Home

It seems like a simple enough word.  Four letters.  One syllable.  Home.  It really shouldn't be complicated.

Well, mine is.  My family is in northern Indiana.  I lived there for the first 19 years of my life.  After that, it was on to North Carolina for college.  And, now I live in Colorado.  

That means that I am over 1,000 miles away from my family.  And, I'm about 1,600 miles away from some of my very best friends.  Sometimes I get incredibly homesick, for both my Indiana family and my North Carolina friends.  

My awkward sleep schedule, living so far away from work, and living in a very small town of families (Philip and I are the only couple without children in our neighborhood) hasn't been very conducive to making friends.  I have made a few really awesome friends, but it doesn't take away the homesickness.  

I am really close to my family.  And, my college buddies were the first true friends that I ever had.  They understood me and were there for me through some crazy stuff.  So, I'm just going to always miss them.

It may seem that a simple solution would be to move back to Indiana (or North Carolina).  It's not that easy.  I don't like Indiana.  The only reason I really go back to the state is because of my family (and the racetracks!).  Indiana has cornfields, cornfields, more cornfields, and some bean fields thrown in to add a little flavor.  It's also really humid (no me gusta).  I also spent a lot of my childhood and teen years feeling like a freak.  As I said earlier, I didn't have any real friends until college.  

Indiana has a lot of people who I'd just as soon forget exist: closed-minded, ignorant people.  While those people exist everywhere, I've found a whole lot less of them in Colorado.  

Colorado is also breathtakingly beautiful.  I have lived here almost a year and I still can't believe the awesome views I get on my way to work every morning.  The mountains are absolutely gorgeous.  

(Source)

Denver is an amazing city.  It's just a wonderful place to live.  

(Source)

I just wish I could transplant everyone I love to Colorado.  I'm sure they'd see what a wonderful place it is!  

Not Home for the Holidays

This will be the first year that I will be unable to spend Christmas with my family. It's depressing. I am staying in Colorado with Philip. He can't get any time off work for Christmas, and my family is over a thousand miles away from here. So, getting home for the holidays is not an option.

I really do want to spend Christmas with Philip. I love him and he is my world. However, I've been homesick recently and not being able to go home for Christmas is really getting to me. I haven't seen my parents and sister since July. I haven't seen the rest of my family since May.

Before we moved here, I was about 700 miles away from my family. I still managed to see them every month or two. To be fair, during that time, I was unemployed. However, when I was working, I still managed to see them every 2 to 4 months.

And even when I wasn't seeing my family as often, I was surrounded by friends and roommates. I've had difficulty finding friends in Keenesburg. All of our neighbors have families. And, I work in downtown Denver with 3 other people; my boss and 2 maintenance guys, one who does not speak English. I really like the guys I work with and my neighbors but they aren't really best friend material.

I love the holidays. I love baking, shopping, giving, receiving. I love the decorations and the love. I love the happiness that the holidays bring. I'm just having more trouble than normal getting into the holiday spirit this year. When I'm buying presents this year, I am having them shipped directly to my family. I won't get to see their faces when they open presents. I won't get to have dinner with all of them.

I am incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful man to spend my holidays and every day with. He is loving, supportive, smart, funny, and just perfect. I love him so much. I just wish I could have the best of both worlds and spend the holidays with BOTH my family and Philip. Hopefully next year we will be able to take some time off work to see our families for the holidays.

Still here...

Hello, all. I am still alive. It's just been an incredibly busy month. I spent a week packing everything we own. It was a lot more than I expected it to be. We filled an entire 16' Penske truck, my car, and Philip's car. And then the dogs rode in my parent's truck. It was insane. I have no idea how we fit most of that stuff in our little apartment. We did have our Halloween stuff in storage, but that was about it. Where did the other stuff come from?? :S

Then, we had our going away party. It was pretty fun. Not everyone came, but we weren't surprised. The really important people were there. :)

Then, we drove to Pennsylvania to visit with Philip's family. We spent about 10 days there and it was a wonderful time. He has a great family. I actually like my future in-laws. :) First we went to Lancaster County where we visited his mom, stepdad, nanny, pappy, and other relatives on his mom's side of the family. We were there from Sunday night until Friday afternoon. Then, we drove to his dad's house. His dad and stepmom are wonderful people. I can see a lot of Budd (Philip's dad) in Philip. :)

