Motivation Monday...Cemetery Hopping

Nothing gets me motivated like a field trip. Yesterday I drove to Great Falls with my husband and spent some time traipsing through cemeteries. My cousin Molly and her daughter Grace joined me on this excursion. First we went to Mt Olivet and drove around and around and then got out and walked up and down and hither and yon. We did finally find Joseph and Katherine Marxer, who, by the way, should have been at Calvary Cemetery via their death certificates. How the heck did that snafoo happen not once but twice?
(updated 25 Oct 2011) Dad informed me that the Marxers were moved to Mount Olivet when Calvery Cemetery was closed, years ago.

I felt certain that Grandpa and Grandma Borgreen should have been close by, but we drove and walked all over and just couldn't find them. So then we headed to Highland Cemetery, just down the road. It was much larger than I had anticipated and packed FULL of stones. We drove a bit and walked alot and came away empty handed. So we headed out to lunch and had a wonderful time chatting and eating. Then I took Molly and Grace home and realized that I had some spare time before picking up my husband. So I went back to Mt. Olivet for another try. I was drawn to the back lane along the fence and as I drove through the gate I said aloud "Grandma, I'm back. I need some help. Can you show me where you are?" I drove to the Marxer stone, which is large and hard to miss. I parked and got out to walk the rows. I walked up and down and back again and suddenly, three rows in and directly across from where I parked was Carl T. Borgreen and Ellen E. Borgreen. The stone were set into the grass and so easy to miss if you weren't paying close attention.
I found other relatives and took pictures of their stones, but these were the prize of the day. I have more stones to find...another day.

A couple of funnies from the trip. Molly and I were walking the rows when suddenly she says "Why can't everyone die in alphabetical order?" I'm sure the fact that her last name starts with B and mine with P escaped her attention.
The second funny was as we barreled down the dusty road to cemetery #2 on our list, Molly's cell phone rang. She answered and her caller asked "What are you doing?" After a nervous moment of silence Molly says "Cemetery Hopping". I heard some excitement on the other end of the line to which Molly responded, "No, not for me!" That girl always cracks me up.

Motivation Monday – do you have a set of genealogy-related goals you want to tackle? Do you have tips on getting motivated? Whether you want to lend advice or you need advice, participate in Motivation Monday at your blog and tell us what’s on your genealogical plate. This is an ongoing series created by Dionne Kurti at Finding Josephine.