So Cal Jamboree

Here I am in Burbank at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. It's getting to be a bigger and more popular venue for genealogy today than it was in the past. The venders hall has some of the bigest variety of popular genealogy topics, books and software that remember seeing on a smaller conference. This is becoming one of the popular conferences in California. It happens every year about this time, and this year the classes have been very good. I have seen a lot of good friends that I have made through the years and it's fun to talk nothing but genealogy. I sure wish some of my family enjoyed this as much as I do, but I don't mind they don't. I get enough social interaction with my genealogy buddies.

My Soapboax

I love to serve people, almost to the point, I never take time for myself. Case in point here goes. I AM the staff TRAINER (only) for the Orange Regional Family History Center, that in and of itself is almost a full time job. I have spend the last 3 days cleaning out and organizing my 'stuff' from the ORFHC that I use to make new Staff Training Notebooks for the new people. I'm down there most days of the week training.

Beth McCarty is the DIRECTOR
Lucine Fox is the PATRON SERVICES COORRIDINATOR
Daniel Bartosz is the TECHINICAL SERVICES COORIDINATOR
Caroline is the Staff Trainer.

It's not my job to be the first person every single staff member calls when something goes wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But thats exactly what happens. I get 3 to 4 calls a day sometimes about things that aren't my responsibility. "Caroline the internet doesn't work, what should be do?" "Caroline, I can't find this film, where should I look?", "Caroline, this patron needs to talk to you, I don't know what he's talking about...".

Today, I have just had it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not my job to find a substuitute for the entire 87 person staff when they can't make it! But, who do they call- Caroline! Today a guy who works on the Saturday 1-5 shift called into the Wednesday morning 9-1 shift and directed the person who answers the phone to call ME! There are 3 people to call before I am called! Why doen't they call their own subs? That's what I train them to do. Lucine Fox is the person who is in charge of subs.

Don't anyone just tell me to say NO! You can't say NO to some poor imbicile on the other end of the phone who doesn't have a lick of responsibility in their bones! I guess you get what you pay for, these are all volunteers, but so what, so am I.

Happy Father's day to all the Fathers I love

Happy father's day to all the men who take fatherhood so seriously (an not so seriously), from my son Mark who is a daddy to his son Kamden. To......
My son-in-law, John Henderson who is a wonderful father to Caleb, Davis and Beckham. To---

My son, Brian who is a stupendous father to Ashlynn, Briggs and Tennyson. To.....

The Father of my children, Larry Lee Rober, the best father any child could have, just ask his own kids. Larry made our house a home. Last but not least to....

My father, who is still alive, but his mind is going. He wasn't all the father he could have been, but that wasn't totally his fault. I'm still glad he was my dad and I love all of you very much.

Babies, how I love em

Today I am babysitting Savannah, doesn't look like too hard a job. I'm typing and she is lying asleep in my office right next to me. I gave her a bottle about a half hour ago and she finished off the whole thing. I don't think I have heard her cry yet. I did have a jolt of de ja vu a little while ago, while I had her sit in the boppy chair, I looked over at her and I could have sworn I was looking at my sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No joke either,

We went over to Marks the other day, and Kamden took a bath. Because his mom and dad keep his hair a little longer than a traditional little boy cut, it's hard to 'see' his little boy face. So, Lisa washed his hair and gave him a 'do' and now we can see the little person he is really starting to be. Don't get me wrong, I like his hair, I'm not suggesting his parents do anything about it, it's just my take on things.

Everyone needs a Daughter - Happy Birthday Lisa

June 16, 1978 was a most jouous day for me. We welcomed a beautiful daughter into our world. Lisa Ann Rober. She weighted 8 lbs 10 0z. Lisa's Birth was the only one I ever got to plan for. Both of our boys were total surprises, but Lisa was wanted!

Then, as she got older I was able to play 'dress up' with her. She looked really cute in all the clothes she had. My mother kept her in frilly dresses and I kept her hair styled really cute.

When she started school, I was pretty happy, as Lisa was very smart and opinonated. She wasn't the easiest of my children to raise, but she has always been the spark in our family!

Lisa in 1st Grade, Lincoln Elementary, Torrance, CA, Mrs. Oliver's class. She was smart! This is her 3rd Grade picture, she is starteing to loose teeth. Starting through the awkward stage of trying to be a girl, wanting to be a boy and caught in the middle!

This is her 8th Grade picutre. All the boys really liked Lisa, but she wouldn't have anyting to do with them. Most of Marks friends came around to see Lisa as well as Mark.

Here is her 11th Grade photo. She can really cook and dance. She used to go swing dancing with her girlfriends to Disneyland.























