Getting To Know Each Other

I just received an email with the new 2010 edition of getting to know your family and friends. I thought it would be fun to know more about each of you so I changed some of the questions a little. The easiest way would be for you to leave your answers under comments and then we can get to know each other a little better. Have fun and be truthful! I want to see your answers!


1. What is your occupation right now? Wayne's Assistant

2. What are you listening to right now? Listening to Greg and Kaylynn play Nintendo, Oscar talking to his parents and Wayne talking to himself while playing Scrabble with his Scrabble friends on Facebook. Adelaide is taking a nap.

3. What was the last thing that you ate? Corn Flakes

4. What is your favorite hobby? Reading and Family History

5. Where do you live? Utah

6. What do you like best about yourself? I'm dependable

7. How old are you today? 56

8. What's your favorite color? Blue

9. What is your favorite way to exercise? Wii Fit

10. If you had a free day tomorrow to do whatever you wanted what would you do? Visit with family and/or go to the Family History Library

11. How many countries and/or states have you lived in? 4 states, Utah, Colorado, California, and Missouri

12. How do you vent anger? complain

13. What was your favorite toy as a child? a doll

14. What are you most afraid of? Being so ill and/or disabled that I can't take care of myself

15. What did you do last night? Visited with Greg, Kaylynn, Oscar, Adelaide, Michelle, Mom and Dad

Greg, Kaylynn, Oscar and Adelaide are visiting!

Greg, Kaylynn, Oscar and Adelaide are here in Utah this week. Greg is going to bless Adelaide on Sunday while they are here so her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins will be able to attend. I haven't seen Adelaide since right after she was born. She is almost twice as big. She reminds me of a feminine Oscar. So sweet and such a good baby! I just loved rocking Adelaide today and getting to know the sweet little doll. Her cute little smiles and attempts to talk to me are priceless. Oscar is so handsome. He reminds me of Greg when Greg was Oscar's age. He loves to jump, run, play hide-and-seek and go outside. I wish we could see them more often.

Show Cancelled

The May 3rd show in Branson was cancelled so that all of Olive's children will be able to attend the 6:00 fireside on May 2nd in Samaria - Malad, Idaho and the dedication of the Olive May Davis Osmond Cabin and Museum the next morning at 11:00 AM. Mother Osmond is the most famous woman to be born in the area.


The Welch Days Festival will be going on with costumes, the high school band, choir, petting zoo, games, free sandwiches, etc. to the public. Sounds like a big party to me. Hope to see you there!

Our Family Crest

Carol Eagles from Horsham, Victoria, Australia painted on canvas a family crest for each individual Osmond family (9 paintings) to thank the family for all their great music. I promised her a long time ago that I'd have a picture taken of Wayne and I holding the family crest. What a perfect gift for someone like me that is into family history. Thank you so much Carol for your thoughtfulness! Won't this look perfect in the center of a family history wall with pictures of our ancestors?

"The Wii Fitters" Report

I exercised 5 days for at least 30 minutes a day. I can tell a difference in the strength of my right leg. It's getting stronger but still isn't as strong as my left leg so I'll keep on exercising. The hoola hoop, and jack knife on Wii Fit must be helping my waist and abdomen because my skirt felt looser yesterday. How's your exercising going?

"An Apple a Day Bunch" February 15th - 21st

I've been eating out a lot this week but my skirt was a little looser today when I went to Church. Tomorrow morning is weigh in for me so I'll see how accurate my calorie count was. How is everyone else doing?

I didn't lose a pound or gain a pound. I should be happy with staying the same as last week since we ate out almost every day we were gone. I'll be home this week so I should be able to keep better track of the calories.

It's a new week so everyone keep plugging away and don't give up!

"Wonky's Book Worms" February 15th Thru 21st

"Wonky's Book Worms" report your reading here!

Wayne and I are may be ahead of the reading a little. We got really involved with Moses and how hard-hearted the Pharaoh was. All those plagues and still he wouldn't let the children of Israel leave the land of Egypt. It's hard to believe that the Pharaoh was so hardened that it took the death of all the firstborn of man and beast before he would let the children of Israel go out of his land. Only those that did what the Lord told them and had a token of blood on the two side posts and on the upper door post of their houses were spared the plague.

Even after having all their first born die, the Pharaoh had second thoughts and chased them to get them back. I love that the Lord led Moses and the children of Israel with a pillar of a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night to give them light. When the Egyptians were drowning in the Red Sea did they finally believe in the Lord?

Moses' mother must have really taught him well when she was taking care of him for Moses to have the faith and knowledge of the Lord like he did when he was brought up in the idolatry of the Egyptian people. Even the children of Israel had been so influenced by the Egyptians that they had a difficult time changing their ways of idol worshipping to trust and believe in the Lord.

Do I have things in my life that are more important and take more of my time and energy than worshipping God? Am I spending more time focusing on material possessions, position, education, pleasure, etc. than I am in serving the Lord? To apply what I have read, I need to re-evaluate my life regularly to make sure that my time, talents, energy and all that I have are used in serving the Lord and building up his kingdom here on the earth.

