Hi all, So many thanks to all of you who responded to my plea. I received so many ideas in the mail lists and to my personal email. A lot of you wanted to know what I decided to do so here it is based on everything I have heard. First off I have realized that I am NO WHERE near actually putting what I have in print. I look around me and I have mountain high piles of documentation that will one day be a part of something very special to me which will infact be a book. I have totally decided about that. However I still have a lot of work to do with this before even considering it. I am blessed with 2 grandmothers in their late 80's that are still here today and I would love for them to be a part of this with me. I still have many branches on my tree without documentation to prove what I know. Bottom line being that I feel so over whelmed by all of this around me that I think I was trying to build Rome in a day, so to speak. All of the Book ideas that you all gave me were GREAT. In fact I have followed all of those links and even found some on my own. I learned a lot from those, thank you so much. And that did give me a direction to head toward on how to find out more, for when I am ready. I DO believe a book is a priority in my life, in order to assure my dreams. Whether I decide to charge for it or not I will have to deal with when the time comes. So if a book is not in my near future what is? Well the word "organization" sure kept popping in there, in your most polite ways :) I feel like the most dis-organized person on the earth right now. That is where the foundation of my frustration is coming from I think. Therefore I have come up with a solid plan for organizing my files. (at least I hope solid!) I made a folder on my hard drive and I called it sherrys tree. in that folder I put 3 folders , one for my mother, one for my dad and the third says children. I took those folders and branched them just like a family tree. Now I have a folder with every person in my tree. When I need to file something on ggggrandma whomever I just follow the folders up till I get to her, then drop it in her folder. Now I have a digital copy. Next I will print this document or picture and put it in the Notebooks that I have, that are sorted by surnames. So now I have a hard copy, and a digital copy. On my CD writer I will back up my "SherrysTree" folder. Once I get organized up to this point, I will go out and buy new notebooks, and make copies of my surname notebooks, and get those to my parents who would love them! At that point I have protected them from a fire type situation. Now as the years go by, and digital formats change, I can update my files to whatever the new format is (hopefully). I have Family Tree Maker, Just bought the other day, Family Origins, and the free family tree program from familysearch.org. I do plan on keeping my GED up to date so now I just have to decide which I like best, and I am swaying toward Family Origins. I feel so much better now knowing where I need to start (of course when I look at the mountain of papers on my desk or the 100's of digital files I have to sort though it makes me quiver :) However once I get this organized, THEN it will all be worth it in the end. I had a little bit of "Fate?" enter into my life yesterday that I would like to share with every one. I have been on these mailing lists now for a little over a year, and I am sure many of you have heard me whine about being so far away from the court houses (I live in Orlando Fl). My parents are headed up to Mingo Co. the 1st of April to go to my cousins wedding and to help take care of my grandmother while my aunt gets her daughter ready to be married. I have not been to those hills since I was 16 years old.The last time I was there I had a MAYNARD boyfriend and I remember they still used their "outhouse"! My parents go all of the time however I never go with them because my grandmother now lives with my aunt and there really isn't room there for me. I received a phone call yesterday out of the blue from a girl that I knew when I was a little girl living in Huntington. She is begging me to come along with my parents. She is going to meet up with us and take me with her to Huntington. For the entire week my parents are there, my friend is going to take me "courthouse" hopping :) First stop is the Charleston Archives. I am so excited I cant hardly stand it!! I have not seen my grandmother since I was 16 years old. So I will definitely be going to see her too. I am putting together (if I can find it though all of this mess I have here!) for her a small notebook with pictures of her parents, grandparents and gggrandparents. This is like a dream come true for me and I wanted to share it with all of you. Hopefully I will be successful and bring home even more things that need to be organized :) Anyone who has any tips for me for the following counties as far as where these courthouses are located or where good places would be to go to find information. I would appreciate listening to them. Charleston Archives/ Logan Co.WV/ Mingo Co WV./ Martin Co. KY/ Pike Co. Ky That is where I plan on going while I am there. Sorry for such a long letter, cant wait to hear feedback :) Sherry