My Long Road Trip – Meeting My Family for the First Time

I don't even know where to start or what to say about this trip which in many ways has changed my life. One of the main reasons I went on this trip was to meet my Herrera side of my family. To hold a last name for my whole life without ever knowing them has been different and sometimes hard to understand. I always felt a bit different then everyone on the other side of my family.

I lost my Uncle Decker but gained a whole new family. The Herreras... where do I start? Well here is a little background on them. My great Grandpa Arturo Herrera had a ranch outside of Albuquerque, NM and he was a great man, I remember hearing about him as a child. My grandpa Donald Herrera was his son who enlisted in the Navy and a brief stint with the Air Force ( which brought him to Montana and he met my Grandma). He had a brother Steve Herrera who was also in the service (Army) and became a well known member of the New Mexico police force. Steve and his wife Patricia have one son Steve Jr. who is my cousin and he is the reason I was able to connect with the Herreras. It all happened through Facebook! It has taken a few years but I am so thankful it happened. Steve Jr. is married to a wonderful lady named Velma who's family has a lot of Santa Fe, NM ties which is where they all reside. It was Velma's name that helped me make sure they were the right Herreras as it is a common last name in New Mexico.

Unfortunately my grandpa Don passed away years ago as well as my great grandpa Arturo. It is an unreal feeling to meet family for the first time, family you have wondered about, wished for and hoped one day you would be able to know. I could not have asked for a better time. Not only was I able to hear about my grandpa, my mother but also my Uncle Steve knew my grandma Dee well and it was amazing to talk about her. To hear about family similarities, to see the visual similarities and to find out more has been life changing to me.

I would like you to meet the Herreras too! You can see they are big hunters by some of the background racks in the pictures. I can't wait to meet my cousin Aram, Jacob and their sister as well.

I couldn't ask for better people to be involved with for the rest of my life I hope. Velma and Pattie have such big hearts, and I hope these guys know how lucky they are.