Summer Genealogy Fest - Genealogical Council of Oregon Conference

My bags are half packed in anticipation of leaving in about three hours to drive to Eugene, Oregon, the location of the 2014 Summer Genealogy Fest sponsored by both the Genealogical Council of Oregon and the Oregon APG group. These bi-annual conferences are a wonderful opportunity for genealogists on the west coast to connect and share in some wonderful learning opportunities.

Turning Sixty - Let's Celebrate

Turning sixty is a monumental event. One reward is the eligibility to receive the senior discount. Yes, some places do start this reward before and a few after, but overall this is the age of getting a price break for enduring to the end. Several of my friends are also achieving this landmark birthdate this year as well. We join together in honoring and sometimes consoling each other on our life's journey.

Sharing Life's Simple Pleasures

Sharing life's simple pleasures entails spending time with family members doing things that build on our memories together. One of my new goals since completing the recipe collections is to spend more time cooking, especially with my grandchildren.

Recipe Boxes and the Stories They Tell - Part II

Today is the one year anniversary of our mother's passing. To honor her, this is a continuation of part one which was posted earlier this week. First is the list of her recipes and then four of her favorite recipes.

Recipe Boxes and the Stories They Tell

In going through my mother's things my latest adventure was delving into her recipe box. The contents surprised me as there are recipes from many of her friends, but the biggest surprise was that she had incorporated her collection into my sister's recipe box from our junior high school days. The collection of my sister is very similar to my collection created as a project with the same teacher from 1966-1968.

Enjoying Summer and the Relaxed Schedule

A week from Saturday is the actual first day of summer. With the longer daylight hours sometimes we might run out of energy before darkness even comes. As the stress of busy schedules becomes more relaxed we may become distracted from our family history work. Writing blog posts about the work being done seems to be more difficult as well.

A Clean House and Many Serendipity Moments

In less than one week from the day we received the keys to our mother's home we have emptied it and it is up for sale. As her personal representative it is satisfying to know that we are fulfilling her desires to have the house sold and begin the process of closing out the probate requirements. All the years of training and education in genealogy research have proven invaluable in navigating a very challenging path.