Wayne's Wild Ride!

We're home! After 13 hours of driving straight through from California to Utah with a couple stops for gas and dinner at Wendy's; we made it safe and sound.

I had my doubts as we got started. Wayne missed the first toll booth not too long after we started out and had to drive back the wrong way on the freeway along the side of the freeway to the toll booth to pay. When the second toll booth came along, he almost side swiped another car that didn't want him to change lanes. Right before getting on I-15 Wayne almost rear ended another car, but I am his right seat driver so I yelled "stop" and he hit the brake really fast.

After warming up on those 3 little incidents it was smooth sailing after we merged onto I-15 the rest of the way home, except one time when we were about 6 inches away from a semi and the truck was swaying out of his lane. The congestion seemed to lighten up after this little incident with the truck and we rode merrily along the rest of the way.

Wayne, the ice cream grandpa, loves to take all the kids and grand kids for ice cream when he visits or they visit us. We all went out for pizza and then stopped at Baskin Robbins last night. They are such a cute family!


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Do you have a way to relax?

There was always a lot of noise, yelling, etc. in the hotel when we were first married and were trying to sleep at night. Wayne turned the channel on the TV to the white noise and it would soothe us back to sleep and block out some of the yelling and running on the floor.

Since the 70's there are all kinds of sound machines for sale that make beautiful sounds of nature. We have one that makes 10 different sounds including the ocean surf. I love to listen to the rain, thunderstorm, etc. while relaxing.

Wayne and I usually turn on the sound machine in hotels to block out all the outside noises. It really works! I bought a sound machine for Amy's children awhile ago so they can turn it on in the little girl's room and the older children that go to bed later won't wake them up anymore. Maia loves the sound of a heart beating.



The Conair sound machine that we use is one of the less expensive ones on the market. There are so many different kinds, but I had to return one brand because it wasn't loud enough to block out the background noise. I know some of my kids have used a sound machine in college to study and sleep.

If you're having trouble sleeping because someone is snoring, it can really help to block out that noise too. Wayne used to really snore like a buzz saw and used a CPAP machine for awhile. After he had the brain cancer removed there was more room in the back of his mouth, so taking out the tumor solved that problem too.

Taking a deep breath and counting to 5 as I inhale and counting to 5 as I exhale puts me right to sleep if I am having a hard time. Use whatever number that works for you. Also if I am getting stressed out it really helps to try and relax and do the breathing exercises. I can do this anywhere. Years ago someone told me to do breathing exercises to relax and I didn't believe them. Boy, was I wrong!

Does anyone else have techniques for relaxation that work? Please share with us all.

Beautiful in California

I'm really going to miss the warm weather when we go home. It is so beautiful here in Orange County. Amy showed Wayne a trail that we could walk on next to the beach so we went down there this evening. So peaceful with all the ocean sounds. I've always loved the ocean and the surf hitting the sand. It's so peaceful and relaxing.



This morning we went and watched our grandson, Jacob, in his school production. So cute. It brings back so many memories of when we used to go watch our children perform at their schools. Wayne was getting teary eyed when he was helping me do the laundry because he was remembering when Amy was little. He's really sentimental.



I watched Lizzy and Jenny today so Amy could work on her dissertation. She needs to have it finished right away so she can walk at the University of Utah's spring graduation in May. She's getting her doctorate in Communications. Not only will Amy be relieved but Jeff doesn't know what it's like for Amy not to be in school.

Stories For Free

Mary is the wife that should write a book because I know that she kept a journal all the time we were traveling. I can't really remember that much. When we get together and tell stories Mary and Suzanne will start talking about a certain experience which wasn't fun at the time but that we can now all laugh at. I usually remember after they bring the situation up but I think that I have repressed a lot of the unpleasant memories. I started a journal when we first got married but it sounded so negative that I tore it up a few years later and only rewrote the pleasant and positive memories in a new journal.

I wish that I had the journal entries now because I'd have a totally different perspective now than I did in my twenties. I've learned so many things living and traveling with the Osmonds that I could have never learned any other way that I can think of. That's one of the reasons we are here on earth and I learned probably more than I ever wanted. Ha!

Not too long after Wayne and I were married the Osmonds traveled to Mexico City on a tour. Mary and Suzanne were expecting Michael and Travis at the time and weren't feeling the best anyway. The family was invited to this big banquet which I still remember because there was so much food that was displayed so beautifully that it was amazing. Wayne and I decided before we went to Mexico to be really careful about what we ate while we were there because we had heard so many horror stories.

Wayne and I ate mostly bread or crackers and drank carbonated drinks the whole tour. I'm not sure what Merrill, Mary, Alan and Suzanne ate at this banquet but the next day almost everyone in the family was violently ill. We were sure it was food poisoning because all Wayne and I ate and drank at the banquet was the bread and carbonated drinks and we didn't get sick at all.

Merrill and Mary were so sick that they couldn't get off the bed all day. If I remember the story correctly, a housekeeper came into their room and walked off with their camera and other personal possessions and they couldn't get off the bed to do anything about it. Mary and Suzanne were so sick that they were afraid they were going to get dehydrated and even considered leaving the tour to travel back home. They waited it out and after a few days everyone was feeling a lot better.

