I grew up intrigued by a couple of family stories about my great-grandparents. They died when my mother was only 9, and my grandparents died when I was only 6. So, I was unable to find out exactly what those stories really meant. I have wantd to go looking for my family tree for many years and figure out those family stories, but jobs and family left little time to do any extensive work on my family tree. That is, until now! I recently retired and have jumped into genelogy with both feet! To say I'm "hooked" is an understatement! I did find my great-grandparents (that no one else has been able to find) and I figured out what those family stories really mean! Along the way, I also discovered so many ancestors with such interesting stories. And, even though I spent my school years hating history, I'm finding myself digging into our country's history more and more as it comes alive through my ancestors! Since begining this venture just a few months ago, I have added more than 5,000 people to my family tree, connected with 3 cousins that I didn't even know existed, swapped old family pictures, and passed on some wonderful stories to my adult children so they can also pass them along to their children when they get a bit older. I also discovered the Findagrave website along the way and it has been very helpful, so I now hope to be able to contribute to it as well. I enjoy taking pitcures and will be looking at which cemeteries in my area are not covered yet and taking some pictures to add to the website. I will also take pictures for people who send me requests it they aren't too far away. I live about 60 miles east of Sacramento, California near Jackson. There are some beautiful and very old cemeteries here. I also do travel to Sacramento about once a month as I have family there and can take picture in that area as well.