Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Dreams and Goals

2013-07-23T21:24:00.001-07:00

MY DREAMS	MY GOALS
Get completely out of debt by the end of this year	Daily: Decrease eating out to once a week, or less Create a savings “thermometer” and keep it current Stay within the established budget amounts for expenditures Monthly: Set aside 500 extra dollars per pay period for savings Pay off the credit card balance each month Review purchases with my husband weekly to determine what can be done for further savings Maintain the monthly payments that have been established Deadline: 12/31/2013
Complete my Bachelor’s Degree	Daily: Make sure that my homework is completed before bed Check deadlines for the following day, and week Ask teachers and classmates for help if needed Semester Basis: Create an approved grad-plan Track my course progress at the end of each semester Maintain a minimum of 6 credits each semester Deadline: 12/31/2015
Scan and transcribe the mighty bin of journals	Daily: Scan and transcribe the number of pages that need to be done daily to complete one journal per week (a seventy page journal requires ten pages per day) Tag and organize any photos that correspond to the journal entries Organize them into a document that will be printed Weekly: Scan, and transcribe one hand-written journal On Sunday, scan, tag and organize at least ten additional photos Post scanned photos on the family server for distribution Deadline: 09/16/2013

Four Generation Pedigree

2013-07-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

Weekly Reflections

2013-07-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Week 1

Plan of Salvation - The best things that I learned in this unit were some of the remarks in the talk by Elder Groberg. It reminded me of how important it is to involve the Spirit in the work that we do. Even when we are doing good things, it can be easy to get distracted with making priorities simply a check-list, rather than a spiritual uplift, or feast. It was interesting for me to look at the family history work as a union of the physical and the spiritual, which is something that I had not considered before. I love that I have learned this before diving into the work that needs to be done, so the experience will be so much richer.

Abrahamic Covenant - This week it came into light the humongous impact that this work has on the world, and on both sides of the veil. I was called to remember the blessing that the Abrahamic covenant has been in my life, and in the life of my family. There are so many people I know who have personally made the commitment to share this gospel on the earth, but also on both sides of the veil, and the promises that the Lord has given are true! It is so easy to forget the things that we have been blessed with, and to consider them as fruits of our own labor. In reality, these are all blessings that come from the Lord.

Week 2

Libraries - The best thing I learned during this assignment was that Family History work is not going to be a journey where I am floating alone in a sea of records. The women at the center were very nice, and were more than willing to help me in whatever I needed help with. There is so much more online than I thought there was. I think that a misconception of people who are not actively doing family history work is that it is a bunch of old people looking at microfiche all day. I definitely learned that is not the case!

Gathering and Organizing - The best thing I learned was that the difficult thing about family history work is simply starting. There are simple things that you can do after that, but the biggest hurdle is just getting in gear, and starting with the small things. I learned that the Lord truly is involved in this work, and the people on the other side of the veil really do want their work to be done. I have heard that hundreds of times as a member of the church, but until this week, I could not say that I had a testimony of that fact. There is definitely an amazing spirit associated with this work, and I am so happy that I have started.

Week 3

The Spirit of Elijah - One of the things that struck me in this lesson was how my heart would be turned to my children. It made me evaluate what things I am actively doing to help my daughter prepare to be an amazing woman. There are definitely some things that I need to improve in order to help her achieve her full potential, and this lesson made me think of that in specific ways that I had not considered before. Things like self-respect, gender identity, personal histories, and teaching them about my personal experiences were all things that came to my mind. I want my heart to be turned to her and her future siblings just as much as it is turned to my fathers (and mothers) before me.

Alternate Forms of Family History - The best thing I learned was that I don't have to do all of the work by myself! I know this seems like a very obvious thing to take away from the lesson this week, but there was something specific for me to learn. There is a statement in my patriarchal blessing that generally states how I need to make sure all of my family history work is done. Until now, I have thought that this responsibility was completely up to me, and I have been living with guilt that I don't know much about it, how to start, and that it is all up to me. Through the spirit's help, I have reinterpreted that statement, and have greater hope for the accomplishment of the work for my family.

