Countdown to Mesa, AZ Expo, 22-23 Jan 2010, Lisa Louise Cooke

It's hard to believe, but the Mesa, AZ Family History Expo is just over a month away. And there are so many exciting things going on at that event that I know I am not doing them justice with my weekly blog, but hopefully something I write will inspire my readers who plan to attend to enjoy some part of the experience they might have otherwise missed.

Lisa Louise Cooke will be there with her Genealogy Gems Podcast booth. If you have never listened to one of her podcasts, you have missed out on a treat. Not only does she educate her listeners, but she does so in an entertaining way. I was able to attend a seminar in October where Lisa was one of the featured speakers. She spoke about the many ways of using Google and making it one's personal genealogy assistant. I took tons of notes and implemented many of her ideas (and was so proud of myself that I actually already knew about some of the things she suggested). At the Mesa Expo, Lisa will be speaking on this topic and also about Google Earth. Lisa's tips and instructions are easy to follow for the most computer-illiterate, so this is a perfect series of presentations for anyone who has not yet tapped Google for the full resource it is (not only for genealogy, but for all areas of interest).

Lisa's podcast she did with me at an Expo earlier this year (episode 32) is still up on her website (until Dec. 23), if you are interested in hearing us talk about music, rving, and genealogy and how I manage to meld them all together. To hear it takes a subscription to her premium service, but that gives the listener a chance to hear the most valuable of her genealogy gems.

Lisa also has a book of "Genealogy Gems" - tips to help make your genealogy research more effective - available on her website. Plus, she sells a specialty item - an actual genealogy gem: a beautiful pin that declares the wearer to be a "genealogy gem." These and related items can be found in her on-line store.

So, when you come to the Mesa, AZ Family History Expo, be sure to stop by Lisa's booth and check out her items, attend one of her three lectures, and/or attend the blogger banquet on Friday evening to be part of her LIVE broadcast of the event (a first-time experience for all of us)! Tell her I sent you.

"Genealogy Gems" Highlights My Music!

My podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke - Genealogy Gems - has been uploaded to her website, in the Premium subscription format. She incorporates it with some of her amazing gems that help people research their ancestors; "my" part begins at about 13 minutes into the broadcast. She has done a unique incorporation of some of my songs with the discussions about them. I really appreciate the amount of work that had to have gone into that editing project! Little snippets of "Streets of Laredo," "Barbara Allen," "Red is the Rose," "Careless Love," "Tom Dula," and "Little Old Sod Shanty" are included. To listen to this, and the many, many wonderful podcasts that Lisa presents on her websites, check it out at Genealogy Gems.

Countdown to Salt Lake Expo, Programs of Jean Wilcox Hibben

In 4 days the Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah will be alive with genealogists of all levels, learning, sharing, and enjoying the experience of family history. But today, there are still some genealogists who are unaware of this event . . . I've met some, right here in Salt Lake City, who had no idea this experience was about to occur! We need to get the word out . . . it would be terrible to learn, at church on August 30th, that one had missed such an opportunity! Click on this logo to get all the latest information:

And I am hoping to run into some of my genealogy friends (new as well as "old") at one or more of the programs I am presenting:

Friday, 28 August, 10:00am: "Yes You Can! Do Genealogy in Spite of a Learning Disability"
Friday, 28 August, 4:30pm: "Genealogy on Wheels: Doing Family History Research in an RV"
Saturday, 29 August, 11:00am: "This is not Your Grandma's Genealogy: Making the Transition from Paper to Electronic Record Keeping"
Saturday, 29 August, 2:30pm: "To Zion in Song: The Westward Migration of the Mormons" (this is a program with lots of music, including sing-alongs, and featuring my husband Butch on saw and spoons . . . I play the boring instruments like guitar, banjo, and mandolin)

Check my link on the Expo website for more information on these programs.

On Saturday morning I'll also be interviewed by Lisa Louise Cooke, of Genealogy Gems podcast, talking about the RVing concept for genealogists. I'll provide that specific YouTube link once I get it!
Of course I'll also be at our "Circlemending: music of our ancestors" booth - #621 (in the corner by the tables and prize drawing area . . . stop by to say "hi") - plus I'll be helping at the "Ask an Expert" area.

There's so much to do and see (and buy) that it would be a shame to miss the opportunity.