Blink and You'll Miss It

I was interviewed as part of a story on tourist attractions in Indiana. No, I'm not the tourist attraction, but my place of employment is a nationally recognized research destination. The reporter was phenomenal and had me relaxed before the camera began to roll. I am so conscious of the camera that I can never forget I'm being recorded. My fifteen minute interview was edited into a one sentence video clip, but I'm sure that had something to do with limited time allowed.

If the video doesn't play, try the following link.

Thankgiving Musings

I had plans to post sooner, but the plague stole all my energy and prevented me from sharing my Thanksgiving weekend adventures. I love Thanksgiving! It is representative of the fall season, includes a large family meal featuring all my favorites, kicks-off the holiday season which requires decorating the house while reminiscing over the various ornaments and trinkets, and the weekend is dominated by state rivalries in college football.

Dad, Mom, Mel & James

My mom is the youngest of eight kids, meaning we have a large family who are scattered across the US so it is rare for us to get together. Though our last family reunion was almost twenty years ago, I remain close with some of our relations while there are others who I haven't seen in what feels like forever.

My Aunt Kay does not realize that I have been aware of her struggles and they have greatly influenced my life. I admire her strength and perseverance, her friendship with her ex and daughter, and her love of my mom. Kay survived breast cancer at a young age but required a full mastectomy. She was one of the women whose silicone implants leaked, poisoning her body and destroying one of her lungs. Kay's remaining lung is failing and she was denied a transplant hence a decision was made to have a reunion, in order to have these final memories with her.

James and I drove to a little town outside of Pittsburgh to spend Thanksgiving with almost fifty other people, most of whom hubby had never met. In order to prepare James for the mayhem of a loud family reunion, we began our road trip with lots of loud singing, i.e. my singing. REM was the band of choice for this trip but Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and Linkin' Park had quite a bit of airtime.

Dale sharing his genealogy research

I spent the majority of the trip discussing family history with my Uncle Dale, who has researched with me in Salt Lake and more recently reviewed my brick wall. Dale brought more than a hundred pages of research with him from Denver because he wanted my opinion on his recent discovery. Following the trail I had given him in October, he had finally uncovered the missing link that had hindered my research for more than a decade and had progressed back two generations. One of my proudest moments at the reunion was listening to him share his findings with his siblings. He was really enthused and a quick study. As he was showing off one document, he pointed out some random numbers and remarked, Melissa says this indicates his property. He went on and on and on, detailing my explanation of what it signified and how he should approach the next steps of his research as well as my remarks on military research. I appreciated hearing him tell the family that I really knew my stuff, especially since my family doesn't understand my work.

Rose, Kay, Mom, Dale, Ken & Arthur

Though I spent time with my parents on Wednesday night, Mom was busy with her siblings, leaving James and I to entertain dad on Thanksgiving. It was worth the drive, in order to be with my parents for the holiday. Unfortunately, Kay's health had taken a downturn and she could not travel to Pittsburgh, so my uncle rented a van and the siblings drove to Baltimore to spend the day with her.

James and I returned back home with weekend plans, but the plague set-in delaying our decorating and preventing me from watching football. Through the power of drugs, I managed to see Catching Fire with Becky and Erin as part of our semi-annual movie night though it's a bit of a blur, which means I now have an excuse to see it again. The plague took its toll on me, but I still had a nice holiday with my parents, had James setting up the Christmas tree and taking care of me.

The Conference That Keeps on Giving

Nominees

As the days have waned on, last week's conference continues to have an impact. Prior to the conference, I was nominated for a board position with a national organization. The group requested my photo and bio, which I naively sent along, not realizing that it would be on a board for everyone to view as they entered the exhibit hall. My campaign manager, Dawne, posted on facebook and a slogan was created which I can not share even on my personal blog. Since one of the other nominees is a friend of mine, I feel the need to say, I had nothing to do with the facebook joke and was only clued-in on the slogan (which is a joke) during the fourth email exchange. I am honored to be nominated, especially given the circumstances of my nomination, but I am honestly just riding the roller coaster of others making.

In another nice moment, I was offered a contract job (just an extra gig), which I mulled over for the past week. Though once again I was honored to be asked, especially as my instructional experience was mentioned, surprise! I have decided to turn down the offer at this time. Multiple people mentioned certification to me, including Dawne who reviewed my travel writer's report, which was the first time I worked on someone else's research and wrote a complete narrative report, including my analysis of records and recommendations. I had fun with the experience, but can't commit the time required to become certified at the moment.