Week 4
Roots Magic - The best thing that I learned during this unit was that there are beautiful gems of unknown family history just waiting to be found. When doing my simple pedigree chart, I found out that I have family on my mother's side buried about 30 minutes from my house. To give you an indication of how crazy that is, I live in Maryland, and I am the only member of my family on the east coast - everyone else lives in California. I do not know if anyone has photos of this grave, but I am going down there as soon as possible to check it out. All I needed to do was start looking, and things started to unfold.

Indexing - The best thing I learned in this project was the incredible importance of indexing. There was crucial information about one of my ancestors that only became available recently because one of the census records was completed and released to the public. It also made me think of how important my compilation of information is about my own life. If all that is left of me in future days is a scribbled name, I will feel like my entire story has gone to waste. There is so much that I need to journal, publish, and take care of so that this does not happen to me.

Week 5
Pitching Our Tents Toward the Temple - The thing that struck me the most during this lesson was the perspective that was brought to my remembrance regarding my placement in the eternal plan of Heavenly Father. The temple is the midway point between everything that has been, and everything that will be. I have the privilege of being a living person that can enter into that midpoint and change both the past and the future. In my mind, it is like a spiritual portal between the three worlds. I was reminded of the importance of this work, and especially the urgency that is involved in doing family history work.

Sacred Ordinances - I reflected so much this week about the role of the temple in my life. There are many instances where I have gotten an incredibly peaceful feeling that has buoyed me through the week. The readings definitely made me reconsider not only how the temple affects the living, but also the impact that it has on the dead. Because of this, during a recent experience in the temple, I was able to connect on a deeper level with the person that I was doing the work for. I have felt a more sincere urgency to complete the work for my ancestors, and to seal their families together forever.

Week 6
Family Tree - The best thing I learned this month is that the counsel that was given about anticipating discouragement is very true. I felt overwhelmed trying to tell the difference between all of the websites, and how they all interacted with each other. I am glad that there were training videos to sort it out for me, and I am glad that I know where to find them in the future. I was even able to explain the difference between the sites to my mother and sister this week right after I learned about it. I am glad that I have a technical background to handle dealing with all of these different websites.

Week 7
Journals - The best thing that I have learned is that even though my life may seem small, and insignificant, there is greater purpose in the things I am experiencing. I have thought multiple times throughout this class that has coincided with a hardship of mine that I should write down my feelings and the spiritual progression that is also occuring. Up until this lesson, I have procrastinated documenting what I am going through, but I feel that I have the courage to start. It is not going to be easy, but I know that in the end I will be so happy I did, and someone else in the future might benefit from it as well.

Personal Histories - The best thing that I learned during this lesson was that I have got to get busy on the journals that I have kept in the past. They are in a total state of disarray, and I am one of the only people who can unravel the mess that they are in with clarity, and with my memory. I also learned that I have a plethora of stories that have never been written down, and the more I write, the more come back to my memory. The hardest part is definitely starting, but I have been amazed at the things that have come back to me, and the wealth of information that they would be for someone who was trying to understand what life was like when I was alive, or who I was as a person.

Week 8
Sources - The most important thing I learned during this unit was how essential it is to cite your sources when doing family history. I used to think that citing sources was tedious, and it was not something that was very high on my priority list. After trying to find people, and coming up unsuccessful because of a lack of documentation and citing of sources, I now understand how important it is. I have seen a change in how I even log my personal information so that it would be easy for someone to find it in the future, and to have details about my own life.

Research Process - The best thing that I learned during this unit is how important it is to follow certain steps when doing research. What impacted me the most were the remarks about starting with prayer, and following the spirit while doing family history work. There are several lines that have not been continued because there is difficulty regarding the records that were not kept. It goes in line with the other things we studied this week about keeping record of our efforts to find people, and the things that we find along the way. I wish that better records were kept of my ancestors, and where they lived in Prussia so that I could find them later.

Week 9
Immigrant Ancestors - The best thing I learned in this assignment was while reflecting on the dialogue that we created between us and our ancestor. This is something that I think about all the time, and part of me wishes that open dialogue between the sides of the veil was actually possible. It would make things so much easier. For me, this assignment just reinforced the fact that one day we will be able to talk to our ancestors, and I want to give them a good report on my efforts to find them and do the work. It will make for a much better reunion in the future than if I do nothing, and do not know anything about them.