Olive "Mae" or "May" Osmond?

I need to apologize to someone. I'm not sure who it is, so I'll post the apology on the blog and hopefully she'll read my comments. I was adamant that Olive's middle name was spelled "Mae." There has been a controversy in the family recently about whether Wayne's mom's middle name was spelled "Mae" or "May." I haven't ever seen Mother Osmond use the spelling of "May." On all the genealogy sheets she gave us she always spelled her middle name "Mae." Wayne even remembers her saying that her middle name was the same as Mae West.

Alan ordered his birth certificate and under his mother's name it says Olive Mae Davis. Someone ordered Olive's birth certificate and her middle name was spelled "May" on her birth certificate. The family has decided to go with the spelling of "May" on the brass plaque that is going to be displayed at the cabin where she was born. I love the spelling "May" because that's the month she and I were both born and on the same day!

Now I'm still wondering what the spelling is on her church records. Wayne's legal name has always been Melvin Wayne Osmond. That is how it is also recorded on the church records. A few years ago we ordered Wayne's original birth certificate so he could get into Canada for a show and his passport had expired. The birth certificate said his name is "Wayne Osmond." There isn't a mention of Melvin. That really excited him because he's never liked his real first name. His social security number, church records, passport and driver's license all say his name is Melvin Wayne Osmond so it would be a hassle to change it now. Besides that his parents wanted him to have the name Melvin Wayne Osmond.

I guess only Olive and her parents know the spelling for sure and I guess it really doesn't matter but because I've been involved in family history for the past 10 years and realize there are so many variations on most people's names I can't help but be curious. The general rule is that we use a primary source for the information. A birth certificate is a primary source so that's probably why they decided to go with the spelling of "May." Maybe Mother Osmond just liked the spelling of "Mae" better. I'll probably have to wait until the next life to find out for sure how she and her parents wanted it spelled.

Having a Blast in California!

Grand children are the very best. Everyone that has grand children thinks the very same thing. I watched Lizzy and Jenny this morning so Amy could get some work done. She teaches two classes in the department of interdisciplinary studies at Arizona State University. We played Pretty Ponies, house, dolls, Dora, play-doh and colored all before lunch. They are such busy little girls. I don't know how Amy has time do anything else but play with them.

Tonight we took all the kids and met Jeff's parents at Tortilla Flats in Mission Viejo for dinner. It was fun to see a light bulb go off in Lizzy's head that she had two grandmas and two grandpas and which ones were her father and mother's parents! My salad was so yummy! I should have had the salad without the dressing but what fun is that? Maia brought poster size pictures of Sponge Bob for all of us to color for an art competition. Jacob and Maia's posters were the winners!

Hotel Living

Mary M. wanted to know about hotel living. Personally I don't love to live in hotels but Wayne does. He says he feels more at home in a hotel than he does at home. Hotels are where he grew up and he loves the familiar feeling. Amy also loves living in hotels, probably because that is where she spent the majority of the first 6 years of her life.

When I first started traveling in the 1970's it was fun at first having new sheets and towels every day. But that has ended with the "save the ocean and land" propaganda. USUALLY there are clean sheets and towels. I was reading Mary's post on my IPhone in the hotel right before I went to bed. I pulled down the sheets and there was a little black feather that I had been sleeping on. I wonder where that came from?

One time in the 70's we stayed at a hotel because it was close to the concert hall where the family was performing. It grossed me out! The carpet in the room were soaked with liquor and alcohol from spilled drinks. When we walked it actually would swish under our feet. It wasn't just that way in our room either. Amy was a little toddler at the time and we couldn't let her down on the floor to play or crawl around. When we complained to the hotel management they sent up a bunch of old blankets to put on the floor. Yuck! A year later we returned to the area and the hotel had been condemned and torn down. No idea why?

Until Amy started Kindergarten I toured with the Osmond family most of the time. It seemed like every tour we had to find a hotel doctor because Amy and Steve got sick. One tour Steve and Amy both got strep throats and then on top of the strep throat Amy got a really bad case of herpes. They were all over her swollen face and inside her swollen mouth. She couldn't eat or drink anything. We left the tour and Wayne's dad flew back to Utah with us. We stayed at my parents house until the tour was finished and Wayne returned to Utah. Amy hardly ate or drank anything for about a week. She would only suck on water Popsicles. The only benefit of the whole ordeal was that it hurt her to suck on her pacifier, so my mom talked her into throwing it away so she'd get better faster. She was almost 3 years old at the time and I was wondering how I was going to get that pacifier away from her.

When Amy was about a year old the family was filming something in Hawaii. Maybe it was "Going Coconuts." I can't remember for sure. The morning we were leaving Utah she had a runny nose but seemed to feel fine. By the time we arrived in Hawaii and were at the hotel she wasn't feeling fine at all! In the middle of the night her fever had climbed to 107 degrees and even after giving her lukewarm baths, we could not get her to keep any Tylenol down. We jumped into a cab which drove us to the closest hospital.

