*dusting off the cobwebs* It's been so long since I've written in this thing that I think it's grown virtual mold. However the time's come to dig it out . So bear with me, this could be a bit long and rambling.
Truly, I don;t think I've ever felt like I was "of" the modern century. Even when I was a wee girl, I felt a connection to all things antique and old fashioned. I was the little girl who would dress her Barbies and Kens as 18th century folk( and this was BEFORE they had the 18th century type character dolls), rolling up Ken's pants or cutting them off to make knee breeches( told you I was bizarre!).
Maybe some of the historical love I got from my parents, especially my mother. On her side, we have an ancestor who fought with the 69th NY in the Civil War. Because of this Mom became a bit of a historian on said war. One of the first large books I remember reading is Andersonville, McKinley Cantor's moving historical novel of the interaction between and survival of Union prisoners in the GA prison camp of the same name. Although I didn;t really get into the CW until much later( my teen years) the seed was planted.
The folks and I made the usual Mid-Atlantic trips to Philadelphia, Ticonderoga, NYC, Morristown, Trenton, Monmouth, and always I was enthralled. The costumed reenactors I saw there completely piqued my interest... made everything come alive. Then came 5th grade.. we were studying the Revolutionary War, and my teacher let me borrow 2 books.. I still remember the titles. One was "Silver For General Washington" a fictional account of a boy's involvement in Vally Forge during the winter of 1777-78; the other was "The American Heritage Golden Book of the Revolution".. I was gone and from that point on.. my soul belonged to the 18th century( I think in a way it always has, and I'm actually going to be getting a past life reading to see if this is in fact the case). I ALSO realized then and there, that I wanted to be a history teacher, to inspire my students and possibly lead them to love of learning, of historical discovery as my teacher did..or at LEAST to keep them awake and somewhat interested during class!
What I'm going to say might sound strange to some, but here goes: I formed a very close "relationship" with the historical figures in the books I read. I was always a fairly shy lass until I got to college, was always uncomfortable socially. Books became my world and solice, history/historical fiction books in particular. Reading, I became immersed in the 18th century world, releasing haunting dreams and possibly memories, and literally feeling myself there.. I froze with Washington & his troops @ Morristown and Valley Forge, felt the searing heat and stench, experienced the frantic sorrow and anger which Molly Pitcher must have felt as she took up her fallen husband's gunner's position @ Monmouth. At Philadelphia, as the founding fathers were agonizing over the perminent and bloody break with England, sacrificing all they held dear, I felt I was with them. These people, these events, were not meant to be consigned to some dusty textbook, but to be brought alive, to be seen, felt, experienced.
Enter reenacting:
From the time I started attending events at the different Rev War historical sites, I knew I wanted to be "one of those funny dressed up people". But somehow that never happened until recently. At a spring 2006 event in Morristown, I chanced to talk to one of the reenactors of the 2nd NJ Regiment, Helm's Company( a member of the Continental Line)....he was animated, articulate and fun, and I knew this was something I really wished to do... these were my hazy dreams, my visions brought into life.
Unfortunately life has a nasty way of altering plans.Due to a lot of complications and issues, including life threatening surgery to repair the detached retina in my eye, I wasn't able to join until fall of 07.
My first event was the Dey Mansion in Wayne, NJ @ an 18thc mansion in which Washington resided for a short period during the war( Yes old George DID "sleep around" all over the state! lol). I borrowed clothing from a fellow group member and took the leap back in time. It blew my mind.... the members of the group were warm, funny, ribald and as totally enmeshed in the 18th c as I was. They are a diverse bunch: teachers, students, office workers, waiters, archivists, the retired, even children. Some are interested in the artillery and weaponry of the Rev War, some the uniforms and army itself, some the sewing, crafting and cooking, still others, the "delicate arts" of dancing and social graces, but all share the same love of the time period and the desire to bring it to life.
I was soon set to 18th century prep work and cooking. LOL believe me, when you finish a reenactment the only thing you can be thankful for is some of our modern conviencies. But long story short, I had found my niche, part of my completion . It dosen;t hurt that I've made some very good friends along the way( this means you Viv!) and found a second "family" of ecclectic, weird and very special people to whom the past is as important as it is to me.Indirectly, because of my interest in reenacting, I've actually met a VERY wonderful and important person in my life who's also a reenactor! 
Heck, this hobby's even helping me to overcome my viceral abborhence of sewing so I can start making my own garb. My mother saw me heming a petticoat the other day and nearly died of shock! lol
The experiences I've had are beyond explanation and compare and I'm sure fellow reenactors can relate...sitting on a hillside @ Morristown in the hush of early morning cold...feeling the spirits of those who served before and who we honor right next to you....sleeping in the log huts on a frigid Dec night, feeling absurdly honored that that I was even able to experience a modicum of what those brave lads, some little more than boys, had to endure, cooking the regiment's dinner over the campfire with your fellow campfollowers, learning from them and trying new activities, enjoying the camradere around the campfire, the sometimes bawdy sing alongs, the grave-quiet night in camp,listening to the sounds of the fiddle, the harpsichord, the duclcimer as you dance an intricate minuet one minute, a rollicking country dance the next, the intensly moving experience of sleeping in the historic barracks and forts in which these soldiers lived and fought....the feeling that they are indeed there with us in spirit, as many of us can attest to.
True, it's been a bit diffacult due to the fact that many of the reenactments are somewhat distant to where I live. I;ve not been able to drive yet because my eye's slow progress of regaining sight, so some events I've had to miss. But thanks to friends, family and Unit members I've made it to a good number of them, and intend on becoming a total "history whore" when I'm back behind the wheel( in the next month or 2 hopefully). I'm halfway there already.. I've gotten to the point where I measure time in increments of "how long till the next reenactment".. obesses much? ;). My next endevour is finding a CW Unit to join.
Thank you too, to those friends who've supported me and come out to witness my "history weirdness" and put up with my incessant chatter about reenactments,corsets/stays, my bizarre excitement whenever confronted with a fireplace or open fire and my usual comment on hearing fireworks "This is NOTHING compared to artillery fire"
I know this has been an exceedingly long blog, dear reader, but I'll end by saying that reenacting has given me a deeper feeling of who I am, and a gigantic rise in my self esteem. That in itself is truly a historic occurance! ;)