Family Search and Wiki - The best thing I learned was that there are huge resources available to anyone who wants to delve into family history. I was really impressed at the many levels of family history that are now on the web. I found everything from basic searches to intense lessons on how to read German script that was used in clergy records in small parishes. I used to think that if you had family that was from another country you automatically needed to go to that country for research. Knowing that all this information is online will certainly save a lot of money and time down the line. I feel more confident in my effort to find my lost ancestors.

Week 10

FanChart - It was interesting to me to take a bird’s eye view of my family history work, and to evaluate what has been done. One of my lines has an entire branch which is missing, and I was surprised by that. For some reason, my great-grandmother’s husband is not listed as her spouse, and all of the work that has been done after that is completely gone. I am a little perplexed by that, so I am going to contact my grandmother to find out why that information is missing. It was great to see how far some of my lines have extended, and it gives me great appreciation for my grandparents and the sacrifices they have done to do the work so far.

Other Websites - The best thing that I learned during this lesson is the value of doing hearty research and making sure everything has a source attached. While doing research for one of the ancestors that needed sources, I took a look at her death date, and suddenly, all kinds of memories surrounding her passing came back into my mind. I had completely forgotten about them until looking at them for a second time. I was also able to find her obituary that was published through a newspaper in Texas where she was born. I had no idea that she had a son who died as an infant, as well as a daughter who died as a teenager. It was interesting for me to see that a person I thought I knew actually had a lot about them that went unnoticed by me.

Week 11

Leadership in the Church - This week really reinforced for me the importance of doing what we can, and what we are able to, but not overdoing it. It is easy to get overwhelmed as a young mother with home, school, work, and other church obligations to try and add family history work as a last and stressful addition to a long list. There are so many things that we can "count" as family history work, but we do not have to do it all at once. I realized that there are things that I am doing already that can fall under the category of family history work. The gospel learning that we do as a family, praying for the current events in our extended family, and visiting with those who are elderly in our family all fall under this category. We are already doing these things, so in a sense, we are well on our way.

Lifetime Commitment - The best thing I learned this week is that we need to reach out to our families for help with family history work, but also to our ward families. There is always going to be that lady who has all of her lines traced back to Adam, but there is also so much that she can contribute. I was also able to reflect on how all of the auxiliaries in the church can align their efforts with family history work for the greater good of the ward members. It made me think of the many things I can do even if I do not have a calling that is specific to family history work.

Week 12

Submitting names to the Temple - It is funny because this is the thing I have been waiting all semester long to learn how to do. It was very simple, and I am very grateful for that. It was also interesting to look at my pedigree through the lens of which ordinances have been completed, as opposed to just facts and dates. I feel fulfilled in knowing that I have the missing piece that will help me take my ancestors to the temple to complete their ordinances. My personal testimony of the ordinances I have received, and how I feel about my own family has been strengthened, but I also feel a more compelling pull to get the work done for others.

Catching Up - For me, this week was pretty eye-opening. I was able to see the joy and happiness that my husband had while serving a mission, but also the happiness that I was able to receive in preserving those moments for my posterity. It is sad to me that so much of what we do in this life gets lost in the shuffle, and it was amazing to see the way that my husband’s mind was opened when we were working on this project together. He would remember things that he had not thought about in years, and we were able to capture that. Technology also played a huge part in this project, as we were able to fill in the gaps of his memory with what was recorded in other ways.

Ancestral History - Bernhard Friedrich Voigt, Jr

2013-06-30T21:03:00.002-07:00

Bernhard Friedrich Voigt, Jr., 1874-1938

Bernhard Friedrich Voigt is my great great grandfather. He was born in Germany where he was a basketmaker and sugar boiler. He was born in Braunschweig, Germany, on April 11, 1874, and lived in Haverlah. Once when he was a teenager there was a fire in their home and Bernhard was able to go back in the burning building and rescue his old grandfather, burning his hands quite badly.