While attending conferences, I am conscious of my interactions with people and how they can be interpreted, This is thanks to Andrew, my professional guru and mentor. Yet with all my precautions I still wind up sitting in the wrong spot at the wrong time or having people create situations that never occurred. My boss asked about a rumored conversation when person X instructed me on improving my interpersonal relations. My boss listed the reasons he thought I did not deserve the lecture, which is kind of sweet, but I felt the need to stop him because this instruction never happened. My boss shared with me the rest of the rumor, which included my hero-worship of my boss. Now, I have the utmost respect for my boss, but I am not in awe of him. I shared with him some tidbits from a lunch, when person X claimed person Y hero-worshiped my boss, but it was stated in a negative way rather than as a compliment. So apparently, someone is imagining a conversation and sharing it with others. My boss was kind enough to note that I am a marked woman, which makes me think of my animals. Apparently, my name was bandied about in several meetings and discussions, which I will interpret as a good thing.

I am grateful that I did not provide much fodder during the week. Though I showed my ass a few times (damn short skirts and high stools, plus setting up the display) and I could have entered a wet-dress or drowned rat contest (damn torrential downpour while loading the van), I thankfully was not wandering around topless while in full view of the atrium area. Though the rumor mill may tell a different tale soon enough.

Dangers of Letting Us Out

Ladies of the GC

Dawne, Delia, and I are a dangerous group of ladies but especially when we're allowed to take a road trip and room together in Birmingham, Alabama for a genealogy conference. There was a lot of food, conversations, laughing, and work at this event. We had numerous food moments on the road trip alone, such as the wish for a Long John Silvers followed by a parting of the clouds revealing a LJS at the next exit, our ice cream stop, candy bar runs, and our KFC experience. We visited KFC in Kentucky, where the floors, chairs, and tables were covered in grease, we fought the flies for our food, and a young man in neon green socks thought it was easier to hop around with his knees locked in place rather than pulling his pants up. At the conference, many activities took place around food, including a required rib dinner at Dreamland BBQ with Kris, dinner at a Thai restaurant with Dawne's group, crawfish, shrimp grits, lobster macaroni, every food category at Casey's Sports Bar, Delia's never ending patience with my morning coffee ritual, a cheesecake run, and gallons of sweet tea.

The service at the hotel was mixed and created much drama for a number of people including us. I was forced to use my "you're a fucking idiot" voice while keeping my calm when speaking to the front staff when we found ourselves locked out because the hotel checked us out on Friday though we had a reservation through Sunday. My frustration was exacerbated when our room was not serviced for a full day. A slow build-up led to the grand finale. After two conversations with the front desk and one with the valet, I was positive we knew the parking rules until the parking garage refused to allow us to exit the premises without paying though we had already paid the parking fee for the week. I had a stern conversation with the front staff, who refused to refund me, but two managers later, they finally refunded the parking fee. Unfortunately, we had this same conversation again the next morning when I checked out. At the same time we were having bad service, we also had amazing service. We ate a meal a day at the hotel restaurant, Casey's, and received fabulous service every time. The valets and bellmen were phenomenal with unpacking our van and keeping track which three rooms all of the ACPL packages were assigned. And our shuttle driver, Eddie, deserves a customer service award for driving us twenty minutes out of the way and picking us up from the Cheesecake Factory.

Many great conversations were held over the conference week as well. Of course there were the badly behaved comments: "that's what she said" or he said jokes, "the device" jokes, geese pooping colored cubes, and "heavy, slippery, and my side was wet" (a description of the coffee splattered banner). Among all of this craziness, we attended sessions, met new researchers, and worked the Fort Wayne booth. Delia found time to be interviewed by the Birmingham News, while Dawne was the spokesperson for the FGS 2013 Conference. Several moments will remain fresh in my mind, such as Lou's hug and comment about being proud, Sharon's remark about the board, George's excitement at my UDC acceptance, Dawne's campaign, Amy's annual opening session commentary, and my roommates continuous kindness and friendship. The perfect ending to the week was Mich's visit; fab food; watching the Alabama vs. Michigan game with Kris, who is a huge Michigan fan; Mich's cousin, Alyssa, taking us to a local bar; and spotting the SEC headquarters.