After arriving at the hospital they made her stand in a big metal tub and we kept pouring water over her head until her temperature went down a little and she was able to finally keep some Tylenol down. She was shaking severely and screaming the whole time we were pouring water over her head. It was horrible. We finally went back to the hotel after she was able to keep down the Tylenol and her temperature went down, but I spent the whole time in Hawaii in the hotel, except for one evening. Wayne's parents watched Amy in their hotel room so Wayne and I could have a little break and we went out to dinner. That was really nice of them.

Whenever I get bugged at hotel living now, I remember what it was like traveling with babies and little kids. The trip then becomes really easy and fun fast. After awhile I started to bring a can of Lysol when we would travel and I would spray the toilet, tub and other kid areas, but now I don't. Everyone used to think I was totally overboard, but when I found out that other people did the same thing I wasn't so embarrassed about it.

I always wear flip flops in the hotel rooms and shower but hardly anything bothers Wayne. Most of the hotels use futons now where they put the quilt inside two clean sheets. I love that! I feel like I can lounge on the clean spread. I always used to pull down the blankets so the kids would play on the sheets instead of the blankets. Who knows where the blankets had been. Like Mary, I don't think that the hotel management ever washed the blankets either. I also like to drink bottled water in the hotel instead of tap water, especially outside the United States.

I'll have to finish my hotel living stories later because Jacob needs to use the computer now to do his homework. He loves to write stories. He's going to be a writer just like his mother. He actually helped me edit my stories this afternoon. He's so intelligent and reads at a 12th grade reading level. I'm not a proud grandma.

"The Wii Fitters"

I exercised 5 times this week for at least 30 minutes. I wouldn't have reached my goal but when I remembered that I had to report in I forced myself to walk 30 minutes every day we were in California. Last night I spent 15 minutes walking up and down the long halls at the hotel. Need to go watch for Wayne, Jacob and Maia so I don't miss them and they leave me sitting outside the theater. Bye.

"An Apple a Day Bunch" Report For February 8th - 14th

I went over my calorie count a couple of times this week so it will be interesting to weigh in tomorrow morning. I lost a pound! It paid off being really careful the past 3 days on my calorie count and exercising every day. I had a Bacon Ranch salad at McDonald's for dinner with low-fat Balsamic vinegar salad dressing instead of Ranch dressing the past 3 nights for dinner. Wayne had fish burgers and shakes. So far I've been good today. Wayne and I met Amy, Jacob, Maia, Lizzy and Jenny at the Irvine Spectum Center. It is one of the most beautiful malls that I've ever seen. Wayne took Jacob and Maia to see "Percy Jackson" at the "Edwards 21 Cinemas" while I went with Amy, Lizzy and Jenny to ride the Merry-go-round. Lizzy and Jenny were so tired that Amy drove them home. I'm waiting for the movie to get out right now. I'll try and post some pictures on Wayne' website later.

Time For "Wonky's Book Worms" to Report

This week has been challenging for Wayne and I to read together but we finished our 14 chapters tonight. We loved reading about Joseph and his ability to forgive his brothers after everything they did to him. Isn't it amazing how Joseph could see the big picture. It made us wonder at what point he realized his destiny and at what point he forgave them. What a wonderful example of forgiveness for us all. What were your thoughts?

Happy Birthday Sis and Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I want to wish my only sibling and sister Happy Birthday on the blog even if she is an anonymous reader. She's a little shy too! What a Happy Valentine's Day gift she was and is for my parents and me. She is 3 years younger and has a very sweet, intelligent, happy personality that is very verbal and loves to laugh. She always had so many friends and I was always trying to tag along and hang out with them. She's always been my confidant and has spent endless hours listening to me vent about everything and nothing. Some people don't think we look like sisters but it's because we have different coloring. She is a blond, probably after our Swedish paternal grandmother, and I was a brunette like my mother. Notice I said "was." With the help of a modern invention I am still a brunette. We won't go into that any further. Ha! She is married to such a great guy and they have three beautiful daughters. My nieces are now married to wonderful companions and Sis has 8 darling grandchildren. I want to thank her for all the years of having to put up with me. Without her, life would have been too boring! I wouldn't have wanted to be an only child. She's been such a blessing in my life! It is so nice to know that I have someone I can always count on and know she'll be there to help. It gives me such comfort and a very secure feeling to know I have a sister that I can depend on no matter what!

The Hollywood Autograph Party

We made it to Burbank on Friday early in the morning at about 1:00 am and checked into the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Wayne wanted to drive straight through so we only made a couple of stops for gas. Wayne bought junk food in the convenience stores so I finally gave in and ate a big bag of White Cheddar Cheese Smart Food Popcorn. It was yummy but I went way over my daily calories. Oh well, at this point I am just hoping not to gain any weight this week.

Today I spent the morning at the autograph party. It was fun to see some of you there! I posted some pictures on Wayne's website in the PHOTO GALLERY under SHOW BUSINESS if you are interested in viewing them.

