Now It's Six

Six years. It seems like a lifetime in some respects. Yes, Kinexxions is now six years old. It was a nerve-wracking decision to join a very small group of people writing about their family history and genealogy. They inspired me to start blogging. But I wondered - Would anyone read what I wrote? Would they like what I wrote? Would they even care? And if they did, why?

But that decision to "just do it"  has proven to be one of the best things I ever did.

That group of genea-bloggers became friends that I cherish. Friends whose opinions I value. And friends that I enjoy meeting and spending time with when possible. The number of genea-bloggers has grown tremendously in the last few years as has the number of my blogging friends. It's been a real pleasure getting to know y'all through your blogs and even more fun when we can get together in person.

It was a real thrill when I got my first comment - left by my (now) friend Apple, on my fourth blog post. Once upon a time, we were strangers in blogger-land but then we became friends. We've even met several times. Thank You, Apple!

I was also extremely flattered and honored to be asked by footnoteMaven to contribute A Moment in Time as the first post in her series "Friday From The Collectors" on Shades of the Departed. Dear fM has had a rough time of it this past year (to say the least!) with complications from knee surgery. Now that she is on the road to recovery, I hope we "see" her back on Shades very soon.

At the end of every year a recap post is done that highlights what is thought to be the 'best' blog posts, or the most popular, or whatever, for that year. These 'year-end' posts do provide a sampling of what has been published here, for better or for worse.

2007 ~ ~ 2008 ~ ~ 2009 ~ ~ 2010 ~ ~ 2011 ~ ~ 2012

Favorite Places 2009-2010 ~ ~ Where I went in 2011

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "Now It's Six," Kinexxions, posted January 12, 2013 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2013/01/now-its-six.html : accessed [access date])

Kinexxions is Five Years Old Today!!

In August of 2007, just seven months after I had started blogging, I wrote a post titled Why Blog Genealogy? Why not? in which I stated my focus was “to present the genealogy and history of the families that I am researching, and, hopefully, to reach out to others who are interested in the same families. I wasn't sure if anyone else would be interested in what I had to say, but how would I know if I didn't try?” In that post I also listed several pros and cons of blogging your genealogy that I think still apply today.

Five years later, my primary goal is still the same, as are my reasons for blogging.

That said, there is that little matter of wanderlust that seems to have taken over my life! But that too has taken another turn. This past year I was able to spend a total of 10 weeks at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City! As a result, less time was devoted to traveling and more to the ancestors. I think they were trying to tell me something!

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken an interest in what I write, those that subscribe via a feed-reader and those that visit the blog. Thanks too go to everyone who has left a comment on the blog or contacted me directly. Comments are a reinforcement that what I'm writing is of value to anyone besides myself. Thank you.

I can't say yet what the future will bring or what paths I'll follow, but I do know (hope) that blogging will continue to play a role...

Kinexxions is four years old!

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging for four years! Who'd of thunk it?

I'd like to thank everyone who has ever left a comment on the blog. Comments are a reinforcement that what I'm writing is of value to anyone besides myself. They are the icing on the cake! Thank you.

Thanks also to everyone who has taken an interest in what I write, those that subscribe via a feed-reader and those that visit the blog. I realize that many of my “new” readers may not have an interest in family history and that the main reason you've been reading is because of the traveling and the accompanying photographs. I'm glad you came along for the ride and hope that you'll stick around because The Journey will resume some day.

In the meantime there will be mostly family history type posts for the foreseeable future. The subject of the current series of posts is the biography of my Grandmother. There will soon be another series dealing with my Berlin ancestors - John and Susanna (Hoffman) Berlin - and the nearly 40 letters to and from and among their children during the Civil War era through the 1870s.

Last year was an amazing year for me as I traveled around the United States, through part of Canada and to Alaska. The last post of 2010 highlighted my favorite places and the first post of 2011 listed the top genealogy posts at kinexxions for last year.

