Getting Ready (Drumroll!) for Salt Lake City

In one month and one week, I will leave to join YGGG #2 in the panhandle of Nebraska. We will decorate graves (many graves) paying pre-Memorial Day homage to our ancestors and loved ones. Once done we will pack and repack Lil' Red and drive to Cheyenne, WY. Staying there with my nephew (YGGG #2's son), we will spend a few days of research in the archives and library before packing and repacking for the trip on to Salt Lake City.

Already I have my luggage set out in the extra bedroom. I have started purchasing my stash of breakfast and lunch items that I will prepare in our room. We normally eat out once a day. That allows us to take a quick break from the books an film at noon by returning to our room at at the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel. What a great place to stay and be only steps away from the library!

I keeping reminding YGGG #2 to consolidate her luggage. After all, Lil' Red is only so big, actually not very big, but bigger than a Smart Car. It is definitely not a grab and go trip, so we need to do some planning. We can wash clothes at the Plaza, but even so we do need clothes, cosmetics, our medicines and most definitely, for me ... shoes.

Why are we going? Silly question ... GENEALOGY. We are also working on our research notebooks and studying family lineages. YGGG #2 calls or e-mails and we begin looking up more things on the Family History Library Catalog. Then we print out call number and microfilm numbers, description of the item, adding notes as to what we need to check. My notebook is bursting, so bad that I had to purchase a 3 inch one. I hope by the time I leave in May, I won't need to invest in a 4 inch notebook. Do I really plan on looking at all that film and all those books? I'll certainly try!

To make our research easier, we are taking many accessories. For me it's the laptop, 1.5 lb. CanoScan LiDE200 scanner, my travel external hard drive, plus my Skooba case for all the cords and extensions, my camera, cell phone and iPod Touch. Will somebody PA...LEASE invent something that doesn't need umpteen cords to run? I am sure loading and unloading all of my "stuff" plus all of YGGG #2's "stuff" will make us think twice about how easy it is, particularly on our backs, arms and legs.

For the past few months while recuperating from knee surgery, I have been designing and making iPod Touch pouches and sling pouches. So that I never appear out of sync with my wardrobe, I have about 30 of the iPod Touch pouches and three sling pouches made. I have three more sling pouches to make before I leave in May. They have pockets for the iPod Touch, cell phone, room key card, library photocopy card, money and anything else that will squeeze in. On the sides of the sling pouch are metal loops to hook my flash drive and key to the lock for the laptop.

Have I forgotten anything? Better start the list. Oh yes, I'll need the gel pack and bed buddy for aching bones, aka new knee. I refuse to rent a U-Haul for this trip, so YGGG #2 better start making her list and learning how to consolidate. Shove and push, it should all go into one suitcase. She will reply ... "Dream on." When we leave for Salt Lake City, guess who wins the prize for the most items. It's not going to be YGGG #1.

Oops, we better not forget the jelly beans!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

Dear You Go Girl #1:
Well, I get to carry the printer which is for us both-that is another big case(1/2 yours)! I am the old fashioned type who still has to use some paper files so that is a couple more notebooks. A reminder, I don't carry shoes and a purse for every outfit. As "Go Hubby" would say--If you need it, Mom (YGGG #2, me) will have it! "Enuf said"! P.S. If you would ride with me in the big silver beast (Excursion) just once, we could even take the kitchen sink with space to spare and if we get thrown out of the Plaza Hotel for being too rowdy, we would still have a place to sleep. He He.........!!!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2 --Cheri