Ancestry DNA Has A New Update: Separating England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales

Ancestry DNA has a new update which separates the British Isles.  There used to be only two ethnicities: England and Scotland/Ireland.  Now England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales are all separated.   And alas I have all but Wales.

This is what I am now, before it changes again.  In the brackets are my ranges, as Ancestry does this whole "1,000 Estimates" thing using probabilities, a reference panel, and what is known.  The percentages are derived by algorithms based on current knowledge and information.  Essentially this information is subject to change, because DNA research is still imperfect.  This is what the algorithm assigned me: England (30-36%), Ireland 35% (0-43%), Scotland 19% (0-20%), Germanic Europe 6% (0-20%), Norway 4% (0-5%).

Now, this is what the system gave me.  Once upon a time I was able to see the whole list of ethnicities and what they tested, and even if the system didn't assign an ethnicity to me, doesn't mean I don't have it.  I used to be able to click on a random Ethnicity and see if it was all 0%, or if there was a small percentage bracket.  For instance my Mom is Ireland 56% (42-63%) and my Aunt is Ireland 50% (34-55%), yet my Grandma didn't register as having any Irish.  If I was allowed to see the full list of ethnicities and then click on Irish, I could see what the tested bracket percentage said.  My Grandma has Irish in her family tree, though it's possible they emigrated from Scotland (as she registers 37% Scottish), but with my Mom having 56% Irish with the percentage bracket she does, there's no way my Grandma doesn't have a small percentage of Irish.

Also, I was hoping to have some Welsh in my DNA, so that I could be British Isles Divergent (nerd reference).  Apparently I don't have any, though my Dad is 2% Welsh (0-13%), Mom is 1% Welsh (0-7%), my brother Steven 5% Welsh (0-11%), and my Grandma Stuff. is 4%.  I have gone down my Dad's family tree on the Family Tree website, and there is Welsh there, some of which are royalty (which I take with a grain of salt, but it's fun).  I've found Welsh elsewhere.  It's a little, but there's a paper trail.  Proof that our DNA is a hint of linage, but not a true representation of our heritage and family history.  DNA is simply what we inherit. 

The most interesting discovery is between my Grandpa R and Grandma A.  We always assumed my Grandpa had a lot of Scottish.  He was obsessed with Scotland, yet he only has 5% (0-14%).  Ironically my Grandma A has more with 37% (0-37%).   It's just funny.  Though my Grandpa was 91% Irish (71-95%), connecting with 9 regions all through the south of Ireland, from Kerry to East Cork.

It's all fun.  It's interesting comparing the results of my family.  My Grandma's brother, my Great Uncle, had France 3% (0-7%) and Spain 1% (0-1%) show up in his results, so that's interesting.  And even though Steven is the only one of my siblings to have Wales show up in his DNA, he only registered 6% Scottish (0-13%), whereas my brother Michael is 33% Scottish (2-35%).  Steven is 47% Irish (22-54%).  It's just interesting how similar, yet different we all are, even with the same linage.

So I've spent the weekend nerding out over Family History. :0)

PS. I don't care what they say, I'm still British Isles Divergent.

A Couple Random Thoughts: September Edition

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

I needed a little break.  Get off the net.  Think a little.  I didn't leave town or anything.  That hasn't happened since February.  To say I'm feeling restless in this isolation is an understatement.  I'm aching to get out of Dodge.

My workspace has been discombobulated as I've been rearranging and switching things up in my room, so my laptop got tucked away, and it was nice keeping it out of sight.  

Life has been life.  Found out a couple weeks ago what was wrong with my car: crack in the fuel pump.  I would have preferred a deadening battery or starter.  The repair would have been cheaper.  And a day after that was fixed I woke up early morning to find a large puddle in the middle of the kitchen floor emanating from the fridge.  The compressor went out.  A mad dash to save as much food as possible followed.  This last Monday the fridge was finally fixed.  

The weather has been strange around here.  It's fire season, a particularly bad fire season, and as the case is with fire season the valley in which I live is socked in with smoke.  Some years are better than others.  It's always nice when we get a little rain and wind to blow it out, and then it settles right back in.  Well, last week we had a nice little wind storm.  So nice that Salt Lake Valley and northwards reached Hurricane Level 2 winds.  One place got up to 112 miles per hour.  Where I live it only got up to about 30 mph, thanks to the mountain range, but northwards has been struggling.  Lots of damage mixed with days without power.  Though something weird happened.  Before the wind the air was smokey and hot with temps in the 90's.  The day after the weather was a chilly 46 at midday, flurries drifting from the sky.  The air was clean again.  It was nice getting a brake from the heat.

