Family Projects

"Human life is like grass; we grow like a flower in the field.
After the wind blows, the flower is gone, and there is no sign of where it was.
But the Lord’s love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren and to those who keep his agreement and who remember to obey his orders."
Psalm 103:15-18

I have a couple of family projects in the works that I am super excited about sharing with you!

The page tabs above are links to family websites that I have started through Shutterfly.com. 
Shutterfly is an online photo service that allows you to print and organize photos and create custom keepsakes.

Storge: Your Family Site

Storge is a genealogy website that copycats my aunt Shannon's MyFolk & Yours. Shannon has put in many hours researching and archiving family history and, luckily for us, went behind our backs to gather information from our families to put together one of the best wedding presents ever. She organized all of the information into folders and framed a beautiful fan chart of our family tree. She stores the photos, documents, and files that she has collected over the years on MyFolk. I asked her permission to steal her idea and info to create a custom site that archives Woodard / Hopkins direct lineage. She graciously encouraged me to, and so, Storge was started.

The Storge website is structured like our family tree with tabs organized alphabetically by surname. "The Kevin Hopkins Family" and "The Mike Woodard Family" tabs hold information from the courtship of Kevin & Lynn and Mike & Lea Anne to the weddings of their children. The remaining tabs hold information from the families of each of our grandparents. For example, the "Hamrick" tab holds information from the Hamrick / Strickland family line to the Bill Hamrick family. The "Richey" tab will archive the Richey / Davis family, including Charlotte's life before she married Bill and all previous family lineage information.

Woodard Yearbook

The Woodard Yearbook is a similar site I have decided to start as a way to archive pictures each year. This is set up through shutterfly as well, but I have organized the tabs to store pictures, documents, & files from each year Hubs & I have been married. This is more of a way to archive and share our current personal photos with you. 

What these family sites can do for you:

I love the potential these websites have for family connection and archiving for several reasons. 
(1)  It is a wonderful way to tell our story, share information, and leave a legacy for future generations. 
(2)  These websites are interactive. Any member of the site can participate by uploading photos and documents, editing information to ensure accurate history records, and journaling your personal family experiences. 

(3)  We can download all pictures, documents, and files from these sites for free. You can download any content you would like by scrolling over any photo or album and clicking "download this picture".
(4)  You can send photos to print right from the site. Just scroll over the upper-right corner of the picture and click "order print". You will then be given the option of size and finish as well as delivery option to your front door or the nearest photo center. 

These sites are especially handy for long distance sharing. If we miss out on a family event, someone can upload pictures onto the website under an album for that event for all to enjoy. Also, if there is a picture someone else took that we'd like to print and frame, sharing on the websites is a convenient way to swap those sweet memories!

To join either site, simple click on any of the links provided or on the page tab at the top of this blog's home page. You will sign up to become a member by creating an ID and password with shutterfly. Once your account has been created, you can view the site and start sharing! It might seem a bit complicated at first, but once you get accostumed to the structure of the site, it is very user-friendly. If you have any questions about the process, feel free to email me here.

Happy Sharing!