Getting Ready for SCGS 2015 Jamboree!

I'll be attending the Southern California Genealogical Society's 2015 Jamboree  this year. It's being held in Burbank, CA. I love going to this national conference because it's "in my own backyard" so to speak. I live about an hour away in Ventura County. No airplane ticket or car rental to hassle with. I'll be attend from Thursday through Sunday.

I’ve barely given the conference much advance thought, but in reality, it's this week! My pre-planning has begun.

This year I signed up for a Digital Scrapbook workshop on Thursday; it's an all day event. I've got the photos, documents, maps and other files I want to include in the scrapbook in a folder on my laptop's desktop.

1. I've downloaded the conference App and started looking through the schedule. I love the Apps the conferences have been implementing. Everything I need is on my Samsung S5 Android phone.
2. I'll print out my personal trip checklist so I don't forget anything I can't live without.
3. I've been going through the syllabus and select the classes I’ll plan to attend. I've also started printing out any handout that have been supplied.
4. I need to go through the list of exhibitors and note the ones I want to make sure I see. I plan on updating my genealogy software to the newest version.
5. Think about the people I want to try to meet.

I look forward to this conference each year and meeting up with friends I haven't seen in a year.

Our 40th Wedding Anniversary!

5 April 2015
Today is our 40th wedding anniversary! We've been blessed to have shared our lives together.

5 April 1975




George Ficarra Sr, Bernice Ramminger Ficarra, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott,
David Wolcott, Frances Kubicsek Wolcott, Charles Wolcott

Copyright 2015, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

FGS/ROOTS TECH CONFERENCE - DAY 3

Saturday, February 14th was the third and final day of the RootsTech and FGS 2015 Conference.

Motivational keynote addresses from entertainer and Utah native Donny Osmond and journalist A.J. Jacobs who is organizing a Global Family Reunion. Jacobs, spoke about his efforts to organize a "Global Family Reunion: based on the idea that all living people are cousins to one another.

He was followed by Donny Osmond, who spoke of his 50-plus year international career in show business that began with his brothers in Ogden. He sang some all time hit songs, paid tribute to his father; said to document the stories of your family. We are products of our ancestors.

The following are the classes I attended on Saturday:
Extra! Extra! Utilizing Newspapers to Locate Obituaries taught by Kris Rzepczynski, MLS, MA. I liked this session, he had a good handout and covered the topic of how to locate print and online indexes for local newspapers, and take advantage of online resources.

Before You Click: Creating Your Online Research Plan taught by D. Joshua Taylor.
I picked up a great tip from his handout, "Keep a research log for every site you search - including subscription websites, search engines, or other resources."

Nifty and Powerful Technologies for Genealogical Analysis and Documentation taught by Ron Arons. He had an excellent handout with links to various website programs. Some I heard of, some I hadn't.

Family Food & Fun: Making a Family Story Cookbook with Recipes taught by Alison Taylor. I missed this the first time it was on the schedule. Luckily, there was an encore session. My sister and I had a similar idea to put all our family recipes in one cookbook with photos and a bio of the cook. This class is just want I needed.

There were many sessions I didn't get to but having the syllabus handouts after the conference will help. The entire conference was a huge success, glad I was able to be apart of it!

Copyright 2015, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

FGS/RootsTech Conference - Day 2

The second day of the FGS 2015 Conference has been fun packed.
The RootsTech keynote speaker at this morning's general session was former first lady Laura Bush. During her speach she emphasized the importance of family. Joining her for a Q & A session was her daughter Jenna Bush Hager. Jenna also talked about the importance of her family, recalling her grandfather, George H.W. Bush, babysitting she and twin sister Barbara the night before his debate speech.

When I registered for FGS I also paid for the RootsTech pass. Today I moved from one end of the building to the other to attend various RootsTech or FGS classes. Well, I got in plenty of exercise. The following are the classes I attended:

Creating a Digital Genealogy Album taught by Barb Groth.

Blogging Your Research, Memories, and Family Stories taught by Laura Hedgecock.
(I later purchased her new book Memories of Me which she signed.)

I popped into the Exhibit Hall and watched one of the 30 minute of Outside the Box Sessions in booth 1140.  Heirloom Roadshow: How to Archive Family Keepsakes taught by Denise Levenick. Ms Levenick has been a past speaker at my Ventura County Genealogical Society (VCGS) monthly meeting.

Using Tax Records for Genealogical Problem Solving taught by Michael Lacopo, DVM.
I liked his lecture. I know the title sounds dry and boring, but Mr. Lacopo kept my interest. I haven't dipped my research toe into tax records yet but I'll be ordering some microfilm when I get home.

I met up with Jen Baldwin at the Find My Past booth. I was able to have a short one-on-one time with her about social media. She told me about tutorials on the FGS Education page. If I had ANY questions I could email her any time. She gave me a snack bar and a small gift for being one of the "early birds" to come to the booth. I also was able to say hello to fellow blogger Randy Seaver and his lovely wife Linda.

A fellow VCGS member and I had a nice dinner together. It was the first time we were able to connect in the past three days. It was great to hear about the classes she attended and I talked about my classes. It's always fun to share with a like-minded friend.

Copyright 2015, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott

FGS/RootsTech Conference - Day 1

Yesterday was the official kick-off of the FGS Conference. The conference 
committee expect well over 22,000 people to attend before the weekend is 
through. I had a full day of traipsing up and down the halls of the Salt Palace 
Convention Center looking for the correct room my session was to be held. 
I've overheard more than once a remark of how many steps a person was 
using. Well over 10,000.

Here's a look at the classes I attended.

Thursday General Session

Took a spin in the Exhibit Hall as soon as it opened.

Organization for the Genealogist taught by Billie Stone Fogarty, M.Ed.

Attended the MyHeritage Sponsored Lunch.

60 Minutes --60 Ideas: Workshop to Jump Start YOUR Personal or Family 
History taught by Tom Taylor.

Problem Solving with Probate taught by Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, 
FASG, FUGA, FNGS

Build and Manage Your Family Tree with My Heritage Mobil App taught by 
Daniel Horowitz

Took another spin through the exhibit hall, talked and asked questions with 
several vendors. By the time I left to go back to my hotel, I was literally 
dragging my bag behind me. So tired and pooped. Can't wait until morning!

Copyright 2015, Gayle Ficarra Wolcott