Everyone has 16 Great-Great Grandparents. 8 great-great grandfathers and 8 great-great grandmothers, 8 pairs of great-great grandparents. 4 paternal pairs and 4 maternal pairs. I will be conducting an intergenerational analysis on all of my great-great grandparents, to better understand who they were, what their lives were like, and to […]
Ryan Hughes
20 posts
A person’s life has always been fascinating to me. It is such a complex and beautiful thing. If you think about it, it’s all that really matters. If no one lived then nothing would ever happen. There would be no joy or love or any emotions or victories or failures. […]
When you first read the title of this article you probably thought it sounded a bit ridiculous. Apparently it was ridiculous enough to get you to click on it, or you saw the potential of such a practice. Either way, I’m glad you decided to come see what this article […]
My amazing, perfect daughter is almost two years old. Until about a month ago, my wife and I have navigated parenthood without any major screen time requests from our daughter. We also had avoided any commercial influences on our daughter. For the most part she has been content with what […]
As I learn more about my ancestors there is one common theme that always causes great disappointment. The more I learn about them, the better I want to know them. Most of what I know about them is based on birth and death dates, children’s names, names of places they […]
Everyone has 16 Great-Great Grandparents. 8 great-great grandfathers and 8 great-great grandmothers, 8 pairs of great-great grandparents. 4 paternal pairs and 4 maternal pairs. I will be conducting an intergenerational analysis on all of my great-great grandparents, to better understand who they were and what their lives were like, to […]
It always surprises me how little most people seem to know about their heritage and members of their families…especially their parents. I say especially their parents because parents are typically the closest people in your life at a young age, you would think after spending so much time with them […]
We are all shaped by the backgrounds, experiences, choices, and qualities of those who brought us into this world. These ancestral aspects contribute to our early, and eventual late, life experiences more than anything else. There are of course other influences on our lives such as teachers, neighbors, friends, churches, […]
Journaling is all the rage these days. This is a great thing. I believe journaling is tremendously beneficial for mental clarity today and future reflection. It is also hugely beneficial for those you will eventually leave behind, especially your children. Think about it, you have thoughts, ideas, experiences, and goals […]
Three of my four grandparents were born in Arizona Territory, before Arizona was a state. The fourth, my dad’s dad, was born a few miles from the Arizona border. Interestingly, neither of my parents grew up in Arizona. They just happened to move there a few years before I was […]
Many people seem to be drawn to their ancestors. Sometimes it’s a cultural thing, other times it’s simply a curiosity, but to some it is deeper than that. To some there is an inner drive to know their roots, know where they came from, and connect with those who brought […]
The thought of consciously building a legacy naturally turns some people off. This is because many assume building a legacy means you think you are so important and special that you are better than everyone else. I agree that such a sentiment would be pompous and absurd. That is why […]
The other day I watched Hamilton for the first time. I knew a lot about Alexander Hamilton before seeing the musical, but one thing I didn’t know much about him was his family. After watching it I googled him and learned that he was in his late 40’s when he […]
Today I completed the biggest auto repair job I’ve ever done. It wasn’t that big of a job…just big for me. The starter in my wife’s car went out. After doing a little research online I found a very good video tutorial showing exactly how to do the repair on […]
How old do you have to be before you start preserving your life story? Most people don’t even think about it until after retirement age but there is no reason someone can’t start much earlier than that. Would you think it was crazy if I said 4 or 5 year […]
I have a photo of myself when I was probably less than a year old. It’s a candid shot taken by my thoughtful mother who tried to capture her little boy in his element one afternoon when his older siblings were at school. It’s blurry, in bad lighting, taken with […]
There is a problem that has been going on for years, a problem that takes some of our best memories from us. This problem is moms not being in photos. I don’t know when this started but I’m guessing around the 60’s or 70’s. It didn’t seem to be a […]
For most of us, when we hear the term Legacy Planning, we think of lawyers and accountants. We think of minimizing tax burdens, and writing a will. Honestly the only thing we really picture are things associated with planning to leave an inheritance or other issues involving money. Yes, leaving […]
A legacy is the only thing you truly leave behind when you leave this world. That’s what a legacy is, what you leave behind. Legacies come in many different forms. There are financial, family, work, or health legacies. Any aspect of your life can have a legacy connected to it. […]
Warning: You need to be aware that giving agencies access to your DNA records has the potential of unforeseen consequences. The US State Department has given warnings about giving away your DNA records and how nefarious governments my try to obtain it to use it against you in the future. […]