Reactionary Gifts

As you can imagine, mom received many gifts at her retirement dinner. You could tell many people were aware of her coffee obsession since she received a number of Starbucks gift cards. Other gifts included a tea set, a picture frame signed by those attending the dinner, and several gag gifts. My contributions got some big reactions as well. Of course there was my visit and a lovely bouquet of roses, but these gifts didn't receive the same reaction as the other two presents, which I personally thought were minor things.

I gave my mother a copy of my United Daughters of the Confederacy application, including the Civil War service file on her ancestor. I went over the documents, explaining each one, including the letter from Jefferson Davis discussing the character of her ancestor, and an approval and receipt acknowledgement of documents by Robert E. Lee. She was so ecstatic over Lee's signature, which was one among many on the document. Every time someone came to the house, she would show them the papers and have me explain her ancestor's story. I'm sure by the fifth recitation my father was tired of hearing about this gentleman, but mom was so happy.

The other package I presented to her was my manuscript. She regaled everyone at dinner about my dream of being a published writer. It got a bit awkward when people began to ask about my story. I'm sure my mom's former colleagues, who still think of me as ten years old, would love to hear about my highly erotic paranormal. Mom called the other night because she is on her second reading of the story. She loves it and requested the first autograph copy. Her only complaint was my transitions were so intense, she could never find a good time to take a break from reading it.

Who knew the extra weight from the reams of paper in my carry-on bag would be so worth it? You never know what gifts will be cherished more by the individual.

Speaking in Cali

I debated how to begin sharing my California adventures; should I start with the conference or my vacation? Since the purpose of my trip was to speak at Jamboree, I guess that is where the story will begin. Remember my fear at the idea of standing in a room filled with conference attendees, especially those who I respect and have long listened to in rapt attention. Well that fear disappeared when I entered the room for my first session and saw my boss, my mentor, and two of my reps chatting in the room. As I approached the podium, a calm settled over me and I felt self-confident. Even when things went wrong with cords not being properly arranged or confusion over the multiple microphones hooked to my outfit, I stepped back and let the techs handle the situation with limited ruffled feathers. My first lecture was video recorded and is available on DVD while the other three sessions were audio recorded. Shockingly enough, this didn't disturb me as much as I expected and my voice never once quavered. I had reviewed my lectures numerous times, so I was ready. And yes, I lost my place a few times, but it was never truly noticeable except maybe to those who know me well.

My most interesting session was held in the pavilion, with a room capacity of 220, two projection screens, a stage, and some very hot lights. I was quite uncomfortable. The air conditioning blew out from the stage area towards the audience making it difficult for me to hear the sound system and not providing me with any relief from the heat. Between my elevated body temperature which is typical when I speak, the lights, a crowded space, and being in a tent in California, I was unbearably hot.

Though I received many glowing compliments from session attendees, I was also attacked by other egos. One particular person was vocal that they would not attend my sessions since that person was the subject expert and the person couldn't understand why I was asked to speak. And then there was the person I have called my "hater." After my first session, she felt the need to tell me that my lecture was too general and she knew all the resources I discussed so she decided to work during my lecture. She approached me again two days later before the session to ask if it was a beginners class or if she would learn anything since my last lecture was too general. With each of these incidents, I was graceful and polite. I gave professional responses which the people did not deserve though you know the response that was playing in my mind. I truly can't understand people who behave this way because I am completely accepting of suggestions or constructive criticism, but I despise insults or questioning of my professionalism.

Jamboree is a proud moment in my career and though I missed having my gals there, it was intriguing to be supported by my boss at a non-work function. We were at this event as equals, which altered our typical dynamic. We socialized and supported each other as colleagues rather than as manager/ subordinate. Overall, Jamboree was an interesting experience and I'm glad I was asked to present. I needed the reassurance in my abilities and the connection with my peers that this conference provided.