Some of the celebrities I recognized right off and others I had to look at their younger photos on the table to see a resemblance of the person sitting there and the photos. When we first arrived it wasn't too crowded but most of the celebrities hadn't arrived yet either. It became more congested and crowded the later it became.

Wayne is still at the convention center signing autographs and having his picture taken but should be finished for the day pretty soon. I'm sitting in the hotel lobby because that is the only place the hotel has wireless Internet. The Brothers are going to be at the convention center again tomorrow during the day. Some of the celebrities wouldn't let me take their pictures at all, others put their hands up or turned their heads and pretended that they were busy and others were very warm and charming. If you have a picture taken with a celebrity there is a charge so it was interesting to see how they responded when I tried to take their picture and didn't want to be in the picture. Do you know who everyone is?

We're Off!

At 7:30 am I looked out the window, it was really snowing and the roads were covered with snow, so I went back to bed. It's clear right now so I guess we'll get going. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Getting Ready to Leave For Burbank

Did some errands today to get ready to leave tomorrow morning for Burbank, California. Wayne and I went and got our hair trimmed today, bought some last minute items at the store with some low-fat treats to eat in the car on the way. Since Amy, Jeff, Jacob, Maia, Lizzy, and Jenny live close we're planning on staying with them a few days after the big Hollywood Celebrity Party this weekend at the Marriott Burbank Convention Center. There are going to be 78 different celebrities in attendance. Sounds entertaining and interesting. If you want to take a look at the list go to http://www.hollywoodshow.com to view.

Wayne's Visit to the Family History Library

After our visit to the eye doctor yesterday in Murray, I talked Wayne into stopping at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I guess he has a mole not a freckle in his left eye but it hasn't changed much so he's supposed go back again in a year. His eyes didn't dilate when the drops were put in the first time, so a nurse put more drops in a little later, then another lady walked by and decided that his eyes weren't dilated enough and added even more drops, so he had 3 sets of drops put in his eyes. Needless to say he couldn't see very well after the appointment so I became the main driver instead of my usual right front seat driving position.

By the time we got to the library there were only about 2 hours until closing time so I gave Wayne some change and he went to find the vending machines to get something to drink and eat while I looked at a microfilm. After enjoying his sandwich, drink and 2 ice cream bars for all under $6.00 he came back to see my progress. He claims he had to buy the second ice cream bar because the first one was stuck in the machine but came out with the second bar when he put more money in it.

I was going through a microfilm of Quaker births, marriages and deaths for the Isle of Wight and surrounding areas but hadn't found my William White or his three sons, William, James and Peter. An announcement came over the loud speaker that the library was closing in 1/2 hour and they were turning off all the computers, machines, etc. in 15 minutes.

I sent Wayne with a call number to find a book for a St. Peter's Parish that I wanted to look at and he came back with the wrong book so I decided that his eyes still weren't working too well and went to find the book.

When I returned with the book there was a big, black blob curled under my microfilm reader. Wayne had taken my leather coat to use as his pillow and plopped down on the floor under my desk. He had decided to take a little nap after his meal. When I saw that, I decided it was time to go home. There's never a dull moment with Wayne!

"The Wii Fitters" February 2nd - 8th

This week I have exercised at least 5 times for 30 minutes. A couple of days I exercised on the Wii Fit for 60 minutes. One of the days I walked instead of exercising with the Wii Fit for a change. I can tell that the exercise on the Wii Fit is helping to strengthen my right leg, which for some reason is weaker than the left leg. Since normally I don't play video games it has taken awhile for me to figure out how to do the activities but they're coming. The activity where you throw snowballs is supposed to strengthen my middle section. It has taken me a few times to finally figure out how to throw the snowballs back. Ha! Michelle gives me a few pointers that have really helped too like making sure that I move my weight on my legs back and forth instead of just using my upper body. How are your exercise goals coming?

"An Apple a Day Bunch"

I lost 2 pounds this week. I am so excited!!! I have been really consistent with my calorie count and haven't really had any sugar or sweets except the sugar free jello. Surprisingly I haven't really been tempted much since Wayne has been giving me carrots, apples and steamed vegetables instead of Wheat Thins, chocolates, cake and cookies. He's been really helping me. I've lost a total of 10 pounds which is really great but it puts me back to where I was before I went to Branson last fall. I've got to really watch it in Branson this year. Thanks to each of you I'll probably be really careful because I'm going to continue to report in every week. How is everyone else doing?

Gotta go to the eye doctor with Wayne now for his annual check-up. He has a freckle in his eye that they are watching to make sure that it doesn't change. The last couple of years it's been the same so it should be nothing to worry about. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Start With Yourself

There are many free sites on the Internet and many people have volunteered to look up information for you without charge. I have found family history friends to be the most wonderful, unselfish and generous people that I have ever come across. Everyone that I have worked with has been such a delight and more than willing to help in any way they can.

I have 4 generations of White's that lived in Rensselaerville, Albany County, New York. The Rensselaerville Historical Society has emailed me so much information without expecting any compensation in return. Linda and Ken Smith from the Isle of Wight are also wonderful examples of giving of their time, effort, talents, etc. without expecting anything in return. They just want to help others.

