Sharing the Legacy of Family History

When my mom passed away I inherited all the family history stuff. Among this was a journal from my 3rd great grandfather Niels Hendrick Borreson (pronounced Burson). I've always wanted to somehow share this legacy with others, especially long-lost cousins, so recently I started a family tree website to do just that. I was able to scan the journal entries and a lot of the old photos and upload them to share. I hope that it will inspire my extended family to learn about their ancestors.

My mom's side of the family is rich in Utah pioneering/Mormon history. I knew the maternal side (the Borreson side) was, but with a little searching last night, I am coming to find out the paternal side was as well.

It's exciting, but at the same time humbling to be recording the names and dates of my ancestors. Often there were 8, 9, 10 or more children but several of those little ones were lost in the first few years. As a parent, it really touches me to think about how difficult life was back then.

I found a picture last night of Niels Borreson's house in Spring City Utah:


along with this short description:
"This house, one of the oldest stone houses in Spring City, was constructed of two-foot thick random rubble stone. Borresen, a miller and horticulturalist, was born in Denmark in 1826. He converted to the LDS church in Denmark and came to Utah in the late 1850s. He moved to Spring City in 1860 and had three wives. He was a veteran of the Black Hawk War and was imprisoned twice at the Territorial Prison in Sugarhouse for practicing polygamy. In 1994 a wood frame wing was added and the original house restored by Peter and Inge-Lise Goss."

I knew that this ancestor was a polygamist from my family history research. I didn't know that he went to prison for it however. He married two widows; one who's husband's death was listed as "died at sea - on way from Norway to United States". These women both had 3-4 children and then went on to have 3-4 more with Niels. He fathered his last child at the age of 62!

At any rate, I plan on publishing his journal entry here over the next few days. It's interesting, and someone may just be looking for information on this prolific Utah pioneer and I would love to share what I can.

Pinch Me

Nat: "Do people have to wear green to bed so they don't get pinched in the morning?"

Mom: "Only if they have a brother. Since yours is in San Francisco I think you're safe."

A Kid's Dream

So imagine you're somewhere between the ages of 10 and 7, and you get to go to your school after hours and have the place all to yourself to do whatever you want.

You go into the top secret teacher's lounge, where students are strictly prohibited. Then you sit in the secretary's chair and pretend that you're in charge of handing out tardy slips.

You go up on stage and put on an improptu show with your sister that involves hula hoops, dribbling balls and being insanely goofy. You set up the microphone stands and take turns manning the stage curtains.

Then you go to the library to chill out. Do a little browsing among the books, lounge a little on the bean bag chairs, and cuddle with the stuffed animals.

Later you play hide and seek with your sister. So many classrooms to choose from. You find all the secret nooks and crannies, and doors that connect to other classrooms. You run and chase and laugh till you can't breathe.

The best part may be having the entire gym to yourself. You find the stash of balls, jump ropes, and scooter boards and use every one. You put on your Heelie shoes and run and skate with reckless abandon. It doesn't get much better than this!

Imagine how fun it is to explore your school with no rules, no teachers, no time limits.

Yep, that's what Nat and Miss Moo got to do tonight while I worked. Mike has been the substitute night custodian at their school this week, so this evening they got to go hang out with Daddy at their school. I came to pick them up 5 hours later and they STILL weren't ready to leave! They had just WAY too much fun!

I Am A Complete Dork At 2 In The Morning - Consider Yourself Warned

I'm sure you've all seen this video:



Well, that's what happened to me at about 2:30am this morning, but with the added twist that it was completely dark---the power had gone out, the curtains were drawn and there was no light at all. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. I drew the short straw, and had to go feed the cat so we could get some sleep, but of course there was no flashlight to be found on either nightstand. I knew I had one in my purse...in the dining room. That would mean running the gauntlet blind through three rooms to retrieve it.

I felt around with my feet on the floor until I found my slippers...as I start to get up I realize they're on the wrong feet. Oh well. The first few feet are easy, I just have to keep my hand on the edge of the bed... but with dread, I know that I'll have to let go of this comforting anchor and navigate No Man's Land across the bedroom unassisted to get to the door of the bathroom.