Mad Mad World

The next few weeks are utter mayhem for me and hubby. I leave this week for California, where I will present three lectures and sit as a panelist for another session. Since I am officially on vacation, I have opted out of attending conference events and plan to only attend lectures and the exhibit hall before the panel session. Though I have a business dinner scheduled at 6:30 pm the evening I arrive, when my plane touches down at 6:15 pm. Supposedly, if my dinner partners order appetizers, the airport is small enough and close enough for me to make it to dinner. I've agreed to this, figuring after 12 hours of traveling, I'll want a real meal. I plan to play tourist during my free time at the conference, though my return home is chaotic. I have two lectures on my final day and will check out sometime in between, then make my way to the airport for the 12 hours of travel back to Indiana. The crazy 12 hours from my home to the conference is the result of a three-leg jaunt both ways.Once home, it's back to the housing grind as we'll be in the final week, with walk-throughs, closing, and acquiring the keys has been scheduled.

At the same time, it has suddenly hit me that my mom is mortal. Though she is doing better on the meds, she has far less energy due to a weaker heart and a dramatically increased chance of having a stroke. I am struggling with my fears and concerns over this situation. While the tests and procedures were being completed, I was able to cope because we were in the action phase and my job was to keep her on track. Now, we're in the coping phase, when the family has to adapt to the changes in her life. For me, this is the time I realize that I could lose my mom at any moment or she can adapt and live a long life, yet nothing is set in stone. I have never truly thought about life without my mother and now that I have, it is soul-wrenching. So I spend everyday grateful for every phone call with her, yet an underlying fear, which I hope will disappear in the coming months as she improves.

With all this mayhem comes loads and loads of stress. A few weeks ago, I had a bad episode, where my body shut down and my mental faculties were almost non-existent. I was frustrated by this episode because I desperately try to maintain my regiment, but no one can be prepared for the damage caused by stress. I read a lot of material about my condition and recently one article had some interesting insight into these episodes as I can never fully explain them. The article claimed that our episodes are the mental and physical equivalent to an average person not resting, napping, or sleeping for more than 40 hours. I found this an apt description because I suffer from full exhaustion, shakiness, and the inability to think straight, much less recall things or fully function, when I am in one of these episodes.

I am trying to focus on one day at a time within my world; on finding a balance in which I can rest and relax; and seeking comfort and help from friends because let's be honest, my world is always crazy even on a slow week.

Three Ladies, One Bathroom

Three ladies, one bathroom ... it sounds like the beginning of a joke, but alas, it is a good description of last week. I had the joy the rooming with Paula and Karen while attending the NGS Conference in Cincinnati, OH. We actually managed the morning routine pretty well. Each morning, one of us would leave at an ungodly hour, while the other two rotated using the restroom and the closet mirrors. Everything had its place and we managed to have a good system.

Honestly, this conference was a lot of work for me. Not to say I don't normally work when attending conferences, but usually, I attend sessions to learn about topics that interest me personally or professionally, I network in a way that is comfortable for me, and I leave most of the heavy lifting to others. This conference, I was networking out of my scope, attending lectures that were out of my level of expertise, and pounding the pavement from first thing in the morning into the evening conversing with people about what we have to offer.

And of course the memorable moments:
Food - Skyline Chili cheese dog, Graeter's ice cream cone, the fried apple pie I split with Tina, and the not-a-good-meal, but the classic story of the $178 check from the Brazilian restaurant. This check was for three meals, a slice of cake, and several refills of Coke products. Crazy!

WDYTYA - We ran into Jean on the street as she rushed to her hotel, stating she needed to watch WDYTYA. Imagine our surprise, when we turned on the t.v. and saw Jean showing the actor his family records. Before a commercial break, they showed some Lithuanian records, so I explained to Paula about Lithuanian coal miners migrating to Pennsylvania. When the show returned from break, they had a historian give the same details I had just explained to Paula. Awesome!

Dueling Piano Bar - Though this one was not as bad as Run Runners in the Fort, it was one of the lower-end piano bars. What was with all the country requests? Either way, I had a blast! Kris and I discussed our numerous concert experiences and bands. I had the opportunity to show off hubby's vast music collection while Kris shared his plans to educate his daughters on classic rock music. 

Next up is SoCal in California!

Balance

In the past six months my life has become very focused and driven towards one goal though many options remain available. I have chosen to ignore everything except my research, which has led to me being out of balance. I love socializing with my friends, knitting, and writing, yet these aspects of my life are limited or non-existent at this time. I have been very focused on my career lately and with that in mind, my research projects have consumed my minimal free time. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying my research and find it fascinating. But I feel compelled to work on it because with each reveal, I discover a new example I can use in a lecture or someday write about the discovery process.

