<![CDATA[Families Fantastic! - Blog]]>Sat, 11 May 2024 10:19:05 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[First Family History Adventure!]]>Sat, 28 Jan 2017 19:32:13 GMThttp://ramonawatts.com/blog/first-family-history-adventureJan 2, 2017 marked the beginning of our first meeting of Family History Adventures, a group meeting to support one another in getting our personal and family histories told and recorded in some form.  

After meeting at, and watching the moving live presentation at Knott's Mystery Lodge, we enjoyed our first speaker, Lee Dickinson, as he told about a family story that was often recounted by his grandmother, Venetta Gilgen, to all her children and grandchildren.

He began by saying he became curious as to possibly learning more details to the story than the short version he recalled his, now deceased, Grandma Gilgen telling.  He began his "research"  by calling his mother, LaVona G Dickinson, who emailed him the following account from her memories.
  
" I have heard him, [her grandfather] relate that story, many. many times in fast and testimony meetings. In my mind I can still see him standing and telling the vision. He most always sat three fourths of the way down in the audience in chairs on the left hand side of the room.

Grandpa was a reader. I remember mother telling me about when their family moved from Logan to North Logan. One of her jobs was to herd the cows along the street for them to eat the grass that grew there. It was a long, tedious day to watch the cows that they did not get into neighbors property. She said her father told her she never needed to get bored if she took good books with her to read because she would make friends of the characters and visit many lands. 

Mother said when she was a child, her father read the books first that he gave her to read
to make sure they were good books.  When the boys in the family got older my mother said her father felt they needed to homestead land in Idaho to help them support their growing families. It was extremely lonely for his boys, so her father took to homesteading also with his sons. 

The days were long hours of plowing and planting and when finally night came and he
could lay down to rest he would light a candle by his bedside and read dime novels from England he bought by the box full, as they were quick and easy to read.

One night he was reading when a light came into the room at the side and bottom of his bed. He stared. There appeared an arm of a man holding open a book. He said he recognized the book to be The Book of Mormon. The voice said, “Read this book.” The vision left. The room again was dark with only the candle lighted at the side of his bed.

Grandpa said he then got rid of the dime novels and read the Book of Mormon.  My Grandfather would then end his experiencing with a testimony of this great book and how the Gospel had blessed their lives."

-Written by LaVona G. (Gilgen) Dickinson (Granddaughter of Andrew King)

1/6/2017

-LaVona’s mother mentioned above is Venetta (King) Gilgen

Lee then elaborated on searching other histories from other family members and shared more about the difficulties of Andrew King and his sons homesteading days...
FOR THAT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE BEEN THERE TO HEAR IT!

Then each person shared their answeres to three questions;
!. What moved you to join Family History Adventures and what goal would you like to accomplish this year regarding your personal history?
2. A favorite childhood memory.
3. A piece of advice from a family menber or relative that had significant impact in your life.

FOR ME, LISTENING AND SHARING BROUGHT MEMORIES, BONDING,  AND INSPIRATION.

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT MEETING  - JANURARY 30TH 2017 
11:00 AT THE MYSTERY LODGE IN KNOTT'S BERRY FARM

Our guest speaker will be Jeff Tucker from Knott's Berry Farm's Entertainment Department.
After the Mystery Lodge Presentation, he will be sharing the history of the Mystery Lodge, which he has been involved with from it's beginnings.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."  From the journal of Anne Frank

]]><![CDATA[A KEY ELEMENT PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS MUST KNOW!]]>Mon, 02 Jan 2017 02:28:27 GMThttp://ramonawatts.com/blog/what-are-the-20-questionsAfter reading the great article, "The Stories That Bind Us" by Bruce Feiler,  I wanted to know what those "20 questions" were, that knowing about, helped with, "binding families"!   Of course, a little research on the internet, produced the questions, AND, 
AN IMPORTANT KEY ELEMENT PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS MUST KNOW!
Read about it here
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-p-duke/the-stories-that-bind-us-_b_2918975.html ]]><![CDATA[Are You Providing The Ingredients For A Happy Family?]]>Thu, 20 Oct 2016 07:30:57 GMThttp://ramonawatts.com/blog/are-you-providing-the-ingredients-for-a-happy-familyPicture
 When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time taking care of my dolls and playing house.  I also grew up with Disney tales of handsome princes carrying beautiful princesses off to a castle and living happily ever after.
And, lucky me, I grew up with a Mom and Dad who loved each other and their children the way one would expect a family to be.
Then I got married and had my own children. My own kids were not as cooperative as my dolls and my husband, not like my dad! This was not a bad thing, it just wasn't as easy as "playing house" like I expected. 
Fortunately, one day, as we were sitting at the table eating breakfast with our one and three year old, my three year old said something that was an awakening and an important turning point for me!  
My husband and I were having a somewhat heated discussion over something.  My three year old,  Rachel, stood up in her chair, leaned over with her little hands on the table and shouted, "Stop yelling at each other!"  I really didn't think we were yelling... but, no sense arguing that with the truthful observation of a child!   Right then and there, I decided to pay more attention to my actions and read up on parenting! 
"Happily Ever After" is more likely to happen, only if you make it happen!  There are lots of "ingredients" for creating a happy family life.  Parenting is something you have never done before, until you become one, so READ UP.  LISTEN and learn from others.  Enjoy!   
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