This is her graduation from Brea Olinda High School.

She took a trip to Romania, a two week European Train Tour,And then she graduated from BYU in Child Development. She is now married to the perfect man (for her) with three of the most beautiful children you will ever see. She can save $ like no one else! She is the blogger queen of my posting, and I love her with all my heart, she is the 'light of my life' and I mean that. Happy birthday sweetheart!

Brain never told me - Happy Father's Day

Brian nor Kate sent this little bitty thing to me. They probably didn't think I'd be interested or that it was bragging. How grateful that Susie Sokel, a lady I have been an acquaintance of for years through the school system. She went on to be fairly famous in Brea, I went into obscurity. She was kind enought, and smart enough to know Brian wouldn't have sent this to me, so she called the other day, asked for my address and said she saw this in a newspaper in SLO. She said that Brian was her banker and that he was a wonderful young man. He evidently fixed up a snafu that she had encountered on one of her properties up there, and she thinks he is the next best thing since sliced cheese, and so do I. I'm proud of my son, not just for his accomplishments, but for who he is, his kindness, his integrity, his willingness to serve the Lord. I'm most proud of his ability to be a GOOD husband and an even BETTER father. Hats off to every Father who makes a difference in the lives of their family this Fathers Day.

What it means to be a visiting teacher

Yesterday, I got a call from one of the ladies I visit teach. She had a problem with her computer, she had picked up a virus. Would, Could I come over and help her out.

So, today at 4:00 pm, I left the family history center in Orange and went to Estella's house. Sure enough, the computer was acting weird, but they could still get on the internet, just now use Microsoft Word. Every time they opend work, a black streak started on the right, and before you could do anything more, the whole screen started changing places, and graying out into muted colors, the cursor wouldn't work, and the whole computer just quit at that point.

Before I went into their home, I prayed. I always do that when I'm tring to understand a computer. I went out onto the internet and updated Avast antivirus- the free version. Then I noticed that something called memeo Sync Backup kept trying to install itself. Along with Washer and Web Root Spy ware, all trying to vie for the front seat in a start up! 5 hours later the computer finished the scan. Then I tried 4 different ways to uninstall this memeo junk, and it wouldn't uninstall! Oh, the virus scan did catch one suspicious file and 4 questionable ones, that I had it quarantine. Then I noticed they also had Norton Fix Tool on their computer. I finally found where that file was hiding and uninstalled it! So, she had 4 virus, anti spy software and none of them were updated. Through all of this she fed me a nice salad for dinner and nachos with homemade salsa. Still, it wasn't until 10:30 that I finally tried Word again and guess what? It works! I didn't do anything to word special, I just cleaned up the startup items that were interferring with each other. Still, Estella had family home evening, and the missionaries over for dinner, all during this time I am working on her computer. I know it was Heavenly Father who helped me, because I was teaching her 15 year old son, how to do maintenance on the computer. She keeps her computer under password protect every since her husband got into pornography. She didn't want her boys seeing that. So, she keeps a very tight eye on them, to the point that Ammon really didn't know much about computers except how to search the internet.

So, I guess I did my visiting teaching this month with Estelly.

Sad news

My sister just called to tell me that our 41 year old cousin, Lucretia has died of a herion drug overdose. I think she lived in Michigan. I am sad.

What's really, really sad to me is that out of my Taber 1st cousins 3 have died of suspicious circumstances and drug overdoses.

All the cousins I now of:
Little Jim DeWitt
Joyce Lucretia Taber (they said she killed herself, but we think it was murder)
Melody Taber - married, no children
Donnie Taber - married, 2 kids, happy married, living in Sterling Heights, MI
Johnny Taber - Died of a drug overdose
Caroline Melissa Braxton - me, happy as a lark, with three kids and a happy marriage
Pamela Jaye Braxton - my sister, same as above
Darlene Ruth Taber- 4 marriage, but seems to be happy
Lucretia Taber - died of a drug overdose
Sherrie Taber - married, don't know where living, but had 3 beautiful daughters.

Face Book

Ok, I said I would never do Face book but Larry's LDS cousin invited me and now I have a face book page. I am not going to post on that what I post here though, so you can all feel safe (I think)

North Carolina Remembered

This is Shirley and Howard Braxton, they are the couple who has the 'Bigg Bible' that belonged to William Braxton, Howard is my 4th Cousin once removed. They showed us all around the area and took us to all the 'Quaker" or Friends Meeting houses and to all the graveyards. Howard and his sister still own the home that his line of the family inherited.
This is John and Judy Braxton, they were the ones who knew all about the Braxton history. They were both born a Braxton, yep, a Braxton married a Braxton. They are 4th cousins 1 x removed just as I am to them. When you get Howard, Judy, John and I together, you are looking at all of us being related as 4th cousins 1 x removed. They don't have TV or a computer, so we just call each other, but I don't think anyone knows more of the family history than Judy knows!