No Man's Land involved waving my arms in front of my face while sweeping the floor ahead with my foot to avoid tumbling over the dreaded Ancient Sleeping Labrador. I was so worried about this happening that I completely overshot my goal, and ended up in the corner of the bedroom. As my flailing arms start hitting the clothes on top of my dresser I realize how far off I am, and because this so surprises me I start to giggle.

Mike can't tell if I'm laughing or crying at this point, and I'm really starting to lose it, so I can't form a coherent answer to his queries. This makes me laugh even more, and then I think how ridiculous I am flailing around, lost in my own bedroom, with a bad case of the giggles, and well, that really DID IT, and I started to snort!

Oh, gosh once the snorting started I just broke out in hysterical, crazy woman laughing (while I'm still making my way through the house with arms waving and feet darting out feeling for obstacles). I am just delirious and having a good old time by now. I'm giggling, snorting, and tripping over random stuff, which of course wakes up the girls...and the dogs...and the rest of the cats, who are all wondering what in the flip is happening.

I finally find my purse, fumble through it, find the flashlight, feed the *bleeping* cat, and make my way back to bed. The girls are fully awake now, as is Mike, and because the girls are afraid of the dark, I have to go find them a flashlight so that they can go back to sleep.

I woke up this morning and was still chuckling a little about what a spectacle I was in the middle of the night, all because of a pestering, hungry cat!

I Went to a Board Meeting

I went to my first school board meeting ever tonight. I've always been an involved parent, just not THAT involved.

Our district like many others, is facing a serious budget deficit. On the proposal to be cut are things like the ski program, music, the school nurse among other things and/or jobs. It is scary times, especially in California.

The good news is that we have an awesome school board, a bunch of committed and active parents, and our district gets funding mostly from property taxes and NOT from the state like other districts, which means that we are sitting in a much better position than most.

There were rumors that our small school up here was going to be shut down. Thankfully that is just a rumor and things would have to get really bad before they did that.

It was an eye opening experience, and though I arrived feeling anxious and full of dread, I left feeling hopeful and thankful for our little school district and our close knit small community.

Dental Phobia

Yesterday I went to the dentist. Big Whoop, you say? It's been 12 years and I'm a dentalphobe, I say!

My main excuse for not going for so long was my lack of insurance. I didn't want to go to find out I needed work only to not be able to afford it. My other excuse was that since as far back as I remember I've had to have dental work, and I never, ever had a time when I went and was told "no cavities". I was happy if I could count how many cavities I had on ONE hand, not two!

But yesterday wasn't so bad. And it was actually the first time I've had "no cavities"! I do have a couple fillings that need to be replaced, but remarkably, nothing urgent, no root canals, no gum disease (my fears) and it will be affordable thanks to my insurance. Huzzah!!!

Today I took my girls to finish up their dental treatment (all my kids have unfortunately inherited my crappy teeth). And in stark contrast to my experiences as a child, they actually look forward to going to the dentist. What's not to love about a safari themed office where you can play video games while you're waiting, bring a dvd to watch while you're getting your work done and nitrous oxide is standard? The dentist demonstrates each tool on their finger (Mr. Thirsty, Mr. Tickle, etc.), and puts a smiley face on their fingernail to show how the sealants work. Afterward they go "shopping" in the toy box and get a balloon.

Yes, dentists have come a long way, and I'm glad for my younger kids that it has. As for me, I'm proud that I finally had the courage to go, and that 12 years of neglecting the dentist wasn't as bad as I imagined.

From the 7-Year-Old:

Conversing with her 10yo sister, "So you know how cops like sushi?"

WHAT!? Cops like SUSHI? I thought it was donuts or something! Of course her sister goes along with it like this is common knowledge. (And I'm sorry I can't remember what the rest of the conversation was actually about.)

Then later, "I love-slash-hate Tuesdays."

What 7yo says "love-slash-hate"? Where the heck did that come from? And it sounded like it was mostly a hate thing due to what school work is required on Tuesdays anyway. Too funnny.