I'm new to blogging! I tried it on myspace but that's too busy with ads and nonsense. I like to talk about what I've read and how I've spent my day without going into too much detail about my work. Realtors have to be cautious! There would be nothing better than to spend hours telling about the horrors clients put you through in the pursuit of a simple livelihood.

I've got a great family! My husband's a wonderful guy and makes my world. The "children" are grown adults with full lives of their own. My daughter has provided me with grandkids. I have four stepchildren and more stepgrandchildren that complete my being. Fortunately they are all within an hour's drive except one who decided his life was in Hawaii. Too bad for us but good for him and his new wife.

I'm an reading fanatic. Can't read enough and am always finding another author to love and then I have to buy every book they've ever written just to be sure they are as good as the one I just finished. I don't go anywhere without a book so that if I find I'm forced into hanging out waiting for something to happen, I have a book to grab. I don't read more than one at a time but have learned that if it isn't good then I put it aside. I used to force myself to read it anyway but life is way too short and there are too many words to read to waste my time. I read some authors just because I always have even if their books aren't quite as good as they used to be such as Patricia Cornwell. If she strays from her main characters than she's doomed! Her last two novels weren't up to her usual standards but I'm hooked on the storyline and the characters so I'll get her new one due out now. Kathy Reichs is much better. My latest author is Elizabeth Berg. Every month I read James Patterson since he seems to write that many (even though he's got help now). My addicition is that I have to own the books I read. There are so many now that they are lining my walls and even the closets. They're like trophies! There's a list on the computer of what I've read and on the shelves the books are by author and title. When you read this much you tend to forget which ones you've read and it's best to carry a list. My list is now as thick as a book so I quite carrying it! Not to mention the fact that it changes a few times a week with additions. Amazon and Borders are my friends! Don't know why my kids have trouble finding gifts for me!

My other addiction (besides eating) is doing geneology searches. It stared with the death of my Dad and where to put all the pictures and memoriable that he had in addition to what I had. It's grown to 6 large looseleaf albums and is continually growing. I work with cousins on both sides of the family to do this research and it's wonderful. I'm headed to Lancaster next week to check out the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society to find any information they have on the ancestors that came from Europe in 1732. I've been lucky enough to trace some of the branches of the family back to 1530 in Switzerland and then on to Germany before coming here. They were Anabaptists on the run from persecution. The other side of the family comes from Ireland and we're in the process of DNA testing to determine if we can connect the dots to the 1200's. The albums will end with me as far as my input and then when my daughter inherits it she can add her family and hopefully a little on her brother. God bless the generations in the future who have to deal with all this information. Hopefully someone will care enough to hang onto it. I should buy a trunk with wheels and label it "Grammie's Family" for easier transport. At least I've noticed at family reunions that there is a renewed interest in keeping pictures and data. As Martha Stewart would say; "that's a good thing."