You don't have to be a member of Ancestry.com or any of the other paid sites to do your family history. I record all my information and the sources of that information on my computer with the free software at LDS.org so I don't even have a lot of family history paper files like you used to have years ago. If I have a question about something I can always go right back to the source where I found it because I documented where the original information was found on my computer. Just make sure you back up all your computer information.

There is probably a LDS family history center near you where they have paid sites available for you to view for free. There are also volunteers at the center that will help you get started, teach you what is available, which records to search first, where you should go next if you are having a road block, etc.

Everything on Familysearch.org is free which includes instructions on how to get started, research helps, indexed records, historical books that have been digitized and indexed, etc. I put the "Fuller" surname in the search box and came up with 45 different books. When I put "Samuel Fuller" in the search box 2 results came up which have compiled histories with an index. The first book has some of the descendants of Dr. Samuel Fuller of the Mayflower listed. I noticed that someone mentioned they were his descendants.

When I put the name "Samuel Fuller" with the word "Mayflower" in the google search box there are about 24,500 different hits that came up. This would also be a good place to start researching your ancestors if you know for sure who you are related to. If someone in your family has already taken the time to do research with documentation on your family you should contact them first so you don't spend a lot of time duplicating what they have already discovered. You will want to check their documentation to make sure that it is correct.

On Ancestry.com I put in the name "Dr. Samuel Fuller" Mayflower in the search results and 76 messages came up on the message board which is free to everyone. From here I found that Samuel Fuller married three times so I need to know which wife you descended from. Under the SEARCH tab next to the "COLLABORATE" tab on the top menu, I clicked on PUBLIC FAMILY TREES, which are free for everyone to use. I put in "Samuel" under first name and "Fuller" under last name. Then I noticed by the SEARCH button it says "Tell us more to get better results" so I clicked on that link and at the bottom of the box under "MORE" I put in Mayflower as the keyword. There are 646,244 matches that came up so I would want to put more information into the search to limit the matches. The wife's name and a birth date, etc. would pin point the exact Samuel Fuller more so you would have fewer matches. You can also get a free trial on most paid sites. There is a free 14-day trial offered right now on Ancestry.com.

Dr. Samuel Fuller was baptized at Redenhall Parish, Harleston in the English County of Norfolk January 20, 1580 in England. His first wife, Alice or Elsie Glascock, died so in 1613 he took Agnes "Anna" Carpenter to marry. Anna gave birth to a child but it died in infancy and Anna died soon after. In 1617 Fuller took a third wife, Bridget Lee, who didn't come to America until 3 years after her husband. Samuel Fuller came with his brother, Edward, and Edward's wife, Ann, on a ship called the Mayflower to Plymouth Colony in 1620. In 1623 Bridget Lee Fuller and their child took passage on a ship named the Anne and came to Plymouth. They had a son they named Samuel (b. 1624), who became the Reverend Samuel Fuller of Middleboro. This Samuel Fuller II married Elizabeth and had 7 children, one of which was also named Samuel. In a few minutes I found many histories, family trees, his will, etc. that are valuable only if you know for sure you are one of his descendants.

All these facts are interesting, but you should first start with yourself and then go back to make sure that you really are a descendant of Samuel Fuller. It should be a lot faster and more accurate to connect yourself to Samuel Fuller than it will be to connect Samuel Fuller to you. Even if others have done your family history for you it is a good practice to double check to make sure everything is correct and documented. Everything you read on the Internet isn't necessarily correct. Start with YOURSELF, then your PARENTS, then your GRAND PARENTS, then GREAT-GRANDPARENTS. If you do your family history starting with yourself first and then your parents, etc. you won't spend a lot of time researching a line that you discover years later aren't even your ancestors.

HAPPY HUNTING!!! Please share your discoveries with us. I'd love to here about them.

Join "Wonky's Book Worms" and Read The Old Testament

If you didn't start reading with us in January that's fine. Start right now. That would be great. If you start on chapter 1 today, then by next Sunday you would be starting on chapter 15. There are many versions of the Bible. Wayne and I are reading the King James Version because we believe, along with many other denominations, that it has been translated the most accurately of all the different versions of the Bible.

After the introduction and Table of Contents, the Bible starts with The First Book of Moses called "Genesis." Under the title of the book you should see Chapter 1 written, which tells about the creation of the world. There are 31 verses in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 includes verses 1-25. If you want to follow the goal we have set you would read all the way through chapter 14 which ends on page 20 of my copy of the bible by next Sunday.

The following week you would start on Chapter 15 and read through Chapter 28 that ends on page 43 of my copy of the bible. If this isn't a realistic goal for you then set a goal that you can obtain. The most important thing is that we try to read a little every day. It's important to relate our reading to our daily lives to make it more relevant. If anyone is interested please come join us.

For those of you who started in January, we should be reading Genesis chapters 43 though 50 and Exodus chapters 1 though 7 this week.

