Happy
Holidays
Anna Annette Kasper's Newsletter
Holiday Plans |
This Thanksgiving holiday I had a few visitors come to town and we had a small gathering with a hearty feast!
For those of you related to me, hopefully you remembered our Mayflower Pilgrim ancestors Edward Doty, Stephen Hopkins and his daughter Constance Hopkins Snow. For those interested, Edward Doty was a bit naughty, ie...he is known for being in the first duel in the British American Colonies (dueling was illegal), he eventually settled down and mellowed with age :) Stephen Hopkins is thought to be the same Stephen Hopkins of the ill-fated Virginia Colony settlement, and after a quite interesting story, he ended up back in America via Barbados, England, then on The Mayflower. I did discover I'm a distant cousin to Sarah Palin, she is also descended from the Pilgrim Stephen Hopkins.
Winter is one of my favorite times of the year because it is a time to slow down and refuel your spirit. We live in such a stressful and busy time, that I believe it's God's way of saying "This is the time to feed the spirit." It is God's season. Let us try to remember this season to rekindle our spirit as we celebrate the glorious birth of our Lord.
I'll be spending a quiet Christmas alone with my fur-girl Livia. One of the reasons I want to move back to the western area of US is to be near family and friends again. I will be attending Mass, I'd like to attend Midnight Mass but I'd have to drive 90 miles round trip into Peoria to find a Catholic church having Mass at that time, the Catholic churches near me are too small. My New Year's Eve/Day plans are up in the air as of yet. Last year, I got snowed in and they didn't remove the snow from the streets of our tiny village until 10pm, so I was unsure I could get out and just stayed home. I have a 4 wheel drive vehicle now, so I can get out of the village if I do decide to go out to celebrate. But the temperatures have been below normal and it's been quite cold, so staying inside is sounding quite inviting! :)
My beloved, fur-girl kitty Livia turned 9 years old this past year. Most who follow me on Facebook or Twitter or have been around me the last 9 years know why my family calls her "The Queen" lol She is beyond spoiled! Her father was a Siamese and her mom a Tabby. She has the Siamese blue eyes and face-shape, and temperment, she was egg-shell colored as a kitten with a very dark raccoon ringed tail! But as an adult she has a bit more of the Tabby markings, although many say she looks like a Snowshoe breed, with her feet being white. Livia sends out "Meowy Christmas" wishes!
I was quite busy this year with my work with Roma Downey. We had a 10 hour miniseries "The Bible" play on the History channel for a full month, ending with Easter Sunday evening, with Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett producing, as well as Roma playing the Blessed Virgin Mary in all scenes except The Nativity related story. Over 11 million people tuned in the first night, and by it's airing end in States 100 million people had watched it! It's one of the highest selling miniseries on DVD ever! It was 5 hours Old Testament and 5 hours New Testament. A movie entitled "Son of God", which deals with the life and ministry of Jesus through His resurrection will be released in theaters on February 28, 2014. It takes some of the footage from "The Bible" miniseries along with lots additional footage shot in Morocco at the same time "The Bible" was shot but not shown in the miniseries, and I believe the film will run over just 2 1/2 hours, Roma's production company Lightworkers Media, that produced "The Bible" miniseries will now have in production this next year a 4 hour miniseries for CBS based on the novel "The Dovekeepers" - a beloved and well known book, due to air in 2015. Also in the works is a series for NBC entitled "A.D.: Beyond the Bible" based on what happened in early Christianity (history and stories) after the (New Testament) stories included in "The Bible" miniseries ended. 
Being a perpetual student, I'm always learning a new language, or hobby. I continue with genealogy and have over 16k people in my family tree at the moment! And it's always fun to discover a new famous or royal ancestor, which mine include an endless list, a few being a saints, St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and many other Royals from the Houses of Normandy, Angevin, Plantagenet, Tudor, and Stuart and tons of well-known distant relations, including many US Presidents, The current Queen Elizabeth II is of course descended from all these houses as well, she and I are 15th cousins, once removed, I'm a bit closer related to the late Princess Diana as 13th cousins. But this Yank cousin of the Queen and the Princes won't hold her breath expecting an invitation to Buck House for tea anytime soon! :-p Emily Dickinson being my favorite poet, I was thrilled to learn we are 5th cousins, also Louisa May Alcott and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I also sent my DNA into Ancestry.com and I was matched up right away with my Irish cousins (2nd cousins, that I already knew as well as others) that had sent in their DNA as well, and my Doty/Doughty relations. Besides matching me up with family members that have also sent in their DNA (from 2nd cousins, to 10th cousins!), it also analyzes the heritage of my DNA and the only surprise was that I was passed down much more Germanic DNA from my German ancestors than I thought, but with Ireland a close second and Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) third. The 3% European Jewish coming up was not a surprise, I knew that a German great-grandmother, that her mother's side had been Jewish originally and through generations of intermarriage, the Jewishness had been lost to the family by that time, but I still carry the proof in my DNA of the family stories being true. 3% Scandinavia was not a shock, most with English and Irish ancestry carry some Viking blood in their DNA. Along with few mysteries, 2% Greece, 2% Finland/Russia (which can sometimes be found in Sweden too). 
Sending Christmas Blessings out to all my family and friends!