However, his dad and stepmom are heavy smokers. I was fine while we were there, but when we left on Sunday to stay with his Grammy and Poppy, I developed a cough that I have not been able to shake. It's not that bad, but it wakes me up at night and Philip keeps threatening to take me to the doctor. I'm sure it will go away eventually. It's gradually getting better. :)

His Grammy and Poppy are wonderful. His grammy can COOK. She is amazing. I think Philip gained 10 pounds while we were there. I have a little more restraint, but I know I added a little extra padding, too! ;) We had a very relaxing time while we were there. We read, played games, played croquet (it was my first time), and ate a lot. :) It's a good thing it was relaxing, because we needed it for the days to come.

We drove back to Charlotte on Wednesday night. It took us about 10.5-11 hours to get home. We each slept for maybe 2 hours in the car and then for maybe 2 hours when we got home. Then we got up, went to pick up the Penske, and started loading the truck. It was INCREDIBLY hot and humid. And miserable. For the first few hours, it was just Philip and I. Then Brandon came home and helped for a little while. Then, for the last little bit, we had Joe to help us. I told Philip that once we get settled in Colorado, we definitely need to find more reliable friends.

We went to dinner with a few friends that night and then slept for a few hours. My cough was the worst that night. I blame it on having to sleep on the floor in the dusty apartment (after moving everything around). We each only got a few hours of sleep because I kept us both up. We got a late start because we had to try to clean up some before we left and then get the last of our stuff in the truck. It was more than we thought it was. Then, we got on the road. Finally. :)

We spent two days driving out here. We stayed overnight in St. Louis the first night. However, it took us over 15 hours to get there. It was miserable. Lots of traffic and the Penske truck can only go so fast up the mountains and around the curves. But, we made it. :)

The following morning, my parents met us at the hotel (they live in Northern Indiana). We went to breakfast and then set off on our journey. It took us about 12 hours to get from St. Louis to Denver when we went there for vacation in May. This time, it took us about 17 hours. D: It was incredibly frustrating. My parent's truck broke down while we were still in Missouri. Luckily, we found a mechanic when we stopped at an auto parts store and he was able to get it fixed, but it was still a hassle and added a few hours to the trip.

Then, we hit a storm in Kansas. An all out hell-storm. I have never seen so much lightning during a storm. It was scary. And I like storms. By this time, it was dark and my mom doesn't like to drive in the dark, let alone driving in a storm in the dark. So, we had to go much slower than the last time. And, instead of stopping every 300-400 miles, we had to stop every 150-200 miles. The Penske did not get very good gas mileage. So, the trip lasted FOREVER. But, we finally made it home. :)

And, when we walked in the door, the first thing we saw was that our kitchen floor was flooded. >:( I was not a happy camper. My dad took a look and saw that it was just a leak under the sink. He did what he could for that night and then we put a bucket under the leak. We cleaned up the kitchen, unpacked what we needed for the night, and went to bed!

It was another rough night with the coughing, but I managed to get some sleep. The next morning, we unloaded the whole truck. My parents and my sister were an amazing help! It was wonderful. Then we started unpacking and showing off our new house. :)

We had a week of my parents and sister being here, but those stories are just going to have to wait until next time, because this blog is definitely long enough. Just know that we've had no more problems with the house and we are incredibly happy to be home. And, it truly is. We have definitely found our home in teeny-tiny Keenesburg, Colorado. :)

My Gloriously Fantastic Life :)

My life is wonderful. Sometimes I am just in complete awe of it. I have the most wonderful man in the world as my partner in life. I have four beautiful pups. I may be jobless right now, but I know that it will look up. I have amazing friends. I have a slightly crazy but incredible family.

Vacation is in 2 weeks now. That's 8 days in Denver and then coming back to go to the beach for a few days. Two full weeks spent with Philip without him having to go to work. That's hiking, exploring, swimming, and wonderful bliss. :)

We are moving in 64 days. That's a new start in a new state 1,600 miles away. That's new friends and new places and new experiences. And it will all be shared with the love of my life.

My life is absolutely amazing.

Ancestry - The Ketcham Family Line.

Over the past several months, I've been doing a lot of research on my ancestry. Until a few days ago, I couldn't find much for the Ketcham side of my family. I thought it was really ironic because I really wanted to know where the Ketcham name came from.