Every evening and weekend, I promise myself that I will spend a bit of time on my writing or just relax and watch t.v. for the night, but it never happens. I'm still coordinating the writing group, but have not even touched my own writing in months. I had written down a goal of two hours of writing during my three day weekend. It never came to fruition though I did find several documents that will help my UDC application instead.

I have been desperately seeking a balance in my life so I can enjoy all my interests, but can't seem to shake this compulsion. This weekend was filled with several shocks and I rolled with the punches until last night. Suddenly, all the emotions I had been tamping down, emotions that I vent in my writing, came to the surface because they've had no outlet. Maybe this will be my motivator to balance things out, to learn how to juggle all the interests rather than giving myself over to one. Hopefully, I'll find my muse again and discover myself along the way because there is more than one aspiration for my life.

Panicky Moment

Hubby and I were discussing my speaking engagement calendar, in which I had stated at the end of last year that 2012 would be a slow year. Of course, that was before I agreed to be on the FGS 2013 Programming Committee along with providing these sessions in the next six months. Just to give you an idea of what my schedule looks like:

• 2/10   ACPL Staff Day presenting "Ancestry.com - Your Online Genealogy Resource"
• 3/21   Moderating for the DAR March Madness discussion "It Was Everyone's War"  
• 3/22   at March Madness, "Shadowed Roots: Antebellum Era Records for African-American Research" 
• 4/28   at the  IGS Conference, "Becoming Expert at Using Ancestry"
• 6/8-6/10 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California
• "Think Like a Genalogy Librarian"
• "Before Crossing the Ocean: American Records of Our Immigrant Ancestors"
• "Shadowed Roots: Antebellum Era Records for African-American Research"
• 6/23   ACPL presenting "How to Use the Genealogy Center: Basics"
• July ? Organizing Your Genealogy Week, "Digital Organization: The No Paper Approach to Genealogy"
• 7/28   ACPL presenting, "Ancestry: The Beginner’s Way to Search"

Plus I'm trying to write up my classes for the 2013 Volusia/ Flagler Genealogical Seminar in Florida, where I'm the headline presenter.


I was trying to explain to hubby why this was becoming a bit overwhelming. I speak for the love of it. I love being in front of a crowd, sharing a topic, and instructing them on something new. It is truly enjoyable for me. I've taken on more speaking engagements because I enjoy it, but also to keep my organization in the forefront of people's minds. I plan to be at my current employer for a while, hence would like to have a collection to represent in the coming years, so I'm willing to go out and be a face for our organization. I am not a glory hound or ego maniac. I don't present for personal glory, but for other reasons.

That being said, I got a bit panicky this weekend. I told hubby about how I've gotten used to the fact that when I attended my first national conference almost a decade ago, I was in awe of Curt, who has since become my boss, and Tony, who I've shared drinks with and have spoken opposite of at local events. But it really hit me this weekend that I was in competition with the same speakers I saw a decade ago for some of the recent engagements I've accepted. So the panic set in. Am I to the level of these people I once sat in awe of or these people who have written books that I deem the required reference material for any genealogist? Am I giving people their money's worth? It was a pretty terrifying thought.

I know my gals are reading this, shaking their heads, thinking of the many times I have lectured them on their knowledge and speaking ability. You needn't worry. I gave myself the same lecture and am ready to take it all on, but the next time I have one of these attacks, remind me of my worth! Because I am ready! Though I have to admit a sense of amazement at the opportunities before me.

Age is a Mental Number

Warning: This is a rambling post.

Hubby routinely jokes that I am middle-aged, which is rather interesting since he is my older yet younger looking husband. This year, he crossed into the forty age bracket and it has played a lot with his mind. Though he won't admit it, I believe part of the mental issue for him involves his mom's early death. And now hubby's response to many things is I'm too old for that, so this New Year's for the first time since moving to Indiana, hubby and I stayed in. We used to stay home when we were younger, but it had become a routine to go somewhere since moving.

Since being diagnosed as a narcoleptic, I've been trying to find the right balance in my life and believe I have discovered it thanks to my meds and new sleep pattern. The dilemma is the new sleep pattern requires I go to bed pretty early compared to my previous late night excursions. No more bar hopping for me, unless it is planned in advance with recovery time. And this past week, my boss was discussing our health insurance issue when he mentioned good blood and bad blood involving health. I was not in the good blood category. Then a comment was made about the body falling apart once you reach 35-37 years old, which another colleague had made a similar comment a few months back. I have to admit, I did not like this discussion.

