Less than one week now....

We are now down to less than a week on our countdown to "Launch Day".  TEN....  NINE.....  EIGHT......  SEVEN......  SIX.......  FIVE......  It gets closer all the time!  We are putting the finishing touches on the website and we're really excited for everyone to see it.  And a big thanks to everyone who has "liked" us on facebook.

Yesterday I received a much anticipated package in the mail.  This small package was the culmination of about 2 years' work.  Included inside was a welcome letter into the Mayflower Society!  My mother was born in Massachusetts (moving away when she was a year old) and had always been told by her mother that their family descended from the Mayflower Pilgrims.  Only problem was that their last name did not match with any who came over in 1620 - so the challenge was to discover to which one were we related?  Come to find out, we are actually related to quite a few of them, but I chose to trace our line through John Howland & his wife Elizabeth Tilley.  They & their descendents (until my mother & grandmother) stayed in Massachusetts and the state keeps very good records. Finding Birth, Marriage & Death records for everyone in the line (and their spouse) can be a little hard to trace sometimes.  My job was fairly easy, but time-consuming.  Life did have to continue - despite genealogical research - and so now two years later, I finally have the official stamp.

Last year, we did something I'd never done before. We went grave-hunting. (Unfortunately, our Mayflower ancestors are not buried nearby - so we went looking for my dad's ancestors.) I must say that driving along the back-roads of Arkansas can be a little ..... ummm, daunting? confusing? filled with potholes?  Something like that - or all of the above. :) Although we never did get lost, I felt as though it were a distinct possiblility.  Regardless of the difficulties, we had a blast! The scenery was gorgeous and I never imagined driving around on some old dirt roads with my mom & sisters would be so much fun!  It made it even more exciting to think that my ancestors drove along those same roads with their horse & buggy. Wow.  What different lives we lead. But I digress....

So, of course I took along my camera.  I got some really neat shots and then added some text in Photoshop.  All in all, it was a great experience.  I hope to do it again sometime soon. 

Located on top of a hill, this spot was so peaceful. This cemetery was owned by our ancestors several decades ago.



I loved this little spider... well, as long as he stayed where he was. 
Located in Cove Cemetery, this headstone marks the resting place of my great-great-grandfather.

Another cemetery - final resting place for my
great-great-great grandfather & grandmother Stewart