I could find the Williams side (my dad's mother's father's side), and the Troyer side (my dad's mother's mother's side), and the Freet side (my dad's father's mother's side), but I couldn't find the Ketcham side (my dad's father's father's side). It was what I was honestly most curious about, but I couldn't get back any further than my great-great-grandfather. And, that was only because my grandmother had up to that point written in the family Bible (which is now in my possession).

Anyway, a few days ago, I got a few leads and when I followed up on them, Bam! I found my great-great-great-grandfather. And, today, I found clear back to my great to the tenth power grandfather (haha). Here it is.

Tara Lyn Ketcham	1985-
Terry Lee Ketcham	1964-	Tammy Kay Milton	1966-
Ernest Jay Ketcham	1933-1999	Wilma Jean Williams	1934-2005
Ernest Alfa Ketcham	1895-1973	Charity Olive Freet	1901-1980
George Washington Ketcham	1869-1934	Anna Cedochca Shock	1869-1954
Simmons (Simeon) Ketcham	1835-?	Amanda Kimble	1839-?
Andrew Ketcham	1810-1861	Esther (Hester) Barnes	1811-1890
Holmes Ketcham	1772-1846	Mary Van Sickle	1784-1842
Danial Ketcham	1753-1829	Alice Holmes	1753-1781
Ebenezer Ketchum	1722-1777	Mary Sherwood	1725-?
Nathaniel Ketchum	1678-1738	Sarah Wakelee	1683-1738
Joseph Ketchum	1646-1730	Mercy Lindall	1658-1683
Edward Ketcham*	1590-1655	Sarah Salman	1608-1672

* Edward Ketcham was born in England. He came to the U.S. in 1635. He first arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts, but later settled in Connecticut. He was the first of the Ketcham name to arrive in the U.S.

Edward was a Puritan. His first wife died while he still lived in England, and he remarried immediately upon arriving in the U.S. He and his wife, Sarah, had a daughter named Sarah in 1640. She was likely the first of the Ketcham name to be born in the U.S.

Before Edward, the line is a little hazy. There are a few different possibilities as to who his father could have been. One of them was Sir Ronald Ketcham. It would not have been his real name. He was named so because he was the one to "ketch" Guy Fawkes.

(If you're not quite sure where you've heard that name, think V for Vendetta... "V" wore a Guy Fawkes costume because Guy Fawkes attempted to bring "The Gunpowder Plan" to fruition. "V" actually gets to follow through with his own "Gunpowder Plan" in the movie. And, so I think it's definitely cool that I could be related to the man who caught Guy Fawkes.)

Another option is from a line in England whose last name was Chetcham (most likely James Chetcham would have been Edward's father). It could also be that the name was chosen because the family came from Kitchenham or Kitcham in England (it was common to choose a last name based on a former residence).

As you can probably tell from the list, the spelling of the name changed back and forth from Ketcham and Ketchum, I guess based on simple preference.

Anywho... I'm just really wowed by all of it. I'm so excited that I've finally figured out where the Ketcham name came from. It's English! I'll have to blog later about my other ancestors. I just really wanted to share my Ketcham roots. ;)

Oh, also of minor significance, one of my cousins very far back is actually Thomas Edward Ketchum. He is also known as "Black Jack" Ketchum. He was actually a famous cowboy-turned-trainrobber. So, probably not the most likable guy, but he's one of the few famous people that I've found in my family tree.

Oh, and in case you're curious, I do most of my research on http://www.ancestry.com. It's a wonderful website!

Christmas

Wow. Christmas was a blast. We had several Christmases. With one to go. First, we went to Pennsylvania to have Christmas with Philip's mom's side of the family. It was just for the weekend, but we had a great time. And I can't believe how many presents we got. Santa was really good to us this year. lol

Then, we had Christmas with our friends from Catawba. It was wonderful. We decorated sugar cookies and goofed around and smoked the hookah. We were jolly. :)

Then, we went to Indiana. We got there on the evening of Christmas Eve. We went to my Uncle Randy's Christmas dinner that night. That's the redneck part of my family. We had fun... but I'm sure it was interesting for Philip. ;)

That night, we opened presents at my parent's house. We seriously made out like bandits. And my parents loved their blu-ray player. And my sister was definitely amused by her Hope Chest. She kept saying, "Now all I need is the house!" That's a hint to her boyfriend. lol

Philip had to leave on Sunday. He flew back that morning so that he could get to work that night. I stayed through New Year's. I spent some time with my family and with my pups. I miss them like crazy.

