Homemade Holiday

If anyone knows me well enough, they know I despise the upcoming holiday season. I'm not a religious person, so that part of Christmas is just lost on me. I'm also not a fan of the constant bombardment of "Buy this! Buy that!" from the numerous advertisements.

I want to stay away from the consumerism of the holiday season, so unless I've bought the gift already, everything will be homemade or upcycled. J and I try to live very minimally and simply and I think this is a good way to continue to live by this principle.

I enjoy making gifts for others rather than just buying an already made gift from the store. I'd also rather get homemade or upcycled gifts because it shows the person took the time to think of me and put their own love into a gift.

You can't get that with a store bought perfume set.

What's in a (last) name?

When I first got engaged back in October,
I would encounter one of two questions:

When are you getting married? (less than two months from now!)
and
What will your new last name be?

Just the thought about all of the paperwork I'd have to complete to change my surname gives me a headache. Speaking professionally, it's easier for me to keep my given surname.

I also am going to keep my surname because it's a part of who I am. I understand that my future husband's surname will become a part of me, especially when we have kids, but to me it's not the same. I know the history of the surname and the meaning behind it. I've done extensive research on my family history and I don't want to lose that connection. As a genealogy nerd, I know the struggles of trying to trace back a family ancestor. So much of a female ancestor's history is lost by something as simple as changing their last name.

I have nothing against women (and men!) taking the last name of the spouse, but it's just not me. I've been told a few times by women that they cried when they took their husband's last name. I think I would too.

I will and forever be a Mazur.

Which means 'rustic' in Polish, by the way.

When an old person dies, a library burns.

Lately I've been really getting into family history. I've always been interested, but back in July I bought an ancestry.com membership. Dad and I have always talked about compiling our family history and putting it together. After years of talking like that, we decided to actually follow through with our plan. It's so much fun for me to dig through old documents and pictures and figure out who these relatives were. I was close with my paternal grandparents, so I know a lot of stories about the family. However, on my maternal side, I didn't really know anything. My Grandpa died before I was born and my Grandma was, well, a bit off her rocker, so I felt like I missed out on a lot of information and stories. I barely knew any surnames, let alone that my family came over to America in the 1630s. Thank goodness for big families such as mine. My many cousins (on both sides) have been extremely helpful. 

As I was digging around, I found that ancestors on both sides of my family settled in the same area of Ludington. These graves are in the cemetery right down the road from where I grew up. I remember being young and looking at these graves. How strange it was to find out that I'm related to them! 

Here's to finding out more of my history. 

My x5 Great Grandparents Amasa and Desire.

Desire was a cousin of John Adams. 

My x3 Great Grand Uncle. Son of the second Amasa Jr. 

My x4 Great Grandfather Erastus

The Weeping Willow on the grave was popular in the 19th century.

"Then Labor Day came and went, and we shed what was left of our summer skin."

What a great summer. 

It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

After many moons of private posting, I'm going to be active on this.

Say what you need to say.

Going back to paper journaling so I can be honest and not have to worry.

I don't even know, man.