Oh, I saw "TENET" a few days ago.  So confusing!  I was like... :\ .  And even after reading an explanation of what happened in the movie I'm still like... :\ .  Honestly, I do get what was going on after replaying stuff through my mind, and I get what the director was trying to achieve, but overall it felt clunky.  Quick scene jumps.  Muddled explanations.  Unpleasant holes.  Time creating paradox problems, and not the good kind.  I probably need to see it again, if only I wanted to.

American Girl finally released their new historical doll: Courtney.  1986.  My childhood is now historic.  And the doll's accessories is a giant pile of nostalgic goodness.  I ordered the accessories and book, not the doll or clothes.  Should be here within a couple weeks.  And I'm kinda regretting spending all that money.  I'm kinda laughing at how ridiculous I feel for ordering them: mini boombox, mini Pac Man lunch box, Lisa Frank stationary, Care Bear sleeping bag.  Okay, writing all that out, huh.  I'm looking forward to reading her story.  She's eight years old in the book, whereas I was three at the time.  A spoiler hint that I've picked up from the website is that the Challenger space mission will be a plot point, and Courtney loves gaming, Star Wars, etc.  She's a nerd.  In short, she's my kind of gal.  It will be fun reading her story.

Funny enough I remember the Challenger explosion, only I don't know how old I was when I saw it.  Was it live?  Was it a documentary?  But I have a vivid memory of the explosion and the way the smoke split.  I remember feeling shocked, regardless.  I do have a few memories from that time, so it's possible, and my earliest memory goes back to before I was one years old.  I only remember it because it's the first thing my Dad recorded.  That home video was played over and over, cementing the memory.  Christmas day.  My Dad pulling out his guitar and my parents singing Christmas songs.  I don't remember those details, those I get from the video.  What I remember was what I felt.  Music awoke my spirit.  And I knew, whatever it was my parents were doing, I needed that.  It was important to me.  I needed that music.  I wanted to be apart of the music.

Anywho, I talked with my brother Michael a couple nights ago to game plan and set goals for our podcast.  We're aiming for launching in mid-October.  That date looks good.  It's always possible we'll hit a couple bumps, but we've recorded quite a few episodes, so fingers crossed it all goes as planned.

Until next time,

Sarah

September Health Goals: Walking Just Might Save My Life

It seems like these last several months hasn't so much been about progress, as it has been about understanding.  Figuring out what works.  Figuring out what will help me get better.

I'm definitely an eat sweets when I'm stressed kind of person.  Last month when I said I wanted to go a full 90 days without eating sweets I was walking.  Then the weekend came and I didn't walk, and all the cravings came back full force.  Now, this isn't to say that walking always staves off cravings, because there are days when it doesn't, but it is a huge help.

Walking is my most favorite form of exercise, probably because it's easy and I can consume a form of entertainment in the process: streaming a show while on a treadmill or something audio while walking around.  Also it's always good to get outside when the weather is nice to enjoy nature.  The problem is I'm not consistent.  There are weeks where I'm super motivated and will get 40+ miles in a week, followed by 2 weeks of nothing.  But when I do walk consistently I've found that my cravings are easier to control, my mood more stabilized, more motivation in other areas of my life, and I just feel better.

There was this habit book I read a while back, it might have been Atomic Habits, maybe, where it said that if you find a key habit to improve it triggers other good habits naturally.  I think walking consistently could be my key trigger habit.  

So that's what I'm going to focus on this month.  Also, I got a book called Stretching to Stay Young, which I'm going to work through.  I actually really hate stretching and foam rolling, but it's a necessity.

So, yeah, still trudging forward.  Not giving up.  

Spiritual Quotes That Have Helped Me Get Through

This is another one of those posts I debated on writing, mainly due to its spiritual nature lending to Latter-Day Saint theology.  

It was May, 2019, and President Nelson was finishing up his tour of the Pacific Islands.  It was an amazing tour, and he was finishing up in Tahiti when he said, "There’s trouble ahead.  Prepare for attacks from the adversary. Please protect yourself from Satan’s traps, including harmful drugs and pornography."  Pretty standard warning, really, as the Adversary is always attacking.  It's the "trouble ahead" that kept echoing in my mind.  I mean, there's always something to look out for.  Life is full of highs and lows.  Despite my internal dialogue I took the warning to heart, still living life, still hopeful for the future, just glancing at the storm on the horizon that seemed to circle as if in a holding pattern.

