Because it's in your blood.....

Have you ever wondered who you are? Why you love the things you do? Why your mind thinks a certain way? I am a firm believer that yes we make our own choices and decided to do the things we want to because that is the desire of our heart...... but where did our heart come from?

This weekend while I was home I asked my mom about a couple of things and this made my mind explore so I began wondering my mom's house when I found a very old photo album of my Great Grandfather (My Grandma Rose's dad) Gene Bailey. In this album I found ME!!!!

I know it is a male version, but though these pictures I fell like I am finding myself. The first picture I came across was a picture of Gene and his 1930's winning softball team of Red Oak, Iowa. I fell in love with the picture the moment I saw it. Gene Bailey is on the bottom row on the far right. He was the 2nd baseman!

My brother played baseball as a kid but no one in my family really likes baseball, yet I am obsessed! Yes my husband has something to do with it, but trust me if I didn't like it I would not feel the way I do about a night ball game!

The atmosphere of a night ball game under those lights, with the sounds of balls hitting the gloves, bats hitting the ball, and all of the smells of the ball field is truly a magical place to me!

And I have ALWAYS wondered why I wasn't born in the the 1940's. That's when the movie A League of their Own took place. I know I never played softball myself, but if I had lived then I would have wanted to be part of that amazing time in history! And here is my great grandpa living my dream!!! I love it!!!! The only thing that would make me happier is being able to find his old glove.... I guess that will have to be my next goal in life.

The next Picture I found was Gene and his barber shop! When I was in high school I did my hair EVERYDAY as if I was going to go to a special event! I would spend HOURS doing my hair the night before and hairspray it to last through the night. I went to college and could have gone on to be a teacher or something but dropped out because I had such a desire to do hair! I went on to Cosmetology school and have been a hairstylist for 6 years now. I have known for years that my Uncle Loni (my dad's uncle, Grandma Zandra's brother) did hair but I didn't think much of it. Now I have found the second family hair career link. Great Grandpa Gene! I once again fell in love with these pictures.
In both of these pictures Gene is in the middle in the second on he is hard to see because of the reflection of the flash but he is the one in the far back center. The first picture is of his Salon which was in a room in the Bailey home. And the other picture is of Gene in Barber school.

Like I was saying before I think that my heart came from my Great Grandpa Gene Bailey! I just love finding someone like yourself from the past. I do find it a little concerning that the relative I am most like is a guy!

I just have to note that I LOVE when you can see someone's face from the past that you never knew and say how much they look like a relative you do know. My Great Grandpa Gene Bailey looks so much like someone I love dearly in my life, my Uncle Kevin! I loved looking at the first baseball picture and telling my mom... "He looks just like Uncle Kevin."

All I can say about all of this is....I used to think the antiques in my mom's house were junk, I am now realizing the treasures that I want pasted on to me someday!

Now I just have out find out where my last obsession came from....photography! I have to say how much I enjoy and love looking at all of these beautiful old photographs. They are amazing to me.