gift to pass along.

My favorite Valentine's Day present is the vase below that my boyfriend Aaron gave me today from the Corning Museum of Glass (made in Ithaca, NY).  The picture does not do it justice, as it is absolutely amazing!  He is also making me dinner and then we are going to the symphony.  I am one very lucky girl!