This year has been crazy, there's no denying it.  Memes abound for coping and remembrance.

The first quote is from Elder Neil A. Maxwell.  Funny enough I shared this quote about two years ago on this blog, and then removed it.  I was afraid it was too deep to share, but I'll share it again.  It's from 1984, when I was two years old, and Elder Maxwell is speaking to the children of the church: 

"It’s extremely important for you to believe in yourselves, not only for what you are now, but for what you have the power to become. Trust in the Lord as He leads you along. He has things for you to do that you won’t know about now, but that will be revealed later. If you stay close to Him, you will have some great adventures. You will live in a time when instead of just talking about prophecies that will sometime be fulfilled, many of them will actually be fulfilled. The Lord will unfold your future bit by bit.  All the easy things that the Church has had to do have been done, so you’re going to live in a time of high adventure. You were brought to this earth because you can handle that time of adventure, and you will do well."

This quote has brought me a lot of comfort these last couple years.  I look at that quote and think, "High Adventure."  What does that even mean, and does it mean what I think it means?  Are we in those times of adventure now?  Or are we not quite there?  Whenever it is, we have the strength to overcome.

On August 5, 2020, Russell M. Nelson tweeted: "Dear friends, the road ahead may be bumpy, but our destination is serene and secure. So, fasten your seatbelt, hang on through the bumps, and do what's right. Your reward will be eternal."

Here are two more quotes by President Nelson. "You were taught in the spirit world to prepare you for anything and everything you would encounter during this latter part of these latter days. That teaching endures within you!" "Plead with the Lord for the gift of discernment.  Then live and work to be worthy to receive that gift so that when confusing events arise in the world, you will know exactly what is true and what is not."

There's many more quotes that have helped me find strength through discouragement, but these are the main ones.  Life is crazy and uncertain, but we will survive.  We have the strength to overcome.

"The Father is at this moment aware of you, your feelings, and the spiritual and temporal needs of everyone around you." ~ Henry B. Eyring

 

A Wooden Delight from Germany

It was a pleasant day in Rüdesheim am Rhein, the air a crispy autumn.  Hills covered with vineyards.  Streets full of quintessential quaintness.  Ornate buildings with wooden decorations, vines, narrow alleys, restaurants and shops.  There's an airway tram that leads to the top of a hill where you can view the Rhine River from above, ships slipping out of sight.

There's a Christmas shop, which are always a treat to visit while in Germany.  Large and full of warmth.  The window display overflowing with ornate nutcrackers.  

In a back room was a cupboard.  Inside was a delightful array of wooden figurines and displays.  Hand painted dolls and sets.  Some were Christmas themed.  Some represented the seasons.  I wanted one of the spring fairies holding flowers.  If I had a few hundred dollars I wouldn't have hesitated.  They were pretty and sweet.  Detailed.  There were notes everywhere written in English and other languages forbidding picture taking.  So I attempted to take a mental image, which, after nearly two years, the image is fading to a blur.  Emotion and wonder remains.

While heading back to the river I went into a little gift shop tailored for tourist.  After some exploring I found a small cupboard with tiny wooden figurines just as delightful as what I saw in the previous store, but at a price I could splurge.  I found a little girl wearing a winter coat and holding a star.  She was quickly purchased and has had a treasured spot on my dresser ever since. 

She's apart of the Hubrig Winter Kids collection named, "Star, Give Us Light."  I've been searching online for this figure since the trip in October of 2018, just to find more of the like, and other wooden German styled Christmas decorations, which are hard to find here in the States.  After much time I found Erzgebirge Palace, which has many fun things to see.  Germany really has some fun Christmas decorations, figures, displays, and ornaments.

You Are Extraordinary

C.S. Lewis once said, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”

I don't know what you are dealing with right now.  I don't know your worries.  Dreads.  Thoughts.  Heartaches.  I don't know what keeps you up at night.  I don't know what makes you laugh.  What you find joy in.  What tickles your fancy.  I don't know your struggles.  Your triumphs, your failures, and everything in between.

But I do know this: You are extraordinary.  You are amazing.  You have so many gifts and talents.  You have loved ones.  Dreams you wish to achieve.  Places you wish to see.  You have the power to make someone smile.  Bring someone happiness.  You are of infinite worth and potential. 