Plus I've been hard core at organizing my genealogy records and have recently gone through death certificates. Though hubby believes he is encroaching his end times, I look at these records and think, I have plenty of time. Though both sides of my mom's family have heart disease and yes, those death certificates confirm it, and my own health issues; I am positive my genes are from my dad's side. My great grandfather died roughly six weeks shy of his 101st birthday, while one of my ancestors was 95 on an 1850 census. 95 in 1850 requires some good genes considering the man fought in the Revolution.

So this morning, I was driving in, listening to Godsmack, which I had cranked up and was singing along at the top of my lungs. This reminded me of the time I saw them perform at Guavaween (think Mardis Gras, but in one night), mosh pit and all. And the realization hit, I am not that girl anymore. Mich had recently informed my twelve year old niece who scoffed at the idea of me dancing that I could still drop down to the ground when dancing at a club. This made me think, though my body physically is capable, when is it inappropriate age-wise to dance like that?

I have my bucket list of things I plan to accomplish, so don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm old, but I think I may be too old for certain behaviors. And so what that I have to go to bed early and it curtails some of my extracurricular activities. The same would happen if I had kids. So it's all a mind game, one I will beat.

Dear Moms of the World

Dear Moms of the World!

Please do not start divvying up your personal items with your adult children when they visit. This can be quite startling and upsetting for your children. Please do not pull out serving dishes from our childhood, holiday candles and displays, the family nativity set, family glassware, childhood bells, or your milk glass collection and say, take what you want. It is more upsetting when you grab a plastic tub and start wrapping up the items to send them and your child on their way.

First off, the adult child fears something is wrong with you, that maybe you received a horrible medical diagnosis. Second, those childhood memories are supposed to remain in your home until well ... it is no longer your home. If you were moving into a smaller house or retirement condo, it would be more understandable, but not when you are remaining in our childhood home. Third, it can be very emotional to recall how much these items mean to you and we question why you are parting with them. Fourth, if your adult child does not have children, the need to share the wonderful memories of these items can remind them that they may not have anyone to pass this heritage on to.

So please do not give away any more of your items. It will help your child's heart.

Sincerely,
A Child of the World

P.S. At the end of our trip to Florida, my mother did this to me. I was in hysterics going through her things. I did claim some amazing items like the set of blue sherbert glasses that my mom's cousin made. Mom pulled them down, telling me about him making the glass and she mentioned Aunt Minnie. Well, I recalled driving one winter in the snow to visit Aunt Minnie Beatrice, who had been my mother's sole remaining extended family member. I also started discussing things I had discovered about Aunt Minnie in my genealogy, which made mom realize, I wanted the glasses. Now that I know the history of the glasses, I feel bad that I broke one of them playing as a child, but they made wonderful music at the time. The image is of the milk glass I accepted. I can remember the numerous times we stopped at glass shops in the Appalachians so mom could watch people make glass or so she could purchase more for her collection.

Backwards and Forwards

This week has been a wild ride for me. I honestly questioned my ability to present six lectures at three different conferences on three varied subject areas all within one week, but I survived and based on comments I’ve received, I did an outstanding job each time. The week began with the Military Seminar. I should have recalled that when coordinating an event, you should decline to offer any of the programs because you’ll only exhaust yourself. Several people were not pleased to discover that I was the representative for the center rather than my manager, but those same people approached me after my pension presentation to tell me how impressed they were with my lecture. One even tried to offer a compliment in saying they could understand why my boss allowed me to speak at this event. Okay, I thought, considering I was the one responsible for the entire seminar.

A few days later, I co-presented a two hour lecture at the Indiana Library Federation Conference along with my amazing colleague, Dawne. I managed to shock her when mid-lecture I used the example of ?ucker for a search. In my defense, I definitely kept the attendees on their toes. Dawne and I attended Delia’s session as backups to help with any perilous questions. Delia had the group chuckling at several of her death quips. The only backup she needed was a mention of the Daitch Mokotoff Soundex, which I just personally like saying. At the end of the week, there was the all day conference in Indianapolis. It was my first experience as the main speaker at an event. Four lectures on varying immigration topics and a very pleased audience. This was my forward momentum, another example of the changes in my career.

