Yeah, so as it says, I am getting started. "Getting started with what?" you ask your monitor. Well, it is misleading on a number of fronts. But before I help your monitor answer the question that is at the front of your mind, let me expound on myself a little bit and the purpose for this blog.

I am not going to tell you my name.....yet. I have this overwhelming desire to give myself a pen name. I haven't thought of anything intriguing or cool yet. So the unveiling of the pen name will take place at a future time and believe me, you'll be the first to know. Hopefully, I can come up with it in the not-too-distant future. But until then, you can call me whatever you like. That being said, I am not really going to tell you all about me. That will leave things for me to talk about at later dates (when I can think of nothing better to talk about). I will tell you.....I have an awesome job. A job so awesome, that not telling you is killing me. In fact, it is stereotypical for those in my profession to talk about nothing else. So, be proud of me.

Besides having an awesome job, I have an awesome wife. And the most awesome thing about her.....she loves hearing me talk about myself and my job!! We have 4 awesome kids. They all range in age from 2 to 10 (except my wife, she's a bit older).

So, now about "Roots, Twigs, and Berries." I have a hobby. A hobby that isn't very popular with my age group. I was first introduced to it the first time I went to college. (Yes, I said first time) Oh, did I forget to mention, I am currently a full-time student working on a second bachelor's degree? So, I stay pretty busy.....too busy sometimes. Anyway, the first time I went to college I majored in History. I took a class on family history, or genealogy. Which, at the time, I just needed a class to fill my schedule and that's what I chose. I don't really know why, but it just seemed to call to me. Since then, I have been hooked.

"So, ______, why 'Roots, Twigs, and Berries'?" you ask your monitor. (You should stop talking to your monitor. People will think you are crazy.) The answer......."DearMYRTLE" was already taken (just kidding, Pat). Seriously, imagine a tree, if you will. We'll call it "family tree." Roots are the heart of family tree; roots give it life; roots are family tree's foundation. Twigs (and branches) are what give family tree breadth and substance. And the berries......okay, trees don't have berries, they have fruit. But "Roots, Twigs, and Fruit" just didn't have a ring to it. Either way, berries (or fruit) are the tiny morsels that make family tree interesting. And that's what I hope to give to you through this blog (foundation, substance, and interest), centered on the discovery of my life and the lives of my ancestors.

So, from here, I am just........."Getting Started."