“The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well.”  ~ Neal A. Maxwell

 

Random Thoughts: August 2020 Edition

When I was in High School my least favorite class was Physical Education.  It was so hard getting an "A" in that class!!!  And one of my least favorite segments was badminton.  Maybe it was the quality of the birdies, but they never flew right.  -_-;;  Pickleball is gaining popularity in Utah.  Don't know how long the sport has been around, but there are community pickleball courts popping up here and there, and people are always playing.  It's hard getting an open court in the afternoon/evening.

So I went onto Amazon and found out there are several sport travel nets that can be purchased that don't need to be staked into the ground.  They're free standing.  You can play a few games with these nets such as pickelball, badminton, and volleyball.  I got one of these nets.  Recently bought a pickelball set and some birdies for a badminton set I got over a decade ago.  Last weekend I set it all up and honestly had a lot of fun!  Didn't play with any rules, and didn't keep track of points.  It was fun hitting the balls and birdies back and forth.  Maybe badminton is the sort of sport one needs to grow into. :P  Pickelball is pretty fun, too.

With that said I actually took a tennis class when I was a kid.  Wasn't too bad!  Wasn't all that great, either!  But it was fun, and I enjoyed going to the lessons.  My favorite memory, though, has nothing to do with tennis.  When my group did well our teacher awarded us with cans of Pepsi.  So now whenever I drink Pepsi I think of tennis.  (I prefer Coke, but like both).  But it's funny how the taste of Pepsi always brings me back to when I was a kid, hot Summer heat, hitting tennis balls, and finishing the afternoon with the ice cold drink.

My car is thirteen years old.  It's been a good, dear little car.  Dependable.  Kept my family safe when a tire blew while traveling 80 miles an hour in the middle of the Utah desert.  It's now starting to show its age.  A few days ago it struggled to start.  This has now happened a few times. Maybe it's the starter.  Maybe it's the battery, which I haven't had to replace once all these years, so it's probably that.  Hopefully.  Cars baffle me.  It's now just a maintenance game.  I'm lucky to have it, so counting my blessings.  It's been a good little car. 

Went on a drive with my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt a couple days ago.  We decided to explore Midway a little more this time.  The city reminds me of a super miniature Solvang, since there's a Scandinavian theme with some of the buildings and art.  We wandered down streets and ended up in this residential neighborhood with the most interesting homes.  Many of these homes had murals and dutch style painted embellishments.  They were honestly really cool, and something I've never seen before.  Some of the murals were really amazing.

I'm missing travel so much I'm honestly romanticizing airports, including layovers.  Layovers are no fun, trying to nap in uncomfortable seats by the gate, but I'm actually missing airports and layovers.  How weird is that?  I don't miss flying in the cramped coach section, because I always end up with the middle seat.  Packed sardines in the sky.  I think I'm missing the wonder of going places.

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday!! :D

Visiting a Movie Theater Again After Several Months: Empire Strikes Back

Last weekend was my parents 39th wedding anniversary.  My Dad was trying to figure out what to do with my Mom to make it special, but there's still a lot of limitations in regards to what's open and whatnot.  He discovered that Cinemark was opening again, and that you can rent out a theater for $99 with a small selection of movie options for 20 people or less.  Our family gathered to watch Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, which is possibly one of the best movies ever created.

It's been several years since I've seen Empire, forgetting nuances, and it truly is a masterpiece.  (It's really embarrassing how long it's been!)  The pacing, editing, humor, subtle romance (minus the sibling bit -_-;; Do you're genealogy peeps), character development, one-liners by more than one character, music, etc, etc, etc.  Even the kids were completely engaged and glued.  This was their first time seeing it.  And I forgot how much I missed the Twenty-First Century Fox fanfare at the beginning!  Ahh!!!!!  Classic!!!!

These last few months have proven interesting for the entertainment industry.  Won't get into it.  In the beginning of the pandemic I missed going to the movies, but the feeling of "missing it" has turned to apathy.  There's more than one way to find entertainment and to escape this World.  Reading.  I've been reading more.  Watching classic films and shows has been fun.  YouTube and podcasts.  

Here's a list of movies Cinemark is offering for the $99 theater rental: Jurassic Park, Inception, Sonic the Hedgehog, Bloodshot, Empire Strikes Back, Jumanji Next Level, Harry Potter 1, Harry Potter-Deathly Hollows II, Greatest Showman, Goonies, The Avengers, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Despicable Me.  Some of these movies are also available as $5 tickets for adults and $3 for kids.  There's also good deals on concessions.

