FamilySearch.Org is the main site that the Westra's use for family history. Backed by the church, it has a ton of information and it's FREE to use. There are other genealogical sites out there, like Ancestory.com and MyHeritage.com ... these often have fees, but can include additional information or fun activities. One of these activities that has been making the rounds on social media lately is MyHeritage's "Deep Nostalgia" which can take an old photo and bring it to life! Animating ancestors! Cool ... or creepy?
For being several generations back, there are quite a few memories about ol' great-grandpa Sanderson (98 of them, pictures/text) on the FamilySearch website. Check them out HERE.
Here are more "live" pictures ... the great-grandparents on the Westra side, Ate and Geeske
To use MyHeritage's Deep Nostalgia tool, it seems I did have to create a log-in (free). I used the tool a few times and then received a pop-up to subscribe (after a 14-day free trial). $150 a year, which seems excessive with FamilyHistory.org's free (and already mostly complete line for our family+) offerings. It seems if I came back to the site, I was able to upload and "liven up" more without having to pay or take further steps. I also accessed MyHeritage again from a different browser, and this time used the "Facebook" log-in (rather than setting up an email/PW) and used it several times and didn't get the "sign-up" pop-up (although I did recieve a general "welcome" email at the email address associated with my Facebook). So while you don't have to pay to use the tool, I do think you need to "sign-in" somehow before use.
One of the activities on FamilySearch is "Famous Relatives" ... tracing back in your family tree to find some of those well-known scientists, political figures, artists, etc. Here is the challenge Chris sent out:
Today the goal is to report back on one famous relative that you found fun and interesting. I chose Thomas Edison. Send me back a screenshot similar to mine. There are three extra rewards (1) for the quickest result submitted (2) the CLOSEST relationship to a famous person (you may want to try out a few) and (3) the person who BEST explains what "Three Times Removed" means (see the example in my Thomas Edison screenshot).
Below - you'll see the screenshot that Chris sent. Any of the Westra siblings (shown here with Jen's screenshot) would trace the same line back. So you'd think any grandchildren would just be another branch down on the tree. Surprise ... when Colton clicked on Edison, he had a closer link through the Blackham side. That was true for Calder too!
Rella won for first/fastest response ... Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice. That's one of Jen's favorite books, so Jen looked up that relationship for her too. Neither Jen nor Rella went through the Westra side of the family for the link.
Next up ... Diana and Disney!
Derek and Danielle's crew connected with Princess Diana and Walt Disney along the Westra line.
The Blackham's linked to those two too -- but they found a different route.
Here's a look at Lincoln. Three grandkid links ... Three different paths.
Here is Kaden's winning explanation of "cousins" and "removed"
I must admit I'm still a little confused.
Here's a chart from Family Search ...
... and an explanation from Ancestry.com
Each cousin can be numbered based on how many generations back your shared ancestors are and “removed” a given number of times, based on how many generations apart you are from each other.
One thing to bear in mind when dealing with “removed” cousins is that determining whether you are first, second, or third cousins is a little trickier, since you end up with different numbers when counting back to your common ancestor. In these cases, the number is based on which one of you counts back the fewest number of generations. For example, if your cousin counts back three generations while you count back five, then you would be second cousins twice removed. The “second” would be due to the number of generations back your cousin counted to a common ancestor, and “twice removed” thanks to the difference in generations between you.
I'm STILL not quite sure, but luckily when all the ancestors are in place along the family lines, then family search figures it all out for us!
Several of the Jensen kids were feeling presidential ...
Janelle found a link to Thomas Jefferson (3rd president)
Josh found a link to Andrew Jackson (7th president)
Jaiden found a link to Franklin Pierce (14th president)
Janika found a link to William McKinley (25th president)
Lincoln (shown earlier) was the 16th president ... now this is also a history lesson.
None of the Jensen's presidential paths connected through the Westra line, but ...
Elvis is apparently a 9th cousin ... removed differently. And NOT a Westra/Norman.
Cayson. Jenna. Colton - Linked through the other side of the family.
... and a couple more from Jared and Ellen (and Colton)
Again - no Westra connection.
Now before you think Colton was super excited about this project with all his contributions ... admittedly, it was Mom, looking up some on his account to get some different paths to the same people. Colton didn't actually participate, and didn't get the reward.