A few weeks ago, I received messages from several of my former employees, who were distressed about decisions involving my old collection. I was devastated to hear about the changes, yet felt it was another reminder that accepting my current job was a smart decision. The night before I spoke in Indy, the last true genealogy librarian left from my time and experience at my old library, sent me a message that she was being transferred and her position dissolved. I was a bit shell-shocked by this. It was the final death nail in my legacy. No specialized librarians in that collection; no one that the societies respect; no one with even basic knowledge of genealogy research; no one to offer original classes, only to read the notes and powerpoints I created almost seven years ago; no one who understands the book ordering; no one who cares for the history of that collection. It truly breaks my heart, but it also was a sign that I have to continue in my forward motion.

FGS Conference 2011

FGS was great this year with lots of interesting presentations and enjoyable activities, but I'm sure you'd like to hear about the funnier events of the past week. Let's begin with the never ending drive. I-69 was backed up, IN-5 had construction along with every other highway we took, all leading to a longer drive to Springfield, in which we arrived an hour late, but we did discover Fickle, IN. Who else can say the same? Later that evening we took the very long route to dinner while Curt tried to navigate from memory, so two memorable car rides in one day. I saw many friends and acquaintances throughout the conference and shared some funny moments, like Tony B regaling Steve and I with his recent adventures. We were in stitches for hours. Or my adventure to Coldstone with Amy, where the server offered up regular size conconctions as test subjects before we ever ordered our desert. And I was rather annoyed to receive this bill for my drink one night. Do you see what might have annoyed me here? And I was impressed that Steve and Kris still have stomach linings following their experience with the horseshoe, which is the equivalent of a heart attack on a plate. And finally I have to thank my social coordinator, Dawne, who arranged several of my social activities directly and indirectly. Looking forward to next year's conference.

Was A Success!

We had an estimated 900 genealogists at Ancestry Day on Saturday, which deems the day a success. I can't say enough good things about the people I worked with on making this day such a wonderful experience. More than 300 people attended the reception on Friday night. Then our wonderful volunteers were up bright and early, arriving before 6:30 am, to prepare for the day of the event. Between supervising the volunteers, fielding questions about the day, playing reference librarian at the registration table, being a photographer, finalizing the librarian lunch, and at the end of the day, participating in the Ask the Experts panel (image), it was a busy day. Honestly, my brain has yet to process everything that happened, but I can say it was a wonderful success.

Now on a more personal note, I had some "me" moments. No offense to genealogists in the field, but my customer base in Florida consisted of some of the top in the field, so it takes a lot to impress me when meeting another genealogist. So when I was introduced to Lou Szucs at the reception, I was the consumate professional, yet had the fangirl feeling going on under the facade. What was even better was she commented on the wonderful things she'd been hearing about me, in which my boss responded that the comments were all true. It's always nice to hear that you're appreciated and doing a good job. Then later, Kim commented to me that George and Drew would be proud if they could see me, which of course, caused me to tear up. It's always nice to hear that your mentors would be proud of your accomplishments. And after the Experts panel, one of the Ancestry panelists thanked me for saving them on some of the questions, which reinforced the fact I held my own on a panel of experts, who I respect.

There you have it! My first co-coordinating of a large one-track conference.

An Amazing Ten Years

June 11, 2001 is an important date in my life. It was my first day as a part time librarian in the HCPLC's History and Genealogy Department. I had been in library school for a month and hadn't a clue of what I was doing. My job interview consisted of me honestly answering that I didn't know how to access the catalog or what databases were available or what genealogy was, but I was more than willing to learn if someone was willing to teach me. For some crazy reason, Lisa W. thought she could teach me and decided to hire me. Lisa was my first of many mentors over the years. She gave me my start and had faith in my abilities over the years.

Other genealogists and librarians touched my life and affected my career. Too many to be named in this post, but some of them appear in this pic of Elvia's last day in the department. Drew S. took the time to mentor me while I was in school when I wanted to be an academic librarian. After a fateful meeting at ALA, where librarian's were discussing the new HeritageQuest Online product and I met Curt W., who would eventually become my boss, I returned to school asking Drew to guide me into becoming a genealogy librarian. Through the years, I questioned his advice, such as the time he recommended I take a position as a general reference librarian instead of as a genealogy librarian when I graduated. He thought it would make me more marketable and he was right. Over the years, he had faith in me and offered me my first outside speaking engagement, talking to paraprofessionals about genealogy, and even recommended me to replace him in the University's MLIS program instructing possible future genealogy professionals.