It was really fun going to the movies again and having the theater to ourselves.  Seeing Empire on the big screen for a second time was awesome, the first being back in the 90's at a theater in Bakersfield CA.  Everyone needs to see Empire Strikes Back on the big screen.  So good.  I'd love to see Ever After in the theater again.  Heh, don't know what the demand would be, but I saw it five times in the theater.  I saw the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie seven times in the theater.  Good times.

Hope you're having a great day.  TTFN.

 

Changing My Mind, Again. -_-;;

It's two in the morning as I write this.  This is sorta becoming a habit!  Not a good habit.  Classical music is playing from a streamed station, the notes clashing, weird 21st century crap.  I prefer notes when they're a little more harmonious.  A little more pleasant to the ears.

Heh, um...

My quest for health is one of temptation and woe, mingled with side steps and whatnot's.  A search for the sustainable and realistic, mostly.  That's the frustrating thing about losing weight and getting healthy.  We're all so different!  Our bodies are different!  Foods and exercise affects us all differently.  What works for one person doesn't work for another.  And that is why the health industry is worth billions.  

In my last blog post or so I said I was going to go 90 days without sweet treats.  Then I did the math, realized it was going over a couple birthdays plus Halloween, and that I was being unrealistic.  Really, what I realized is that I was feeling a low level of anxiety over it.  Like this under the skin vibration of sort, putting me on edge.  I felt it with my one treat a week goal as well.  This is probably why I keep failing at this goal.  But over the weekend I decided that I'll allow myself two treat days a week, one on the weekend and one during the week, spreading it out.  This isn't go crazy over treats, just that I'm allowed a little ice cream, or brownie, or whatever, within reason.  Twice a week.  When I made this change that under the skin anxiety feeling went away, so maybe this plan will work.  I'm also aiming for walking a 5k everyday.

(Okay, the music is getting ridiculous.  Weird Neo-classical harpsichord stuff.  Turned it off and turned on some Brahms.  Much better.)

I'm also making some changes this week.  We'll, deep diving in learning and skill developing.  My main focus right now is wanting to improve my writing, so I created a crash course writing workshop from online resources focusing on grammar, story telling, building sentences, and short story crafting.  There will be writing exercises and short story reading assignments.  I need to throw in some punctuation study as well, as it still baffles me.   I'm also going to start learning Photoshop, video editing, audio editing, and other useful skills, but not all at once.  There's a lot of stuff I want to do.  There's a lot of stuff I need to do.  Can't forget music learning as well.  I want to create both instrumental music and vocal music.  And get my YouTube going again.  A lot of dreams.  A lot of projects.

Anywho, I should finish this up and head to bed.  I get spooked sometimes and have a hard time sleeping.  Gotta go brave the night.  Heh... 0_0 ... -_- zzzzzz

"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely." Roald Dahl

August Health Goals: Conquering the Brain

One day I'll look back at this.  One day I'll look back and remember all these failures, and it will be a testament that failing multiple times is what led to my ultimate success.

Turns out it's harder to get back on track after getting off track.  July wasn't horrible by any means.  It just happened.  Came and went.  C'est la vie.  Au revoir.

And we're already a third into this month, which is crazy.

Much of my goals are the same.  What is different is my approach, certain realizations.  I've been taking huge note of my mental space.  The tricks happening in my brain, much of which I'll keep private, such as false beliefs that began in my young twenties.  Lies I created by false observations that hurt my self-esteem and worth.

The mind is so important when it comes to change.  If you don't change the mind it doesn't matter what you do in the physical world, as the mind will sabotage as soon as it gets the chance.  It's one of the reasons so many people lose weight and then gain it back.  The mind.  There are so many reasons people gain weight.  Some of it can be chemical/physiological.  Some of it can be mental, hardships, depression.  I've been pinpointing the points in my life that has caused insecurity.  False beliefs.  Fears I'm protecting myself from.  

There is one thing I'm going to do starting today.  I'm going to go without sugary treats for 90 days.  I've done it before, a few years ago, but I've been trying to do it again.  Each time I fail.  I need to retrain the way my body works.  Retrain my thinking in terms of conquering cravings.  Balance energy levels.  Detox.  But really I need something I can control.  Something that will give me strength in the doing.  

I've taken before pictures wearing a couple shirts that are too small.  Took measurements.  Weighed myself, and I'm just 5 pounds up from the start of the year.  I dug up incomplete fitbooks, so I'm going to complete them.  I got some cute paper and drew 90 circles, so I will be crossing them out as I go along.  

I'm tired of failing.  I'm tired of not accomplishing anything. 

So I begin again, and this time I will make it.  This time I will succeed.

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." -- Arnold Schwarzenegger