"Wonky's Book Worms" February 1-7

Did you read 2 chapters a day or a total of 14 chapters this week of the Old Testament? You can report here with any comments about how you can apply what you have learned to your own individual life. I love to read your insights.

Since we have been on the subject of family history and genealogy I thought I'd mention how I have been trying to read out loud to Wayne a lot of names that I couldn't really pronounce. These are the records of their families or their family history. Family History is really important or it wouldn't be included in the Old Testament with all of God's other commandments. I'm sure it was really difficult for them to keep records in their day and to take the time to record all their relationships.

With all the advances in technology we have it pretty easy. Doing family history doesn't have to be expensive but it can take a lot of time and effort. It all depends on your family. Once you get really involved and catch the family history bug all the time and effort is worth it. It has been such a rewarding experience for me to find out about my heritage.

Dedication of Olive Davis Osmond's Cabin Museum

It looks like many of you are interested in family history. That's exciting! I didn't mention the new family search because it isn't available to everyone yet, but will be in the future. I would be happy to do some searching on the site for anyone that is interested. You can email me with your individual information that you would like me to look up for you. Kathy@sourcedmediabooks.com

On May 2-3 in Malad, Idaho there is going to be a dedication of Mother Osmond's old cabin where she was born. The cabin is now a small museum where you can see many of the original items such as her original sewing machine where her boys have engraved their initials when they were young. You can view the cabin on Alan's site and read more about the activities at:
http://getnoiz.ning.com/video/olivecabinvideoh-1
http://getnoiz.ning.com/events/olive-davis-osmond-cabin

The Cabin Dedication with the mayor, governor, fire department, sheriff department, family, etc. will begin at 11:00 AM on May 3nd. Light refreshments/sandwiches will be made available for all visitors. Alan is also organizing a LDS Fireside on Sunday Evening, May 2st at 6:00 PM.

There is also a series premiere of a family history show called "Who Do You Think You Are?" that will be on NBC starting March 5th, 8/7c. Seven celebrities embark on the journeys of their lives to discover the genealogical roots of who they are. The celebrities are Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Emmitt Smith and Lisa Kudrow. To know who you are - you must know where you came from.
http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/

Don't forget tomorrow is time for "Wonky's Book Worms" to report on their reading of the Old Testament. Did you read a minimum of 2 chapters a day or 14 chapters this week?

Get Started in Family History

Carla, Do you know the name of your ancestor that was on the Mayflower? There is a lot of information about the people that were on the Mayflower. In fact, my aunt was told that we were descendants of the William White that was born on the Mayflower, so for about 20 years she was trying to connect our White line with the William White that was born on the Mayflower. She finally discovered that we didn't descend from that William White and that's about the same time that I became involved so I had all the fun of discovering the White line. I've been using Personal Ancestral File that is free on the LDS.org site but I am thinking about changing to another software program because I don't think they are going to update this software with all the new features that some of the other software programs now have.

I have used so many different avenues to do my research. I live by the LDS Family History Library so when I first started I spent most of my time in there researching. There weren't a lot of records online at that time. I had to use the microfilm and microfilm readers to view a lot of the information that is now found on the Internet. You can find all the U.S. Federal census records 1790 to 1930 online with indexes and much more clarity, and amplification. It is easier than it ever has been before to sit home and do your research online. There are so many records on the Internet that I only go in to the library if I can't find the information on the Internet first.

The best way to get started on family history is to get a box and start compiling everything you can about your family. Talk to your oldest living relatives first and see what they know and what records they may have. If they don't live close to you, then you might want to call them, send an email or letter. If I didn't have some of the information that my aunt collected from now deceased relatives then we wouldn't have been able to go back as far as we have. Even if you aren't really that interested it would be good for you to start collecting information for your posterity or extended family if one of them becomes interested. Family History is the 2nd most favorite hobby in the world right now and on the Internet.

Some of the resources are free on the Internet and some are paid sites. I'd be happy to get you started if you are interested. I subscribe to some of the paid sites and can look up your families census records and give you the information quickly. You need to start with the closest parent or grandparent that isn't living. Most sites don't publish records of living individuals. You would need their birth date, place and information about where they lived. You could probably get a lot of information from the church that they attended too.

If anyone is interested in getting started with their family history and would like some individual help you can email me at Kathy@sourcedmediabooks.com and then we wouldn't have to bore everyone else. It would be fun and exciting to share your discoveries with everyone on the blog.

