Are We There Yet?

Imagine trying to get to Greeley, CO on a frontage road. With YGGG #1 it happens. Yes, my granddaughter and I were traveling down I-76 at 75 mph when I saw a Highway 34 exit sign and did just that. After about a mile my granddaughter said, "Granny, you are heading back east again." No, not me!! Finding another point to turn around and go back where I had made my exit, I ended up on a country road at a farm house. It happens!

Finally, I found the road that should have taken me back to I-76 in order to locate Hwy. 34 WEST. Instead I ended up on a frontage road. We traveled the frontage road along side I-76 for miles. The only thing I knew was that I was heading WEST in the same direction as everybody going to Denver.

After a while I began to panic. Pulling into a horse trailer place, I asked directions. Go a bit further. Whew ... at last we were on our way to Greeley. After a quick lunch we headed toward the Embassy Suites where we are attending the Family History Expo. Missing the road we needed to the hotel, we found another road. Yes, we were there!!

Last night we decided to go to the Cracker Barrel to eat. After winding through rotary circles and one way roads, we managed to locate FOOD. Leaving there posed a problem as I took a road that took me back to the Cracker Barrel. If there is a way in, there has to be a way out. Right? Eventually.

Are we really here? I think so! Reminder list ... purchase a GPS!

YGGG #1 Ruby

On the Road Again

On the Road Again is my theme song. While YGGG #2 is home working on the Civil War Conference details, I am off in Lil' Red lecturing at Family History Expos.

A great time was had by all at the Family History Expo in Rapid City, SD on Saturday the 16th. I drove home Sunday in non-stop rain from the Black Hills to south of Alliance where YGGG #2 lives. Once home, tired and wanting to go to bed early, the sirens announced a possible tornado near North Platte. My shelter is my walk in closet. I sat down and read while the sirens roared. Everything was south of town, but eventually the rain began to pour buckets here. It's been raining off and on since. If any of you have kept up with news reports, North Platte's bulging North Platte River does not need rain added to it.

I unpack, do laundry and pack again. Day after tomorrow my granddaughter and I will set out for Loveland, CO to attend the Family History Expo. I will present two classes on Saturday. It is exciting to be with genealogists. I listen to their frustrations and stories and try to offer suggestions. My hope is that they do not procrastinate, but go home and put their new ideas to work.

Once home I can unpack for a longer amount of time until I leave on July 6th for the Civil War Conference in Alliance, NE. I will be presenting three lectures at the two day event on July 8th and 9th. It will be a great learning experience ... conferences allow genealogists to learn and share.

There is still time to register for a Family History Expo. Check out their schedule. You can still register for the Civil War Conference in Alliance, NE. Don't miss out on the fun.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 ... Ruby

Why Learn?

Genealogy is a learning game. You will never know everything you need to know. Basics are important, but as your research progresses, so must your knowledge. This can be geography, history, law and more.

If you don't know legal terms, look them up. There's great places to check on Internet, or you can always refer to Black's Law Dictionary found in many libraries. Don't know the history of states or counties. There's plenty to find on Internet or in books such as the Redbook, American State, County and Town Sources, published by Ancestry. This too can be found in many libraries that have genealogical collections. If you already own it, read it! One of my favorite places for maps is The Newberry Library's Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Do you want to travel, do genealogical research and learn all at the same time? Want to meet genealogists, make new friends and converse with the experts? Plan on attending a Family History Expo in 2010.

I am leaving tomorrow for the Colorado Family History Expo in Loveland, CO. Check this blog often as I will be an Honor Blogger. I'm pleased to report to you about the latest happenings at the Expo. There will be well known speakers and popular vendors, such as Family Insight, Ancestry.com, RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, and Family Roots Publishing. If you are attending the Loveland Expo, be sure to stop by and say hi ... I will share my jelly beans!

YGGG #2 - Cheri is vacationing with Go Hubby. She is reading genealogy files while they camp and also making plans to attend the Family History Expo in Kansas City next month. We are going to be so well educated. We are also making genealogy memories in 2010.

YGGG #1 - Ruby