This is me, standing in front of the Braxton Monument in the Friends Cemetery. When I went back there, it was amazing how much I felt apart of the family and the land. It was a really cool feeling of 'going home'. I wished my dad had it all together in his mind, because he would have loved to go and visit.

The aftermath of Traveling

OK, I'm excited to be home, but it's overwhelming! There is so much to do and sort and put away that I am totally discombobulated. I really don't know where to start. Since we got home early Sunday morning, I have been unpacking, fixing, refilling, organizing into piles, reading, errands, Thank you cards, pool parties, and I have already given two lectures since I got back. I'm quite sure I had more time when I had little kids running around the house. So, mothers, take heed, life only gets more hectic and your forget how to handle it when you get older.

On another note, for no apparent reason, I miss Shilo today. I miss him coming up to me, wagging his tail with his head down to get a pet. I miss his exuberance at the smallest of pleasures. I miss him 'bugging' me. I just plain miss MY doggie!

North Carolina Travel Log Day 5

Today was a great day! Why, because I spent it in the 'Old Buncombe' Genealogcial Society Library while Larry Golfed with people from NY. I researched the whole day and they had 'make your own sandwich' makings for lunch so I didn't have to leave their library. It was as big as the ORFHC! The ladies were very knowledgable and kind.

After Larry came to pick me up we came back to the room, and then decided we had to do some laundry. Well, the laundry mat is one freeway ramp away, so we loaded the clothes in the car and went to see a movie. We say "Angels and Demons" and it was very good! If you get the chance, go see it, just close your eyes at the murder scenes- the first one is awful.

After the show, we went to the Laundry mat and started our wash, then walked down the little walk to a pizza place and had some pizza (we have had some very nice meals out and just felt like somthing not quite so filling tonight), after eating, we went back to the Laundry Mat and changed our clothes to the dryer and went back down the mall walk to the liquor store and got ice cream bars. Back to the Laundry and folded clothes. Now we are home and I'm not doing any more genealogy on this trip!

North Carolina Travel Log day 4

Today we moved from Greensboro, NC to Asheville, NC. Home to the WARD genealogy (I hope) because this is for my client where I will try to prove once and for all, if the family came from Buncombe County, NC. Today I hit the Buncombe County Court House, and the Downtown Library.

Dad helped me a bit, and went to see the sights in the car. It's beautiful here because it's mountainous, it is right close to the Cumberland Gap. The weather was beautiful too, 75 degrees and no wind. We walked all over downtown. They still have a store with the Woolworth still intact, I at first thought they still had a working Woolworth store, but the just kept the facade and put tiny stores inside. This is really an artsy-fartsy kind of town.

Right outside of town is the "Biltmore" home, America's Largest Home. I hope Larry and I get to go tour it, it looks really beautiful in the photo's. Google it and you will see.

Tomorrow sounds like it will be a beautiful day too! I can't wait, I'm going to the Historical Society tomorrow.

North Carolina Travel Log Day 3

Well, did anyone ever say "Mom can't get enough of dead people"? If so, your wrong. I am now saturated. I have 4 books, hundreds of stories and videos to prove I have been 'home'. Today we went to Guilford College where I had a relative named Dr. Algie Newlin who was a History Professor there for many years and he used to write to me in the 1970's. I still have those letters in my file. While in the research room, I found another distant relative related to me through the Lindley line. If your Quaker, you just might be related to your own daddy!

Then we went and got my photo taken at at a street sign named BRAXTON Lane. We went back and met with Judy and John Braxton where John told stories and Judy and Larry played the Dulcimer's. That is a type of musical instament. It's so fun to find a relative on ever corner.

North Carolina Travel Log day 2

Today was a great day. Larry and I went to North Carolina University Chapel Hill where I did some research for Sara Ward, my client.

Then we went to Duke University and WOW what a compass. After that we went to visit with John and Judy Braxton. John Braxton married Judy Braxton. So they are double Braxtons. Sounds like my Taber's doesn't it??? Well, because they are from William Braxton also, they have TONS of stuff to share, I don't know if I will ever catch up! Anyway, it's late and I need to get to bed now, but look for an update tomorrow!

North Carolina Travel Log, day 1

Today, we got up and lookie looed through North Carolina University at Chapel Hill. Pretty impressive.

Then we drove out to meet and spend the day with my 4th cousin, 1x removed. I had never met him before, but it was really nice. For a 73 year old guy, his is pretty good looking and so is his wife. His name is Howard T. Braxton, born and raised in NC along with all the relatives of our Braxton Ancestors.

