A Shelter in a Storm!

Well, we made it as far as Cameron Missouri today due to a major snowstorm that is hitting, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. We decided to stop as we kept seeing cars in the ditch. It was really starting to get icy. So we checked into the Days Inn and had dinner at Ma & Pa Kettles restaurant and are now back in our room watching Airport. (1975). Hopefully, the weather will clear tomorrow and we will be back on the road again. We have had our warm cookies and later will head to the indoor pool. Pray for good weather and dry roads! Karen.

The excitement is building!

I can't believe we leave for Texas on Saturday! It will take us 2 days to drive down so we will arrive in Dallas on Sunday. Our hosts, Christy and Jerry Stephens, are very excited to have us come and stay with them. Monday we will head to Houston Space Center in Houston, TX for a day trip. We have always wanted to see it so we are going. Tuesday we head down to see Aunt Dorothy, my dad's older sister who is 86 years old. She is the person that did all the preliminary work on the family history before there was the Internet. Dorothy has provided me with the stepping stones to go forward in the research of the family stories and history. I am so glad she had the determination to put it all down on paper. We will stay overnight at a motel on Tuesday and then head back to Dallas. Thursday is the Dallas Library research day. We will also be going to Oakland Cemetery for the headstones of Augusta Budzien, John Budzien (her son), and her one daughter Amanda Van Detten. I guess there is a plot of 8 people there. We will also be going to where JFK was shot. Friday is Texas Motor Speedway to watch them qualify for the NASCAR race that is on Sunday. Saturday Roger will try his hand at cart racing. Then we head back home on Sunday. We will be back in town on Monday in time to go to the Twins last home opener at the dome. Well, back to organizing for the trip. That is all for now. Karen

A special thank you to a new friend!

After I blogged yesterday, I noticed that Allen ( my son) had added the photo of Charles and Augusta Budzien and their children at the bottom of the blog. A special thank you to Julie D (from Oregon) who found our family tree on-line (thanks Stephanie for doing that) and provided that picture. The men standing are as follows: from left to right, Herman, John and Frank Leo. Sitting from left to right are: Martha, Augusta, Charles and Amanda. Julie has provided information to me as I have her. Her line is John. He was the one who was "murdered" in TX. I will get the whole story as the incident was in the newspaper. I will also be looking up any court documents if the person who killed John was put on trial for the crime. You just can't make this stuff up. More to come on that once I get to TX. Until next time....Karen

Less than 2 weeks til Texas!

I am sitting enjoying a 62 degree day and boy does it feel great! I can't believe we leave for Texas soon. I can't wait to get down there and get busy researching family history. I have the exact location in the cemetery where there is a plot of 8 family members thanks to some volunteers who come in and map cemeteries and help load info online. It is people like these that make finding our legacies easier and it opens the door to all the wonderful stories of the people who came before us. Family history is more than just gathering names and dates, it is about gathering the occupations, events and daily life that shaped our ancestors lives and make us who we are. It warmed my heart to see how our family has carried on the names of our ancestors through the generations. Those people must have been loved and highly thought of for that kind of dedication. Enough on the soapbox! Just really proud to be able to do this and I thank my husband, Roger and niece, Stephanie for supporting my adventures! Couldn't do it without them! Karen