Family. It's about...

Family. It's about.... no, not "time" as the commercial says. Though that is important. This week, to me family is about...

1) Homeowner advice. I called or texted my brother at least 50 times in the last week. Anytime I have a problem at my house, I call him. He knows how to fix everything. This week it has been about the sprinkler system and replacing my deck. I feel much more confident calling a business or repair man after talking to my brother. At least I know the language to use, I sound like I know what I am talking about, and I know whether the person on the other end is giving me a good deal.

2) Help. My cousin, Rob, works for a tree company. Yesterday I paid him to come and remove three trees from my backyard. That is six trees in six years that I have removed. Yesterday I was sad, for a moment, to see the apple trees go. But then I thought about all the leaves I won't have to rake in the fall and the sentimentality was gone. The bonus was that my uncle and dad rode down with Rob. It was great to see them. I have been blessed with a wonderful extended family.


3) History. I attended a few sessions of the genealogy and family history conference held on the BYU campus this week. It was really interesting to learn about old handwriting, country customs, and new technologies that can be used for finding your ancestors. One day I'd like to know how and why my 3rd great-grandfather, Anders Pettersson last name was changed to Ros, and the names of my 5th great- grandmother's parents who lived in Sweden. I'm even more encouraged to keep writing my own personal history.