Time flies when you’re having fun!  I realized this weekend how long it’s been since I posted on my blog.  But just because this blog has lacked activity, doesn’t mean yours truly hasn’t been busy.  On the contrary, I’ve been hopping on my genealogy since attending NGS in May.  Here are a few things I’ve been working on:

• Contacting cousins from Ancestry and GedMatch – I’ve made some new cousin contacts!  Now that’s some exciting stuff right there 🙂
• Trying to match the name transition from Mackay to McKee – I’ve not been successful in this yet but I’m hoping a journey to the ancestors homeland will shed some light on the subject.
• Planning a research trip – This is actually going to happen soon.  And I couldn’t be more excited!
• Education – This is so important.  Since I’m currently in a transition period from hobby genealogist to genealogist-pursuing-certification I’ve been working hard on this part of my research.  And I absolutely consider this to be part of research because I’m learning better ways to research as well as learning appropriate sourcing and citation.  I’ve completed the beginning GenProof course and am working on the advanced GenProof course.  This past week I was informed that I had been accepted into one of the upcoming ProGen courses.  I almost jumped up and down at work because I was so excited about my acceptance.
• Digitizing family paperwork – I am still scanning family documents as I have time.  It’s a very slow process.

I made a trip to the Midwest Genealogical Center last week hoping to find some information on the Mackay to McKee name transition.  While I located some information on the family which was very exciting it was not what I was hoping to find.  I won’t complain too much though since I was able to find this bonus material.  I’ve also been waiting on Alien file paperwork and Naturalization file paperwork for D1’s grandmother from the USCIS.  I realize I’m an impatient person but it seems like it’s taking forever to receive the paperwork.  Patience is a virtue, but one I don’t readily possess.

In July I had the chance to attend the reunion of some family members we hadn’t seen in almost 20 years.  I can’t tell you dear readers what a joy that was.  I sincerely hope we’re able to remain in contact with the extended family that attended.  D1 was such a trooper, driving the parental unit and me around to several different cemeteries in North Dakota.

Cemeteries visited in North Dakota

At one of the cemeteries we visited we arrived while the caretaker was doing lawn upkeep.  We weren’t sure whether we had relation in the cemetery but there were Kruegers in the cemetery and we were in the area so we decided to stop.  We checked in with the caretaker to make sure we weren’t going to interrupt his work and discovered that no only had he lived in the area for his entire life (born and raised) but he was related to the Kruegers in the cemetery.  Very closely related.  In the neighborhood of brothers, parents, grandparents, etc.  We talked for a good deal of time and heard the refrain of “not related” but we recorded our visit anyway on the off chance of just in case of relation.

Holy Trinity Catholic Church

As part of the reunion festivities we visited the church which that side of the family had attended for years and where many family members were baptized.  It was beautiful inside.  Gorgeous stained glass windows and beautiful architecture.  Despite the bugs and heat it was a good trip.  Honestly, I’ve yet to have a bad trip to North Dakota.  I’ve always received a very warm welcome from family and new friends when visiting and you can’t ask for more than that.

What’s been keeping you busy lately?