Gratitude ... Just Gratitude.

Hugs and hugs and more hugs. We are on our way home from the Southern California Genealogical Society Conference and I am so sad to see it go. From the minute we walked in to the conference, I felt as if I had come home. These were my people. These are the people I love and care about because they are as passionate about family history as I am, and because they are good, good people. As we work with people more virtually, it becomes even more satisfying when you actually get to see those people in person. And it is so satisfying to work with people I respect so much, people like Randy Seaver, Lous Szucs, footnoteMaven, George Morgan, Drew Smith, Denise Levnick, Dick Eastman, Thomas McEntee, Amy Coffin, Warren Bittner, Kory Meyerink, Crista Cowan, Joan Miller, Kathryn Doyle, Lisa Alzo and so very many others. I learn so much from each of them and it was so good to have time to talk to them. These, my people--genealogists, are the best people in the world. There was an attendee who lost her iPad at this conference. She had come around several times looking for it and I assured her that someone would turn it in. Of course someeone did. That's just the crowd we run in. Thank you for how rich and wonderful you make my life. And for all the great hugs.

I also have more big time grattitude because the new name, Family ChartMasters, was very well received. Dozens of times at this conference we heard "I really like your new name" or "Yeah, we've seen you before." That is music to the ears of someone who has just changed their company's identity. We have known we needed to do it for a long, long time but knew it would be a painful process. While it has been alot of work, it hasn't been as nearly as painful as we thought, and it looks like everyone still knows where to get the same great service and the same great charts. Thank you all for that.

And speaking of the same great service, I am so, so grateful for Erin Roudabush who is holding down the fort at home. We've had the best year ever so far this year, and it has been very busy keeping everything straight. I am so thankful for how readily Erin has stepped up to the plate on so many levels. We are so blessed to have someone who understands our company so well, who knows how to run it better than we do, and who cares so deeply about what we are doing. Erin is an incredibly intelligent woman, a great example to me, and I am so honored to call her my friend and occasional therapist.

Friday night, I left the party to go up to my room and teleconference in to our Utah Genealogical Association board meeting--live from downtown Burbank. I really love these, my people as well and I'm so proud of what we are doing. Christy Fillerup, Sue Maxwell, Bud Wood, Barry Ewell, Patsy Hendrickson, Jason Harrison, Suzanne Curley, Kathy Palmer,Kevin Wolford, Dan Lawyer, and Adele Marcum. Wilma Adkins, Colette Ewell, A.C. Ivory, Gena Ortega, Julia Corry, Bret Peterson, Kris Whittaker, Gordon Lewis, Valerie Elkins. It is such an honor to work with all of you and I am so proud of what we are doing. I went to a session presented at SCGS about bringing your society into the 21st century, and every idea presented there we already have nailed down. We are doing some great things with UGA and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

And as always it is so good to see the other vendors that have become our family and catch up with them and how their families are doing. The vendors hall is the best place to hang out. Marlo and DeAnna Schuldt, Geoff Rassmussen and Dave Berdan, Leland Meitzler, Maureen Taylor, Paul Larsen, Lisa Louise Cooke, Allison Stacey, Daniel Horowitz and everyone else. I care deeply about these people and how their companies are doing. It is my privilege to call them friends and to recommend their products. And the best part of any conference is decompressing at dinner afterward, talking about how the day went and where the industry is. I am so grateful for the friends and mentors we have in Mike Booth and Bruce Buzbee and their families.

As the conference wound down, I found myself saying that I wish we could do it for several more days, but I don't know that I could do it. We headed out quickly because we need to get back to everything that needs to ship out Monday and to my beautiful, actual family. I am so thankful to have so much to go back to. Thank you for knowing where you can get the best help with printing your genealogy charts. And congratulations to Paula Hinkle, Leo Meyers and their team for another great conference.