It is sometimes interesting to look back to see some of the things written in previous years... usually a “year end” post was written that highlighted “the best” or “the favorites” of that year... 2007 – 2008 – hmm, looks like I didn't do a “round up” in 2009! So instead I'll point you toward a listing of the posts I've contributed to the Carnival of Genealogy.

Thanks for hanging around. It's been fun. And I hope to be around a bit longer...

Guess What's Three!

Today is blogoversary #3 for kinexxions! Three years. Wow, it sure has been interesting!

This past year has had its ups and downs, same as every other year. But in September, family history research was put on the back burner (or perhaps it was thrown in the back seat) when I started doing a bit of traveling. Along with the reduction in time spent on research was a reduction in time spent on blogging, the number of posts this year dropped from over 300 to not quite 200. And, since September, the majority of posts have dealt with me and my travels with a few research posts thrown in now and then.

What I said last year when kinexxions turned two still applies today: For me, one of the best parts of blogging has been making connections, not only with extended family, but with other bloggers and readers. There is a definite sense of community, a sense of belonging to something good, that cannot be surpassed.

If it wasn't for you - my readers, my friends, my family – there would be no reason for kinexxions to exist. I thank you all for your continued support, for your comments, and for your love and friendship.

kinexxions is two!

Two years ago today, I wrote my first blog post, which was no masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a beginning. So, now, can I say I'm one of the Old Timers?

It was while lurking on the blogs of those Old Timers, and being inspired by them, that I decided that, hey, I could do that too! And I'm so glad that I did. It's been fun, educational, challenging, and immensely satisfying. For me, one of the best parts of blogging has been making connections, not only with extended family, but with other bloggers and readers. There is a definite sense of community, a sense of belonging to something good, that cannot be surpassed.

In September, as part of the Genea-Blogger Games, I wrote a summary of what kinexxions is all about and just a few days ago reviewed my "best" or favorite posts of last year, so I'm not going to include another list of "favorite" posts here.

Thank you everyone for reading kinexxions, for leaving your comments, for providing help and moral support when needed, for the inspiration, and for the great research tips! It's been an interesting two year journey. It's not over. Hopefully the best is yet to come!

Looking Back - Kinexxions in 2007

This is the time of year for looking back as well as looking toward the future. I've spent some time reviewing the posts here at Kinexxions and I'm not sure where the future will lead but I thought I'd provide a list of some of the "highlights" of the blog for the past year. Kinexxions came into being on January 12th, 2007 - not quite a year ago. In that time I've created more than 300 posts, the majority since my retirement in June. Have I done what I set out to do? Somewhat. Am I happy with what I've written? Somewhat. Could I do better? Definitely.

This list is a combination of several things - [1] posts that I'm proud of and [2] posts that received the most attention (hits and comments) - I won't tell you which is which... They are divided into several categories and not in any special order. If you have a favorite post here at Kinexxions, why don't you let me know in the comments? Or drop me an email at rrwiseman "at" gmail.com

Tips, Resources, Ramblings and Controversy

• the Allen County Public Library Grand Opening
• the FGS Conference in August
• Who was my inspiration? How did I get into this?
• Why Blog Genealogy? Why not?
• The year wasn't without a bit of controversy, and my post Is this Fair Use? is still the highest ranking in regards to the number of views for a single post here at Kinexxions. It, as well as the follow-up posts, are apparently still of interest since they continue to get hits via Google search.
• Are You Prepared? I'm Not and it's follow-up post My Plan to Prepare for Disaster
• Waymarking - A new Research Tool, perhaps?
• Recycle that old Computer - America Recycles Day
• Two roads diverged...

Series of Posts

• Mystery Photos from the Wiseman Family Bible
• Historic Foust Outhouse
• Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger
• Letters from Boot Camp
• Road Trip to Missouri and Kansas

Family and Personal History

• Grandma Jones was a Helms
• Grandma's Story
• The Goose Lake Farm
• Mothers and Grandmothers
• The Veterans in my Family
• Grandpa Vic
• Gravestones don't lie? When did Bela die?
• Phend Family Vital Records from Switzerland
• A new-found Cousin or Not?
• Wisconsin Dells Fifty Years Ago