First of all, he has in his possession the first and original land grant issued to our William Braxton in 1756 from John of Carteret Lord Grandville. That was really cool. Then Howard and his wife (Shirly) took us around and showed us where everyone had lived, took us to 3 Quaker Churches that all had graveyards of our family and we could go into the churchs and look around because they don't lock up the Churchs around here!

He took us out to the home (that is no longer lived in), that he grew up in and as we went from room to room, I was flabbergasted at all the antiques they had in there that were worth a small fortune! OK, then to top it all off, he opened a trunk and pulled out a Bible that we at first though might have belonged to our earliest ancestor, William Braxton, b: abt 1721, m: 1744 d:1771. Well, it wasn't and had no date page in the front. It was in terrible shape, but really old, so we thought it could be a possibility. But then his wife pulled out a white trash bag from under the bed and said look at this. Well, it was a bible too, about 14" high and 8" wide. It had a cover on it and it looked and felt old. I said it was a special bible but no markings in that Bible either. So we kept poking around and then we took it home to their house, after we went out to dinner and I had a great dinner.

It turns out this IS the "Bigg Bible" as William refered to it in his will which I found in the NC Archives this week. In his will, he states "and I leave my Bigg Bible to my son Thomas. No one seemed to know where it was. But as we opened it up and started looking at it in the light, well, on the front cover, very, very faint it reads: ...son Wm Braxton 15 of June 1742! I squelled in delight when I read this date, because before this someone had said that they had a bible they thought belonged to William, but couldn't have because the date of publication was 1776. Then on the back cover it said: "Thomas Braxton, left to him by his father in the year 1772". So, we solved the proplem of "Where was the Bigg Bible?" I love the Holy Ghost.

North Carolina

Here I am at the Raleigh Convention center and loving it. I have an ancestor that I am researching and trying to find his parents; His name is William BRAXTON, the planter. He was born about 1721, married 1744 in Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Deleware and died 1771 in Chatham, NC. I have already found his original Will and 3 more land grants that I didn't know about.

I miss my honey, but he is coming after the conference and joining me where we will go and see my long lost 4th Cousin, Howard BRAXTON, who is about 70, and still lives on the land originally obtained by William Braxton from Lord Granville in 1763.

I will also visit a possible relative for my client who still lives in Buncombe County, NC about her WARD line. This lady is named Doris Ward and she is 90. I sure hope she can tell me how this WARD line connects together because otherwise, I'm kinda stuck and my client really wants me to find out WHO her relatives are and put them in the correct order, well, I'm trying because I keep making connections. Between BRAXTON and WARD, I'm not lacking in anything to do.

Happy Mother's Day

This is for all the mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, and woman who will someday be a mother and every female on earth who has nurtured anybody at all anytime. God Bless You!

REMEMBER, OH REMEMBER,
The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world!

"Mother"
To one who bears the sweetest name,
And adds a luster to the same,
Who shares my joys,
Who cheers when sad,
The greatest friend I ever had.

Long Life to her for there's no other
Can take the place of my dear Mother.

I'm grateful to have been a mother and now a grandmother. I'm grateful for my own mother and the grandmother who nurtured me into the kind of person I always wanted to be. I hope the legacy I leave will be as profound on my posterity as my grandmother's influence was on me.

My New Recorder & my pretty blog

Well, after the Priesthood Blessing, I haven't had a nightmare since. Anyone with nightmares or nigh terrors should get a Priesthood Blessing, it works!

Brian and Kate gave me an Ipod recording devise that works with my Ipod and it is truly amazing and wonderful! It was the easiest device I have ever used. I am having fun with it and I will soo learn how to add audio to my blog, then watch out! Thank you so much Brian and Kate for the wonderful little devise! I am thinking of a million ways to use it too! Now I have to go have some fun with it. It's a perfect little birthday and mother's day give. Thank you, Thank you. And while I'm at it, Thank you to Lisa for making my blog look descent and interesting. I don't think I would blog if she didn't get my hind end out of a few pickles. She truly saves my sanity when it comes to blog sense.

Nightmares

It's not funny. For the first time in my life I am having real, honest to goodness, body chilling nightmares! I have had nightmares for 3 nights in a row and this morning at 4:30 I woke up after a nightmare where Larry and I were stalked by some murderers! When I finally woke up every nerve in my body was on fire! I was so scared and messed up! When Larry work up this morning I told him about the nightmares and he gave me a priesthood blessing. Let's hope tonight will be better. I don't know how many more sleepless nights I can have without having a nervous breakdown!