I started researching my family history in Oct. 1998. It’s now Oct. 2008.

It’s been a wild ride and a quite enjoyable experiencing learning about my family’s past and being able to connect with so many relatives – both immediate and distant.

The Internet has lent itself perfectly to such a hobby. There’s no question about it. This is where I’ve made the majority of my people-to-people connections. While some people joke that genealogy is all about “dead people,” I think it’s the exchange between living people – and learning more about their lives – that makes it so special.

As a wise man from Connecticut commented on my first blog entry, we’re all related if you go back far enough. It couldn’t be more true. The fun comes when you’re able to prove a connection, putting all the puzzle pieces together – it’s just so much fun to trace your family’s past to see who you might be related to and where your ancestors fit into history.

For now, I celebrate. But once you catch the bug, there’s no going back. There’s no question about it; this will be a lifelong hobby for me. I look forward to what discoveries and links the future will bring!