Cooper did though ... and won the award for the closest connection.
Removed by a lot ... but first cousin!
Cooper wasn't even trying for the extra reward - this was the only match he looked up. His Physics class has been studying Newton's three laws, so he had Newton on the brain. Maybe he has a little of the brain power too? After all, they are totally related!
With Roots Tech going on this week, Facebook has been full of "are we related" challenges, which would match your family history to see if you just might link up to some of your Facebook friends. Most "matches" were ## cousin ## removed ... but that's true for some of these famous individuals as well. Many people are related if you go back far enough, and with family history ... we can see pretty far!
What will the next challenge be ... will YOU participate?
Last week, the family history project challenge was to find out how your face fit into your family tree ... and there were a lot of fun entries. This week, the challenge was to go to familysearch.org, in the "activities" section (the same place the "compare a face" challenge was located) but this week, it was "Picture Your Heritage" where you can insert YOUR face into historical photos.
Here are the girls ... can you recognize who is who?
To give a little hint/help, here's who participated: Janika, Janelle, Jaiden and Jenna from the Jensen family. Derek's girls Aniston, Layla and Noelle. Shane's girls Adria and Rella. Kylie, Corin's wife sent a submission too (Grandma would love for the older, married kids to participate!) As just 10 names are listed, and there are twelve photos, someone submitted more than one. You can see that certain poses were popular!
There wasn't quite as much participation from the guys ... but there were some great shots!
Do you need names at least to guess who is who? Uncle Chris, and his boys Kaden, Corin, Camden and Cayson. Nope ... Kellin didn't submit one, but I sure thought he did! Calder, Keaton, Cooper and Josh also have faces featured.
This activity worked best using a phone or tablet. It needs to access your camera so it can fill in your face (unlike the previous "compare-a-face activity which also allowed you to upload an existing photograph). You can "see" your face fitting into the image, and then adjust the brightness to try to make it match the picture.
I'll admit ... I didn't know WHERE to put this one!
Just in case you couldn't tell, that's silly Uncle Derek!
In addition to participation awards, there were additional awards for quickest submission, funniest, and most realistic.
What would your votes be?
Should I re-post the pictures with the names attached, or make you go to the Dropbox folder (these are in the year 2021 folder, labeled with names).
I tried out the challenge originally, but didn't submit any for the contest ...
but it was rather fun to play around with.
If you are signed into Family Search, then it will match your last name up with nationalities that match up with your name. You can choose to go through all the different cultures if you want ... or as Derek displayed, switch sexes too. There were photos for men, women, and even some other group photos, that give you additional picture poses to choose from.
As part of the big Westra Family History project, photos and histories are being gathered, labeled, and hopefully saved in a way that future family will be able to find whatever they are looking for about their ancestors. This blog, the family Dropbox, and of course the church Family History site are all the places the Westra histories are being preserved. Beyond that preservation, family needs to know where these things are, and how to access them. So there have been some family history activities introduced to try and get the grandkids more familiar with everything.
This past Sunday, the challenge was the "Compare a Face" activity found on the FamilySearch.Org site. If you go to the main page, there are a few options across the top. One is "ACTIVITIES" and if you click it, you'll get a drop-down menu of some fun options, one being the compare a face photo exercise. You upload a picture of you, and then it will automatically analyze and match you to one of your ancestors who you look most like. It will give you a percentage, and show multiple people and your percentage of similarity. We have featured this activity once before on the blog (see HERE).
Now - for this to be fully effective, you DO need to be connected to your family tree. I don't know if all the grandkids already had accounts, but the Blackham Boys didn't, so they had to be set up. Any living family members in your tree need to be added manually (privacy issues)... names and photos. If an ancestor is deceased, they should show up, and you can then link to them and all the pictures/histories that are saved for them.
You can manipulate the activity a bit, and try photos other than the featured faces on family search. Some of the grandkids played around seeing if younger faces were more of a match. Adria matched with a young Shane at 94%. A young Jaiden was a 93% match with Wendy at about the same age.