I drove back the evening of the first. It was a really pleasant drive. I wish the rockslide would get cleared up soon though. I don't like the detour around the North Carolina/Tennessee line.

I had to get back the night of the first (I made it in about 11 hours) because we had another Christmas with Philip's friends from high school yesterday. It went really well. Everybody seemed to like what we got them and we played a bunch of games. It was fun.

And today, we let Brandon open his presents from us and we opened his presents to us (since he couldn't make it to the Catawba shindig). We got him a season of Family Guy, a classical music CD, the new Fast & Furious DVD, and the Hulk Smash board game. I'm not really looking forward to having to play it with him. lol

We got a TON of books, movies, and lots of other cool stuff. I shouldn't be bored for a good, long while. :) Thank you to everyone who made this probably the best Christmas EVER. Oh, and thank you, Santa. :D

What I'm Thankful For...

1. My wonderful family: Joe, Jack, Cody, Jippy, & Daly. My babies are smart and sweet and beautiful.
2. My fantastic friends.
3. My healed relationships with my parents and sister.
4. A house not in Crackton.
5. Four-Day weekends :)
6. A degree in Religion & Philosophy (I can't believe I finished in May... It seems so long ago now).
7. Mario Kart. It's amazing how much fun it can be. Especially with cool people.
8. Black Bean Soup. It's just so incredibly comforting and delicious. :)
9. Good books... like the Twilight Saga and White Oleander. You just can't beat curling up with a good book.
10. Rain. It rained yesterday. I missed that a lot during the drought (technically a lot of NC is still in a drought -- Shelby is still in a Severe drought, Salisbury is in a Moderate drought, and Charlotte is still "Abnormally Dry", but there are now only 6 counties in an "Exceptional Drought" and only 8 counties in the slightly less bad "Extreme Drought." See the link for more info.).
11. Autumn. There actually was a fall in North Carolina this year. It was beautiful. Oh, how I have missed the change in seasons. Indiana always changes dramatically and I missed that in NC. I didn't have to miss it this year! :)
12. Hope. In many things. A hopeful change in direction for the way our country is headed. A possibility of snow in Shelby, North Carolina. :) A house in a nice neighborhood. A lot of things.
13. Having tickets to South Korea to see a couple of amazingly awesome people.
14. A job. Not my dream job. Not an exciting job. But, a job. That pays pretty well. And that is something that no everyone has. Especially with the way the world is right now.
15. A clean conscience (vegetarian since August 20, 2007). I can look animals in the eye without the guilt of knowing that their kin had to die for my dinner. :)
16. Netflix. It is so awesome that I can watch movies and tv shows online. It makes me happy.
17. Good television. Mostly The Big Bang Theory and Heroes. They keep me entertained on Monday nights while Joe is gone to his basketball game. :) And to go along with this, Sylar... Wonderful character. You have to love the bad guy who has the potential for something good. Keeps me on the edge of my seat. And I would totally date any of the guys from Big Bang. They are awesome! lol

And so much more... I am just thankful for the here and now. :) It's wonderful.

Vacation...

Well, I got back from Indiana today. I had a wonderful time. I wanted to blog multiple times, but my parents only have dial-up internet and it wouldn't work right (they live in BFE, so they can't get high speed).

My family was wonderful. We went to the Blueberry Festival (my hometown's annual Labor Day festival), to the racetrack, shopping, eating, vegging out, and plenty more. It was quite splendiferous. :)

I watched the second season of Dexter while I was there. I was disappointed through much of it, but all's well that ends well, I guess.

Jack came with me. The other boys stayed with Joe. My mom loves Jack. She is one grandma who definitely plays favorites. I met my mom's new dog. He's sweet. He's the one who was temporarily paralyzed. A bit annoying at times, but he seems to be good natured. However, he's not the cutest dog... I said goodbye to my old dog, Magic. She died in June, but I hadn't been back to Indiana since May, so it was strange to be there without her. I was okay for the most part, but when I was playing with my parents other boxer, Tank, I started to miss her. He reminds me a lot of her.

I made my family vegetarian lasagna. They liked it. Even though my dad was extremely surprised that he did. :) He thinks that anything vegetarian has to be gross. He's a freak like that. :)