On the 27th
I went, by myself (gasp) to the 9th Annual Genealogy Fall Fair by the Fairfax Genealogical Society. The biggest obstacle was overcome successfully...
I did not get lost, turned around, or take the wrong exit off of I-495. For me that was the biggest deal of the
morning; particularly since I left my house at 6:30 am, while it was still
dark. I felt like my husband and I had a
role reversal yesterday morning. I was
the one with the travel mug of caffeinated liquid and the to-go breakfast, he
was the one kissing me good bye in the bath robe.
The doors
opened at 8am and I was one of the first into the room. Perused the book collection
(oh....books...drool) and found a seat close up to the front. The presentation didn't start until 9am so I
had plenty of time to kill. So, I spent
half an hour vendor perusing then sat and looked through all the pamphlets I
picked up. Lots of interesting material,
things I didn’t know, and places I now want to see.
One thing I
have heard, and read, over and over, is that you should sit down and talk to
other people when you attend these events.
Well for this shy wall flower, that is very hard. I know right: me shy?! Well writing words in the privacy of your own
home is much easier than actually having to hold a conversation with
someone. For the first hour I spoke with
no one. I just people watched. Which, is a favorite past time of mine
anyway. It would have been easier if one
of my friends had been able to come with me.
Visiting a museum alone is so much better than a conference. However, by the end of the day I had met and
carried on great conversations with the people sitting at the table with
me. We shared ideas, thoughts, tips, and
a very yummy lunch.
At the first
break I went over to the Fairfax Genealogy Society table and asked some
questions. Guess what…I ran into Dear Myrtle!!!! Love her blog, and it was very cool to meet
her in person. What a wonderful
lady. I did decide to become a member
too. They have a lot to offer, and even
though I won’t be able to make a lot of their meetings, the trips and member
benefits seem worth the $22 dues.
The three
lectures presented by Claire Bettag, CG, FUGA were fantastic.
I learned so much that I didn’t know about land records, the serial set,
and the manuscript collection at the Library of Congress. I need to schedule time in the near future to
make a trip up there. To live so close
to some of the best research facilities in the U.S. and not get there is
criminal. There will be posts in the future,
I am sure, about the discoveries involving these newly found resources.
Happily my helium
hand did not get me in trouble and on my first day as a member I did not
volunteer to do anything. I am a service
oriented person, and it nearly killed me.
However, as I get older, I have found that I get better and better at
managing what is on my plate. That being
said, I am sure the will power to stay as an observer won’t last for too
long. I am just not that strong.
Now… how do I
convince my husband that I NEED to go to the NGS conference? Anyone have a good argument that I can throw
at him on why it is a moral imperative that I attend?
This sounds like a wonderful experience. I once attended a webinar led by DearMYRTLE, and she was very kind. Here's a moral imperative for your hubs: It's his duty to maintain the psychological well-being of his wife. (And you his well-being, reciprocally.) How about that one?
ReplyDeleteYeah, and the fact that it is in Las Vegas just makes it that much better!
ReplyDelete