Family History Consultant

My calling in the ward right now is the Family History Consultant. I've been working on my family history for over 10 years. It's been really exciting learning about my ancestors. The only other person to really work on the White Family, my father's side of our family, was my aunt so there was and still is really a lot to discover. Are any of you interested in family history? Linda Smith and her husband have done a lot of research for me on the Isle of Wight where they are living right now. Verbal history passed down through the years say that the William White family immigrated from the Isle of Wight to America in about 1660. If anyone is interested I'd love to go into more detail on my family history but I don't want to bore everyone. Only another family history fanatic can relate to my talking about family history all the time. My favorite callings have been in the Primary. I loved leading the music and teaching the children. I have been able to use my degree in Elementary Education in all my callings and with my own children and grandchildren, but it really came in handy when serving in the primary. The children love everything that you do and it is really rewarding. They are so excited about participating and learning and are like little sponges that soak up everything. My most challenging calling was probably when I was in the Stake Young Women's Presidency working with the young women. There were so many activities and meetings to attend each week. I probably learned the most from this calling because I realized how much effort, time and commitment that it takes our leaders to prepare and provide wholesome activities for the youth. The young people today are so intelligent and strong. They really need to be with everything that is going on in the world. I've really grown from all my callings and participation in the Church. I've really had to stretch and push myself out of my comfort zone to fulfill most of them. Experience in one area has helped me move on to fulfill another calling. I've also learned to deal with challenges and new learning experiences that I probably wouldn't have experienced in other areas of my life. What are some of the Church responsibilities that you are now participating in and which ones have you enjoyed or learned the most from? I love to read your comments and posts.

Who Is Joe?

I'm sorry that I made the assumption that everyone is familiar with our family. Wayne and I have 5 children that are all married and 11 grandchildren.



Joe is married to our daughter, Michelle. We had their wedding and honeymoon photo galleries on Wayne's website but now there is a new gallery so I'll have to put up new photos. For security reasons they don't want me to give too many details about them on this blog that anyone and everyone can read. It's really hard for me not to because they are such a big part of our lives and Wayne and I are so proud of each and every one of them.



After looking at Joy Osmond's blog and a few more blogs, I realize that I need to learn more about blogs and blogging. Amy just set this up and told me to start writing so I guess I've been following her instructions. Ha!

I'm listening to Donny through the Internet. I typed in the search box the radio station in Utah and there is a live feed. Go to http://www.b987.com 2 - 7 pm mountain standard time to listen while you are on your computer. I still haven't found the station on the radio yet. Michelle is trying to teach a violin lesson right now so there is a little too much music going on right now all at the same time.

Sarah and Noah just called on Skype to say "hi." Noah is sick but his fever has gone down so he is starting to feel better. Wayne and I sang Wayne's original baby songs that he composed when our kids were little. Here's part of the lyrics to one of them.

What does the kitty cat say, say, say?
Kitty cat says, "Meow, Meow."
What does the doggie say, say, say, say?
Doggie says, "Bow-Wow, Wow."
What does the cow do?
Cow goes "Moo, Moo."
Oh, what does the horsie say, say, say?
Horsie says, "Neigh, Neigh!"

The grand kids seem to enjoy his original songs and I hear their parents singing them. Maybe Wayne should put out an album for babies? What do you think? I took a picture of Noah on Skype so I'm going to attempt to post it. I can't find the pictures that I took on Skype of Noah so I'll try and publish a different picture for practice.

Wii Fit Works!!!

Wii Fit Works!!! written by a believer

I am a bit younger than Wayne.....(age with Jay) and live @ home with my mom who is 93.....I am more than "pleasently plump"...always have been......well......on January 2 I bought my WII FIT.......my BMI was 37.89 (remember that number) well 3 weeks later......I am 8 pounds down and......my BMI today was 35.92......NEARLY 2 POINTS IN 3 WEEKS YA-HOOOOOO I do between 30-45 minutes a day.....arobic basic step......and hula hoop I watch every bite that goes into my mouth......and it works for me........I noticed today I ACTUALLY HAVE A WAIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just love it.......I can "work out" and not worry about mom being alone........I am singing it's praises.........IT WORKS! Well Kathy that's my story (and I'm sticking to it.

Happy 30th Birthday Shundra!!!

Happy Birthday to Shundra. Hope you had a great day! Tell us all about it.

Monday Joe saw Donny at lunch in Provo. Joe was picking up lunch for his co-workers and was leaving "Bajios." A few of his co-workers worked late and decided to go out to dinner together and saw Donny at "Five Guys Burgers." Now everyone knows where to hang out in Provo. Ha! I still haven't gotten a chance to listen to the radio show yet.

Oasis of the Seas Cruise Photos

It has taken awhile to learn how to use a new photo gallery that Amy installed. After spending the past two days trying, I finally have photos of the Royal Caribbean's "Oasis of the Seas" cruise posted. If you go on Wayne's website, click on the top tab at PHOTO GALLERY and then on the picture, SHOW BUSINESS. You will see the ship so click again and you should be able to view a slide show of our cruise.

This computer stuff is quite a challenge. I'm excited that I have done it once so now I can post a lot of other photo galleries on the website. Let me know if you have some suggestions. I think this photo gallery is a lot better than the last one. What do you think?

I've enjoyed reading your posts and hearing about how you are doing on your goals. Have any of you heard Donny on the radio yet? Do you know what time and station it would be in Utah. I want to listen. Knowing Donny it will be quite entertaining!

"The Wii Fitters"

This week I kept my goal and exercised at least 30 minutes a day 5 days this week. Today I did 60 minutes on the Wii Fit but I don't want to change my goal because I want to be able to reach it. I'm not ready for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week yet. Did you reach your exercise goals this week?