Bernhard came to the United States on the ship Furnessia in August 1895, at age 21, and worked as a sugar boiler in New Jersey. Two years later he went back to Germany and brought his sweetheart, Hermine Germer, back to the United States with him. They arrived at Ellis Island in New York on March 26, 1897, and got married right away.

When they had two children, Johanna and Frederick, Hermine was lonesome for her mother, so she took the kids and went back to Germany for a visit. When she got there she discovered she was expecting another child. My great great grandfather, Bernhard Johann Voigt, was born September 29, 1903, in the home of his grandparents in Haverlah, Germany. After a few months her husband wrote and begged her to come home, that he was tired of living like a bachelor, and she returned to the United States, arriving home on Christmas Eve, 1903. Bernhard and Hermine had seven children. They never let the kids speak the German language at home, because they were proud to be Americans.

They were living in Baltimore, Maryland, when Bernhard died on September 1, 1938. Hermine lived until October 20, 1944. Interestingly enough, all of my family still lives in Sacramento California, but because of a job opportunity in 2003, our family moved to Maryland. Ten years later while doing family history research, I came across a note in their Family Search records that stated their place of burial in Baltimore, MD which is about 30 minutes away from where I live now. I was able to visit their burial site with my family, which was a very meaningful experience for me. Until then, none of the family had photos of their gravestones.

My great grandfather is Bernhard Johann Voigt, but everyone called him Ben or BJ. He was a sugar boiler too, and helped to build the Crystal Sugar Factory that used to be at Clarksburg, California, not far from Sacramento. They made sugar from sugar beets. His son is my great grandfather, Robert Elmer Voigt. He was born in Murray, Utah, in October 1932 and lives in Sacramento.

(This information was gathered from my personal research, as well as from my Grandparents Robert and Vesta Voigt)

Ancestral History - Seaman Family Legend

2013-06-29T23:10:00.001-07:00

Every family has a special story, and sometimes it is unclear what is fact, and what is fiction. Sometimes, the most unbelievable story actually has its roots in the truth. The following story has circulated our family for years, and has to do with the origin of our surname “Seaman”.

In the 1700s on an undetermined date, a small family set sail from an undetermined country (we think it might be Europe based on our genetic makeup). This small family was comprised of a man, his wife, and their small son. They were travelling over to America, which was a long and arduous journey at the time. On the ride over, the man and his wife passed away, leaving the young boy to fend for himself on the ship. I have always imagined that the couple died of sickness, but their actual cause of death is unknown. The boy was too young to speak, and consequently did not know his name. His parents were not carrying any records of origin, and when they arrived in port, there was no one waiting to claim him. Having no papers, the crew did not know where to return him, either.

Surprisingly, the crew of this ship took pity on the young boy, and adopted him into their small (and probably very manly) family on board. He spent most of his life aboard the same ship he was born on, and the crew started to call him “The Little Seaman” in honor of his adoption on the sea. Eventually, when he decided to make a life for himself on land, he ported in Pennsylvania, and was required to record his name on documents. He wrote the surname “Seaman” as he had been called on board for the majority of his life.

That surname name has continued down the line for hundreds of years, and is now the surname for me and my family. Not much else is known about this man or the life he lived - only that his unfortunate beginnings lead to an interesting namesake for hundreds of people. The majority of people in the United States who have the last name Seaman all come from this one common ancestor.

Humorously enough, the surname, as well as the tradition of being closely tied to the sea has also been passed down through the generations. My grandfather was a radioman on submarines during the Korean War. Because he was officially part of the military, his name was “Seaman Seaman”. Additionally, my father is a Master Diver, and has logged hundreds of dive hours across the world. He has also taught SCUBA instruction.

Although the story is an interesting one, it begs the question of its validity. This story was actually recorded in the Pennsylvania state history and is a very small drop in the ocean of American history. It is one of the most interesting, but equally frustrating aspects about our family history. Because there were no papers of origin that this man had in his possession, there is no real way of knowing the true national identity that we are descended from. Because the dates are so far in the past, even genetic testing has come up with very deluded results. My father did the cheek swab, and the results that were returned were deemed “inconclusive”. For me, this particular ancestor represents the immigrant ancestor that we all possess in our family history whether we are merely a second generation, or if they came across the sea hundreds of years ago. It shows the power in all of us to overcome obstacles, and to turn unfortunate events in our lives into wonderful and even entertaining stories.

