My cousin Barbara Doying, from Clearfield, UT (pictured below) and her daughter-in-law Karen Doying from Darien, CT experienced RootsTech for the first time this year. I met them as they were standing in the 1-1/2 hour Registration line Tuesday afternoon and we caught up on all things genealogy! Barbara’s mother Esta Becker Batchman was a sister of my maternal grandmother Nannie Becker Flanders.
I’m pictured above with Barbara and Karen Doying (standing) and Sue Maxwell, seated. I’ve become friends with Sue over the years as she’s helped me so much with Consultant work and now The Family History Guide (http://thefhguide.com), of which she’s one of the original creators.
I was especially fortunate this year , actually very blessed, to be joined at each class and event by my niece Lisa Jamison. Lisa's mother-in-law Linda Jamison of West Jordan, UT is my sister-in-law. We planned our schedules so we could attend each class together so it was wonderful to have her constant companionship throughout the week.
In the above picture, I’m waiting for an event to start on the Main Stage, along with (l to r) Debbie Allen (AZ), Bobbie Rogers (AZ), Miles Meyer (Vero Beach, FL) and Lisa Jamison (River Heights, UT).
A very special moment for me arose as I was able to say hello and thank Ron Tanner for the exceptional work his teams perform on the Family Tree at FamilySearch. Ron is THE MAN in charge of the Family Tree.
Each year a group of bloggers who are associated with the GeneaBlogger group on Facebook assemble for a group photo. In past years I’ve chosen to attend classes at the time of the photo-op, but this year over a lunch hour I joined many in the group for the annual group photo. I’ve been a member of the GeneaBloggers for 10 years. You may notice we’re all wearing the GeneaBlogger beads that are gifted to us by DearMYRTLE.
I was delighted to “run into” my blogging friend Miss Peggy Lauritzen in the Expo Hall, as Lisa and I were perusing the displays.
Peggy reminded me that my blog was the first she’d ever read, back in 2008 and it stimulated her to start writing her own blog. Peggy is an Accredited Genealogist and authors “Anxiously Engaged”. http://misspeggy55.weebly.com/ It’s interesting to note, as I introduced Peggy to my niece Lisa (pictured below), that Peggy’s sister-in-law and Lisa’s sister-in-law had a history of working together in the film industry! We never know when or where we’re going to discover meaningful connections, which appropriately follows the theme of RootsTech this year: Connect. Belong.
No RootsTech visit would be complete without time to say HI to my genealogy mentor, friend and my Cousin, Russ Worthington. Russ was staffing the Family Tree Maker booth this year, as that is one of his fields of expertise. Just one of them!
I was thrilled beyond measure that my cousin Jacqui Maxfield was able to attend one day of the Conference this year. As a busy wife and mother of 8 children still in school, Jacqui is to be commended for being able to chisel a full day out of her busy schedule to assist with Registration and attend a few classes that Wednesday. We were delighted to meet up for a few minutes, as I was also able to introduce her to my niece Lisa. Jacqui’s great- grandfather Fred Michaelis was married to my great aunt Eva Margheim, sister of my paternal grandfather John Margheim. So Jacqui’s grandpa Reuben Michaelis and my Dad, Ernest Margheim were first cousins. I had never met Jacqui until each of us attended RootsTech about 5 years ago.
I’m sharing a few more photos to give you an idea of the activities, fellowship, friendships and energy of the Conference.
Me and my friend Miles Meyer of Vero Beach, FL. Miles advised me and directed me on many genealogy topics in my "Early” days, since about the year 2000.
It was an honor to meet and be interviewed by Scot and Maureen Proctor as one of the Humans of RootsTech article he was preparing.
It was fun to see my cousin Crista Cowan, the Barefoot Genealogist, who was indeed barefoot as she represented Ancestry.com in many presentations and one-on-one help.
My friend Renee Zamora, of RootsMagic, joins me each morning for breakfast at 6:15 am at the Radisson Hotel. One morning we were blessed to be joined by Jason Hewlett (http://jasonhewlett.com/) who served as the excellent and very entertaining MC of the Conference .
The best talk I’ve ever witnessed at RootsTech was delivered this year by Scott Hamilton, Olympic GOLD ice skating champion, author and inspiring Speaker. I bought two of his books and hoped to get them autographed. However, I got in line at 12:15 for the 1-2pm signing and was told the line had been closed. Just too many people were wanting his autograph during the time allotted. Scott is being interviewed in the Media hub at the Conference in the photo below.
I couldn’t begin to relay the extent of the excitement, instruction, and energy offered this year at RootsTech. I invite you to go to http://rootstech.org and watch many of the classes and special talks that were delivered. They’re available for us to watch at our leisure. I’m so grateful that my husband and I are still able to travel. We did experience a few “hitches” along the way, like a Scooter that wouldn’t start in the airport, a temporarily lost iphone, long and trying exams getting through Security in the airports, and weather delays due to a snowstorm in Salt Lake City on the day of our departure, but each time the good Lord provided us with assistance and we had a successful trip. While I haven’t fully recovered from the fatigue I brought home, I’m certainly looking forward to RootsTech 2019!
1 comment:
So pleased to Read your positive post Becky. Even though I have no bio family at Rootstech I enjoy reconnecting each year with my Rootstech Family.
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