Andrew B. would be the next person to have a major impact on my career. He recognized my leadership skills and thought I should replace Lisa as head of the History and Genealogy Collection, where I had begun my career. With his guiding hand in becoming a library supervisor, I started the next portion of my career. Even when I told him, I was ready for a change and needed to move on, he supported my decisions and still guides me when I face career challenges. When I left HCPLC and began my new experience, the group pictured in this photo were my employees (Cheryl was part of our group but not my employee).

The man I met at ALA eons ago, Curt W., would entice me during a phone interview concerning his views on genealogy instruction and its future. After our conversation, I knew where I belonged. I moved away from everything I knew to work in one of the premiere genealogical research facilities in the country, coordinating programs and seminars, and offering my expertise to others, while working with some of the most knowledgeable and wonderful group of people I've ever met. It has been a long and winding journey over the past ten years and I would never have made it this far, without my mentors. As I said there are those who I haven't mentioned, including the multiple researchers and society members, who made up my customer base over the years, but those I referenced have had the largest impact. Without their influence, I wouldn't be where I am today and I thank them for everything.

NGS Conference

I have returned from the NGS Conference in Raleigh, NC. It was very informative, educational, and a great networking opportunity. I got to spend time with old friends and make some new ones. Lots of food, southern accents, and genealogy lumped into one week.

There were a few humorous moments of course cause...well...I'm traveling. Dawne, hot drink, and an escalator is a bad idea; Sue needs help with hung, I mean hanged; Rev. MacDonald buying a round; yes, it's a family room; beware who's on your floor; "womanizers" don't mix well; drool; what were they thinking prom dresses; Kim telling Sue to behave; the "talker"; many meaningful looks exchanged; yes, the world really is that small.

I have to say Dawne was a great roommate! We had a lot of fun together! One problem, I only took 2 pictures the whole conference, so I need to steal some of Dawne's.

Filming Fears

I'm a little nervous this week. My friend Erik is helping me with an experiment. He will film my class I'm teaching this week. I should be comfortable with this, but I'm not. I can get in front of a class and lecture without much concern. I actually thrive on it. But the moment a camera is around, I get very nervous. I can't explain it.

It makes no sense. I was one of those kids whose parents carried around one of the big camcorders in the 80's. Major portions of my life are forever immortalized on home videos, including some horrific choral concerts and dance routines. My dad has since started converting these to DVD. Thanks Dad!

So I should be comfortable in front of a camera. Yet when we filmed the Military Symposium PSA, I fumbled my way in front of the camera. At one point Kay stopped filming to ask if I knew my lines, which I then recited easily. Once the camera was on though, I once again became nervous.

So of course, I am quite hesitant about actually being filmed this week. Wish me luck!

Family History Month

Come one, come all! October 1st begins Family History Month! And we have plenty of activities planned. A genealogy class every day. This weekend,10/4 we have speakers from the Ulster Plantation in Ireland giving a full-day seminar. ACGSI is offering the Beginning Genealogy course on 10/11. Another two-day mini-course, Beyond Basics is on 10/24-25. Of course, we end all the festivities with our Annual midnight Madness, which falls on Halloween this year. Come and learn about your ancestors.

Military Symposium

Our Military Symposium has begun! The first day went better than we expected. We've already heard glowing reviews of our speaker, Marie. Everyone enjoyed the dinner and lecture. I'm very pleased at the success of this program.

The Military Symposium would not have been a success if it wasn't for the hard work of my fellow programming gurus. Delia balanced out all my ideas and was a wonder at coordinating the food, speaker, sessions, consultations, and volunteers. Kay created our design for all of our material, including our cake. She also monitored the registration. On the day of the program, a symmetry had formed between the three of us that we easily handled all the last minute details that arose. Overall I think everything flowed well and the program was a success and a stepping stone to further ideas.

Now we have Family History Month starting next week and our Ulster Irish Workshop next weekend. All of them have the markings of being good programs.