Personal History

2013-06-15T20:55:00.003-07:00

I was born in Sacramento, California at the Kaiser hospital in the city. My parents planned on having a natural birth experience using the Bradley birth method, but after twenty-four hours of labor, it was determined that I was “sunny side up” and that I would have to be delivered via cesarean. Because the labor had lasted for so long, my head was so wedged in the birth canal that when the doctors tried to pull me out, my mother was lifted up off the table. It was a Sunday morning, and I was their first child.

My father had always wanted a child named Rachael, and he was the one who ultimately decided to spell it with a non-traditional ending. My middle name is Lynn after my mother’s middle name. This simple extra vowel has been a source of both confusion and humor over the years. Many people mispronounce it, or assume that I am Jewish. In order to help people spell it correctly, I tell them that it is spelled like the name Michael.

Two years after me, my brother was born naturally, and my parents were ecstatic to have achieved a VBAC which was very controversial at the time. He was named after my father of my father who died in the Korean War while stationed in Japan. My father was only seven months old when he died, so he passed away without any recollection of him at all.

My earliest memory is of me and my brother. We were living in Elverta, California and my parents were throwing a party. My brother and I were in a crib that had been sidled up to a tall bookshelf in an adjacent room away from the adults, on which was a music box shaped like a castle. I remember wanting that castle very badly, so I reached up to grab it, and it came crashing down on the poor baby. I do not remember feeling remorse, but I do remember being happy that I finally had the music box!

Our first house was a small rancher in Rio Linda, California. It belonged to the mother of my father, but she often spent large amounts of time travelling for work, so she did not live with us. This was the house that my father spent most of his late childhood, and high school years.

Our First House

We later moved to another house nearby in Elverta which was a sizeable rancher on a corner lot. It had a large garage in the backyard, as well as a coop for chickens in the back corner. In the front yard, there was a massive mulberry tree, and underneath of it was a full-sized trampoline. A very small grape vine grew on the fence on the left side of the house, and a small crab apple tree grew on the right side of the house. I tried the fruit from both, but the shade from the house never allowed the grapes to fully ripen, and crab apples are not known for their taste.

Our Second House

I remember jumping out of the branches onto the trampoline thousands of times, and often bouncing off of it, and onto the ground. In the summertime when the fruit on the mulberry tree grew ripe, it would fall all over the yard, and onto the trampoline. We would jump on the fruit until the juice came out, dying our feet and clothes a deep purple. My mother was less than thrilled at the purple footprints that we would track into the house, but we were very excited about it.

Elverta Joint Elementary School

I attended my first two years of elementary school at Elverta Elementary. When I was enrolling in elementary school, I they originally wanted me to skip kindergarten, and move into the first grade. My father was against it, as he was concerned about my social development, not to mention I was very small for my age. He felt that it would be best that I did not feel out of place, and that I would grow and learn with my peers. The name of my Kindergarten teacher was Ms. May, and she had a brown paper teddy bear up on the wall where she had written the name of every student in the class. I do not remember much about her, only that she was kind, and pretty. One day, I asked Ms. May if I could use the bathroom, and she said that I needed to wait because someone was already inside. I remarked, “That is okay. I have been holding it for like a week, so I think I can wait a little longer.” I remember her looking nervous, but I had intended to make her impressed at my ability to hold on for so long, but instead, she only looked anxious. She hurried along whoever was in the bathroom and made sure I was next in line.

My two greatest friends in Kindergarten were Kenneth and Jordan. Our mothers had all been pregnant at the same time with the three of us, and they attended the Elverta Ward together. Our mothers created a program for us during the day called “Joy School” that was like a preschool, only less formal. The moms would rotate hosting everyone who was attending the school, and all three of us were part of that group. I remember playing a relay game with gummy bears on a spoon, and when my mom came to pick me up, I did not want to go home. The only thing I wanted more than life itself was that gummy bear. Jordan, Kenneth and I later attended Elverta Elementary together.

