My Hobbies
As you may know, I love to create things, but that’s not all I do. Below are a few of my favorite hobbies and past times.
GENEALOGY – My parents had both passed away by the time I was ten, and they had not been very close to their extended family. As I got older and started my own family, it became more important to me to learn more about my own roots. When I started researching my family tree, I only knew the names of my parents, my paternal grandparents, two sets of aunts and uncles, and 5 total cousins. It took me over 20 years (and counting), but my tree now has over 2500 people in it. Obviously not all of them are direct ancestors, but researching the collateral lines can often help you break through brick walls.
But I don’t do genealogy to just collect the names and dates. Through my research, I have found Pioneers and Patriots, Carpenters and Quakers, Fishermen and Farmers, Shoemakers and Barrel Makers, and even a Salem Witch! This is what makes it your Family History and really fleshes out your family tree. I am fascinated by any stories I am able to find out about how my ancestors lived.
KARAOKE – I am definitely not Mariah Carey and will never be on American Idol. But I do love to sing Karaoke. I even have my own karaoke machine and quite a few karaoke cd’s, though it is just as easy to pull up the karaoke videos on YouTube on my Smart-TV and sing along.
I’m an eighties girl, so most of the songs I sing are from that decade, but I sing some country, too. Some of the songs I like to sing are: You Keep Me Hangin’ On by Kim Wilde, Metro by Berlin, White Flag by Dido, Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones, Everytime by Britney Spears, Addicted by Kelly Clarkson, and even some country songs with When You Say Nothing at All by Alison Krauss, Take Me As I Am by Faith Hill, and No One Needs to Know by Shania Twain.
STUFFED TOYS – I have a young grandson and I love to make him stuffed toys. I made him a rag doll that he named Jack, and I made clothing and a sleeping bag for him. Jack has brown hair and blue eyes like his “daddy”. I made a stuffed alien named Axel, and I also made a doll for my friend’s little girl that she named Betty.
EXERCISE MY BRAIN – Another hobby I have is exercising my brain. I love to learn new things and am a voracious reader. I also watch educational shows and take classes outside of college. One way to prevent cognitive decline as we age is to use our brains. I like to do cross-word puzzles, play games, and solve mysteries. And I am also studying French to increase my fluency as I prepare for my trip to the Olympic Games in France in 2024.
HootOwl Handicrafts 