Wendy wrote: The kids had a lot of fun with the family history challenge "find-a-face" on FamilySearch yesterday and after they did their matches with various ancestors they started doing matches with their immediate family members. Mom and Chris and I were discussing the other day how many of our ancestors look so much alike from when they were children to when they were adults. (See the screenshot of Joseph and Edward Westra below compared with their thumbnails, for example.) But there are always exceptions and I think I am one of them! I put a recent picture of myself with a picture of myself at ten years old on the find-a-face and it only had a 38% match -- for the same person! It isn't until high school -- post braces and all that -- that I got a 100% match to myself now. Interesting! I was also surprised that I had a higher match to mom than to dad! I thought for sure it would be the other way around. I was also surprised that Jenna and Janika had a 98% match when comparing pictures of similar ages. Interesting stuff!
Here's a look at a couple more from the activity ...
Derek had an article he wrote featured on the Church website. Shane grabbed a screenshot of it when it was on the main menu. It's the Do You Have the Guts to be a Fixer-Upper? And yes, that IS Derek as the model ;) Derek has been doing a ton of home improvements (with Covid canceling so much, it's been something many have turned to). He said he had written up this article and submitted it a few months ago, and didn't even know it had been published to the church page until someone mentioned it to him.
The link to the church article is above,
but Mom wanted a copy on the blog and in Dropbox... so here it is ;)
Do You Have the Guts to Be a Fixer-Upper?
You
could say I’m almost addicted to all things house flipping (as in: home
renovations that fix up a deteriorating property and culminate in a
jaw-dropping reveal.)
I love all TV shows in this category, whether it’s the more recent shows or the classicones.
To me there is something noble, beautiful, and irresistible about
finding a home that is run down, falling apart, and fraught with issues
but seeing its hidden potential and investing the time to “flip it,”
restoring it to its former (and future) glory.
One
of the most popular of these hit shows starts every episode with the
husband-and-wife dynamic duo stating their objective: “We take the worst
home, in the best neighborhood, and turn it into our clients’ dream
home.” Then they start that episode’s story by asking: “Do you have the
guts to take on a fixer-upper?”
I’ve
often wondered why these shows are so ridiculously popular. Why are there so many of them? There’s a whole network dedicated to giving us as many house-flipping reality TV shows as we can take!
I
remember asking a friend this same question years ago about sci-fi,
fantasy, and superhero movies. “Why are we so obsessed with these
stories?” I asked. “What is it that keeps us coming back for more?”
My
friend’s reply was dripping with the wisdom of someone with decades
more time than I have spent in the scriptures (and also within worlds
like Asgard, Tatooine, and Gotham.)
“The
reason these stories are so popular is because there is something
deeply ‘true’ about the fight between good and evil, and the need for a
hero to save us. It resonates with our spirits. We’re drawn to these
fictions because of their similarity to the very real nonfiction we live
every day.”
I recently realized that this same answer also applies to my other question: “Why are home renovation stories so popular?”
I
believe there is something familiar about the process of recognizing
potential, restoring virtue, and revealing beauty that speaks to our
souls.
Isn’t it inspiring
when someone can recognize the dignity of something that is so badly
broken? Someone with “eyes to see” who can look past the neglected
exterior and the injured insides, and with a confident smile can say, “I
can work with this.”
Fixing
up a damaged and decaying property takes a huge investment of time and
labor. Sometimes the foundation needs to be reinforced. Often the roof
requires repair. Sometimes there are significant structural issues. Some
days are demo-days, where rotten walls and termite-ridden floorboards
are ripped out, exposing the home’s fragile frame. Other days are for
rebuilding, where stabilizing support beams are placed to strengthen the
home and ensure that it remains safe for years to come.
When
the bad parts are cut out and cleared away, it’s time for the designers to truly transform the space. They slowly walk through and look carefully at the various rooms, envisioning what they can become. They take notice of the flow, and how the light hits the walls. They visualize the people who will live there and begin to mentally place a
fireplace here, a dining table there, and porch swings facing the sunset.
When the home is
just about ready, the designers add the finishing touches to make sure
every detail is in place: the landscaping is complete, the pillows are
perfectly positioned and fluffed, and candles are positioned to
accentuate the unique beauty and character of the home.