My mother was always an avid reader, and read to us daily, in addition to taking us to the library, and encouraging us to read on our own. When I was in the first grade, they evaluated my reading and writing comprehension and my results placed me at the level of a fifth grader. In order to compensate for my learning curve, I attended the English and Writing classes with the rest of the fifth graders. I specifically remember one of my assigned spelling words was “helicopter” which is pretty impressive for a first grader. I am still not convinced that this was the best idea, because my attention span was far less developed than the other students. At one point, while the teacher was talking, I raised my hand and gave my teacher an entire monologue about a book called, “Nate the Great” and I went on for several minutes about his adventures, his dog, and the fact that he liked pancakes. Of course, none of this was related to the lesson that was being taught at the time.

On another occasion, I was distracted in class, and I saw a list of homonyms on the wall that had been used in an activity on a different day. Immediately the homonyms “blue” and “blew” came to my mind, and I threw up my hand desperately wanting my teacher to call on me. When she finally called my name, I announced my discovery, and much to her dismay, derailed the class once again. I remember always feeling like she was frustrated with me to some degree, which I can fully understand in hindsight. On Valentine’s Day, I went out of my way to make something special to give her, and to say thank you for being my teacher. When I gave her the drawing, a little part of her frustration visibly melted before my eyes, and she was always a little kinder to me after that.

I rode the bus every day to school, which picked me up and dropped me off right at my house. Some days, my mom would arrange a play-date with Kenneth’s mom, and I would ride the bus to school, but ride home with Kenneth. My mom made always made it a point to tell the bus driver on those days, so she could skip our house on her route. One day, I remember riding the bus for a really long time. All of the other kids left the bus one by one, and soon I realized that I was the only one left. I looked out the window, and we were in a place that I did not recognize, so I poked my head above the seat and caught the eye of the bus driver. She had a shocked look on her face. She exclaimed, “You are still on the bus! I thought you were getting a ride home with Kenneth! You are so short I did not even see you sitting there.” Immediately, she drove me home, and my mother was waiting for me at the curb. The bus driver desperately explained herself, and apologized profusely. I was completely unfazed by the experience, but my mother had been understandably worried.

On the right side of the house, there was a gravel driveway that was laid behind a rolling chain-link fence. When I was eight years old, I was given a small pocketknife and a slingshot for my birthday. There were always a lot of birds in our yard because of the mulberry tree, other bugs that lived in the grass. While practicing with my slingshot, I spied the driveway, and realized that I had spied the Mecca of slingshot ammunition, not to mention feathered targets. I snuck a few pieces of gravel into my pocket, and began to take aim at the birds. Very quickly, my parents caught wind of some excitement coming from the flock of birds. They came out and discovered my attempted target practice. Although I never did hit a bird, I was chastised for the idea, and my slingshot was confiscated for a while. Years later, the rubber in the slingshot corroded, and the wood snapped, but I still have the pocketknife to this very day.

View of Life

2013-04-22T20:37:00.002-07:00

Every morning when I wake up, I hold still, and listen to the sounds of the morning.

I am only vaguely aware of the sound of the fan blades vigorously turning to keep the Maryland heat at bay. "Sugar Magnolias" are pouring out of the shower as my husband gets ready for work. I can feel the remarkably persistent kicks of my baby girl who managed to sneak into our bed once again. My husband comes to kiss us both before he goes to work. For a moment, they are the only thing I can see in the haze of my vision, as my glasses have been set on some distant surface out of focus.

In this way, I am reminded every morning of the good things in my life, and the short but beautiful experiences I have to hang onto. I think about the places I want to go, and the things that I want to see. I dream of visiting Europe, of exploring the ocean floors, and the views of mountains I have climbed. I think about my children I have yet to meet, and the friends I have yet to make. I feel like there is so much life behind me, but also ahead of me. I plan on serving missions with my husband, of seeing my children get married in the temple. I dream of seeing the country where my ancestors woke up on mornings similar to mine before me, and how my grandchildren will do the same after me.

I snuggle into the blankets with my child, bring my husband in a little closer, and thank the Lord for all the goodness I have been given.

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Dreams and Goals

MY DREAMS

MY GOALS