All I can say and I know it has been said so many times but I had a fantastic time. I know that many people feel that Disneyland is the "happiest place on earth" (sorry Elyse, I know how much you love Disneyland, but for the weekend I think you will agree!) it was the "happiest place on earth" to me. What meant the most to me was meeting the other Geneabloggers. They are an incredible group of people, I feel as if they are more like my family than just fellow Genealogists, they are that too but what warm and giving people, they care about you, all of them. I learned alot, not so much in the way of researching or about an ancestor but more the realization that Genealogists get you, support you and realize how precious our family, friends, life, ancestors and descendants are.They truly get it.
I also learned that I have a long way to go, it's not a bad thing but a good thing, I am very excited to learn something new each and every day and my love and passion for Genealogy grows stronger each day. I am looking forward to retirement one day soon so that I can delve into Genealogy and put meat on the bones of my ancestors and break down Brick Walls! I realized how important it is to get involved in local Family History Centers and Societies.
We arrived late on Friday due to traffic and off site lodging issues, we handled things quite fast and headed over to the Jamboree and we met Elyse, what a sweetheart and an inspiration! Elyse didn't have transportation to and from her Aunt's house and we wanted to help her with that. We were so glad to do it. I didn't want her to have to worry about buses or bikes. It worked out great and I had the wonderful opportunity to get to know her a bit. Thank you for letting us ole folks hang out with you! Your Aunt was so sweet, I really like her. I owe a huge Thank you to my husband Steve, he drove us around and carried stuff and hung in there.Since it was so late in the day Friday I missed meeting many of the Geneabloggers but I checked in and received my Gift Bag that Thomas and Denise had put together for all of us. They did such a fantastic job on the gift bags and I was like a kid at Christmas! The muffins were great and I really enjoyed the chocolate ( I am a chocoholic!) and having the Roots Magic program was a real prize. I am planning on doing that this weekend hopefully and am so excited.
Elyse, myself and Hubby walked over to the Convention Center and while on the way I had the honor of meeting Sheri and Cheryl. Cheryl over at Heritage Happens has a special place in my heart, Cheryl gave me the courage and support to start my own blog! I owe being there and being able to experience the Jamboree to her, thank you Cheryl. We chatted for a few minutes in the Convention Lobby and I then decided to register so that Saturday A.M. I could just walk right in and get to the business of having fun and attending the lectures.
Then a very special moment came for me, I met DearMYRTLE, what an honor!! She is so sweet and wonderful. She is my idol and role model and someone I look up to. I was in awe that I was lucky enough to be chatting with her. She is so down to earth and so warm. DearMYRTLE was one of the first Genealogy Blogs I came across and followed daily. She is one of those that you just want to be in her club! DearMYRTLE makes a huge difference, thank you DearMYRTLE for all that you do.
After meeting DearMYRTLE and registering, Elyse, myself and Hubby left and took Elyse home. We all knew we needed to get a good nights sleep for a full day of fun, lectures and meeting new Geneabloggers, I was so excited I didn't sleep all night!
Got up at 5 am, got ready and headed out to pick up Elyse and be at the Jamboree by 8 am to attend our first lecture: Ancestry.com. It was good, we were the first to preview the new commercials coming out soon. I do like the new ones much more than the old. They are with real people not actors.
The "Son of Bloggers Summit" was the next lecture and it was so much fun. Everyone was there in one place. Meeting Thomas was very special to me, what an honor, I had been looking forward to that. Thomas is my mentor, his knowledge and support and warmth is priceless. He is always there for me and all of us at a moments notice. He continues to encourage and teach me to be a good blogger (I have much work to do!).
The "Son of Bloggers Summit" was the next lecture and it was so much fun. Everyone was there in one place. Meeting Thomas was very special to me, what an honor, I had been looking forward to that. Thomas is my mentor, his knowledge and support and warmth is priceless. He is always there for me and all of us at a moments notice. He continues to encourage and teach me to be a good blogger (I have much work to do!). footnoteMaven, like Elyse, I was speechless, and didn't know what to say! It was truly an honor to meet footnoteMaven. footnoteMaven is another that you just want to be in her club! I adore her and she is so warm and supportive. I still have a smile on my face and have her cute little card on my desk. footnoteMaven's blog was another one of the first genealogy blogs I followed long before having one. I checked it each and everyday and couldn't wait until the next time she would post. She also helped me at the Geneabloggers dinner, I brought a photo album with a photo that I wasn't sure would be "good" posting material, I first showed it to Thomas, he said follow me and took me over to footnoteMaven, she assured me that it was. She advised me in what direction to go in. I will be posting this photo down the road but have a bit of research to do first. It will be an interesting post and she has offered to help me, what a lucky girl I am!!! footnoteMaven is an exceptional lady and I have so much respect for her. Another role model and idol. Thank you footnoteMaven.
Elizabeth has an awesome blog, I love reading her posts! How she captured the Jamboree is priceless! She is incredibly talented and I had the honor of having lunch with her and Amy and getting to know them, they too are some of the first blogs I followed and they both encouraged me to start my own by just reading their posts. Amy's Texas shaped waffle was her trademark to me and I love her blog.
Randy Seaver and his beautiful wife Linda, joined Elyse, Hubby and myself for dinner Friday evening and it was an honor to spend time with them, Randy amazes me and I have learned so much from him. It's pretty cool that we live in the same city, I want to attend some of the meetings at the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe sometime soon. I have much to learn from Randy. Thank you Randy for help you have given me in the past.
Janet Hovorka, Generation Maps, thank you so much for my chart, I know it's supposed to be a working chart but I framed it and hung it on the wall! I am proud to show it off and have family and friends see it. It was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to having charts printed in the future for me.
Lisa Louise Cook, dynamic lady and I so enjoyed meeting her and having dinner with her and her daughter at the Geneablogger dinner. What a great time we all had. The dinner was so much fun, all of us writing our trees out on the table from memory!
Here I am Leslie, I had no idea that the same lady I was first to follow on her blog (proudly!) was sitting so close to me! How I wish we would have met. I am so glad you were there. One day we will meet in person, in the meantime, I am following and enjoying reading your blog!
There were so many there that I didn't get a chance to meet and chat with. Maybe next year. I continue to read your blogs as you post. Craig Manson, Schelly Talalay Dardashti, Katheryn Doyle, Dick Eastman, Stephen Danko, Leland Meitzler, Jean Wilcox Hibben , Paula Hinkle. Susan Kitchens, George Morgan, Drew Smith, Diane Wright, Thomas Kemp, IIIya D'Addezio, I apologize if I have left anyone out.
This was my first ever Genealogy convention, it was a great experience and opportunity to learn and grow in my own family history. Thank you to the Southern California Genealogy Society for putting on such an excellent and well organized Jamboree, count me in for next year!
There are 3 file baskets on the right side of my desk, the black mesh one is hanging files of misc. items, i.e. resources/info etc. Behind that is temporary folders "to be filed" and I have a tray that holds what I am "in the process" of working on. The basket behind the tray is just my bill basket! I have more to do before being pile free and able to find what I need when I want it! 
Then, there is my bookcase 