At
this point the designers ask the homeowner, “Are you ready to see your
fixer-upper?” The renovation is revealed. Jaws drop, tears flow, and
homeowners say things like “It’s not the same house!” and “Thank you for
seeing what this home was capable of becoming!”
Do you recognize this restoration process? These stages are similar to the steps of the Atonement of Jesus in our lives.
I
realize that it is inappropriate to compare the most precious gift ever
given to mankind by the Savior of the world to a home renovation. One
is supernal, the other mundane. One is God-given, the other man-made. I
do this only to say that on some level we intimately know and recognize
this process, and it resonates with our spirits.
The
scriptures are replete with examples of the Jesus’s “renovations.” I
imagine Him at the Sea of Galilee looking at the rough and impulsive
fisherman Simon Peter and envisioning the “rock” upon which He would
build His Church. Then with a confident smile, saying, “I can work with
this.” I imagine the resurrected Lord seeing the powerful potential of
Paul in the small-in-stature Saul, and the yet-to-be-born Jehovah
recognizing the determined drive in Alma the Younger that He knew He
could “flip.”
The process
of cutting away the spiritually rotten and decaying parts of a person
is painful. It takes work to create a masterpiece from mangled and
missing pieces. I believe the ingredient that makes this possible is
mercy.
The scriptures
describe this process of investment, love, and work many times. Here is
one of my favorites: “And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon
them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in
his infinite mercy to spare them” (Mosiah 28:4).
Transformations
require tools. Mercy, love, and grace are among the tools Jesus uses to
renovate our lives. In all the scriptures, never did Jesus turn away
from a fixer-upper. Never did He look at a potential restoration project
and say, “That one is too far gone.” No matter how cracked the
foundation or how abused the interior, our Savior always takes the job.
The woman taken in adultery. The blind man. Jarius and his daughter. The
woman with an issue of blood. Lazarus. Mary. Me. You.
If
we allow Him to take us on, and to design our lives, we’ll find that
He—as the Architect, Designer, and Builder—can do so much more with us
than we can with ourselves.
Back in January, Derek posted this picture to Facebook. Showing off their new chair, and a certain special someone sitting in it. While it will likely fade into a forgotten memory, Bernie Sanders - sitting cross-legged with unique mittens on ... was the subject of MANY memes following the inauguration of President Joe Biden January 2021.
Here's just a small sampling of what was invading the internet ...
Photoshopping Bernie into classic scenes with hilarious results!
... and a few more!
Mitten memes ... until the next big thing comes along!
I titled this post "Covid 2020" ... although of course it's actually Covid-19, as the first cases were documented there at the end of 2019. But it was 2020 when most people realized that this coronavirus was going to impact everyone and everything. Shall we start off with some poetry?
COVID Limericks: (by Scott Westra 2020)
Because of the virus Corona
I’ve adopted a different persona
It’s not all that great
To self-isolate
And spend way too much time alona.
It is critical that we all get checked
To insure were not poised to infect
Be up to the task
And wear the darn mask
Or the economy’s sure to get wrecked.
Forgive my cough and my wheeze
Heaven forbid I will sneeze
Just don’t duck for cover
And you will discover
It’s just seasonal allergies!
It was just a little ironic ...
As the year started, "Coronavirus" and "Covid-19" was something many people had heard of, but it was something that was a world away. It got closer. It was January when the news announced that the first case was here in the states. In March, there was a case in Utah. Still, it didn't seem real.
It was March 11 when Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive, and the NBA shut down. (All other sports would follow suit. There was no "March Madness" and the NFL draft was done virtually, no school or community competitions allowed. The 2020 Olympics were postponed). In the following days, everything changed. Schools attempted to move to online learning, churches and temples shut their doors, missionaries came home and countries closed their borders. Employers transitioned to "work at home" for all who could. For a time, playgrounds were taped off. Funerals and weddings could only allow limited attendance. No big graduation ceremony for college/high school seniors. Drive-by parades became the only sort of celebration.
Restaurants were open only for take-out (this was encouraged, to help keep the economy going). Movie theaters, gyms, libraries, salons ... all closed. Disneyland closed and the Las Vegas strip shut down. Only "essential" businesses are allowed to remain open, and most would offer "contactless" shopping (order online and pickup). "Essential Worker" was a new buzzword, as was "social distancing". Other phrases: out of an abundance of caution, super-spreader, uncertain times, flatten the curve, contact tracing, bubble, quaranteam, remote learning, new normal, "blursday" (as time lost its meaning), Zoom and P.P.E (personal protective equipment).
Stores and supplies were hit hard. There were shortages of sanitizer, disinfectant ... toilet paper. Many food items would be very hit and miss, and there were limits placed on most items. Pasta, yeast, flour, sugar, milk, bread. You never knew if you'd be able to get what you wanted/needed. Stores that had previously been open 24-hours now closed for cleaning, rest and restocking. For a time, the number of customers was capped. There were lines outside Costo. There were arrows indicating one-way aisles. Soon masks were mandatory, and there were plexi-glass dividers between workers and customers. Home delivery became very popular! There were other shortages ... bikes, trampolines, game systems, home gym equipment. Almost everything was affected, timelines for manufacturing and shipping were much slower. There was an aluminum shortage that affected cans of soda. Even money ... a coin shortage!
Masks, gloves, face shields, respirators ... there wasn't enough to go around. There was a lot of back and forth about masks. First saying that PPE should be preserved for the medical community, that they weren't really effective for the general public. Many doctors/dentists shut down ("telemed" appointments were encouraged) for all but emergency services, as much to control materials as contact. People started sewing handmade cloth masks, but there were then shortages of elastic and fabric and it was still questioned if they provided protection. The thought was that wearing a mask may not protect the wearer as much as those around them. "I wear my mask for you, you wear your mask for me." A few months in, and masks were mandatory and were being sold everywhere. Reusable (washable) fabric masks and disposable - the more protective N95 masks continued to be in short supply. SO much contention and politicizing of masks and procedures.
As things escalated in March, the Governor of Utah issued a "Stay safe, stay at home" directive for two weeks. Only essential movement outside of the home. This was an attempt to "flatten the curve", knowing that there still would be spread, but trying to control/slow it so that the hospitals would not become overwhelmed. Some obeyed, some pushed back.
Restaurants, gyms and salons opened up again, with restrictions and safety protocols in place. Many people went back to work, but "work at home" will likely never be as limited, often still an option. Some businesses did not survive the shutdown, and unemployment/layoffs were issues for many. A stimulus package put money into most American's bank accounts ($1200). The NBA finally finished the season, with the players staying in a "bubble" with no contact with the world outside. School started up again in August. The Salt Lake School District was only online, but all the other school districts offered options for online or in-person learning. The kids had to wear masks. There were many quarantines and school shut-downs as positive cases were tracked.
In the Spring, everyone watched as the numbers of cases increased ... in Utah, cases topped 100, then 200. Then there were 500 cases in a day. At first, testing was limited. Specific criteria had to be met; certain symptoms, travel from certain locations or contact with a positive person. Still there were long lines for an uncomfortable test (nasal swab). Soon there were options for a saliva test. Tests were required for travel and before medical procedures. As school started, there was required testing (every two weeks) for college students and student-athletes. Now, the norm for daily positive cases was in the thousands (2000-5000), with a number of covid-related deaths reported daily as well. Controversy and conspiracy theories were everywhere (the "plandemic", it's all a ruse, EVERY death is counted as Covid, people are testing positive who didn't take the test, it's all so the government can take away all our freedoms, the virus was made in a lab and released, everything should open/herd immunity, masks are dangerous or just don't work, this medication or that could be a cure, it's just the flu, etc, etc.) There was some good too though, as people attempted to work together, and there were many stories of environmental recovery.
As time went on, most hospitals were at capacity and doctors and nurses were exhausted. Some states had crises earlier on (New York was hit hard in April/May) and every state was attempting control in their own way (as were countries around the world). The Governor of Utah set a second two-week shutdown mid-November. People were encouraged not to gather with family for Thanksgiving or Christmas. As the year ended, a few companies had come out with vaccines, which were starting to be distributed (more controversy), but no one really knows how effective they will be, or if people will even remain immune after recovering from the virus. But there is a feeling of hope ...
Some days, life still felt normal (especially for introverts) ...
Other days you'd open your eyes and see how odd it all was!
