So it turns out heaven is located in Mesa Arizona

Last weekend I went to the Family History Expo in Mesa Arizona. We always enjoy this conference because it is a great break in January in the warm Arizona sun. But the warmth is not just the weather--it's also in the people. This conference was especially wonderful for me because I got lots of time to talk to our clients there. And I've never had such a warm welcome.

Dave Davenport is one of our all time favorite clients. We lovingly call him our Mesa Marketing Department. He loves the big elaborate charts we do with lots of pictures, like this one:When I mentioned in our e-newsletter that I was coming to Mesa, Dave sent out an email to all of his friends that we had worked with and told them to come see me at the conference. I'm so glad he did. I enjoyed the warmest reception from all the people who stopped by the booth, and who I went to meet Saturday morning. It was kind of funny that I had seen all of their pictures, but they didn't particularly know me. I felt like I knew them even though we had never met. That's the beauty of these picture charts. They pull anyone in and help them understand your family.

Dave also brought me the wonderful binder he had put together with pictures of each of the charts we had done together. It was amazing. 25 beautiful picture charts similar to the one above. I couldn't believe it. I knew we had done alot of beautiful charts with him but I hadn't ever seen all of them in one place. I was so moved to see the charts and to get to meet the people. As I told Erin over the phone, we print the charts, and send them off, and they kind of go out of our memory, but the families who create them get to enjoy them for a long, long time.

Thank you so much to all the clients who stopped by to tell us what a success their charts have been--Dave's friends and others. I had several people tell me about their family reunions, and how the charts we printed for them pulled the family together. One of the most memorable stories was from Gary Foster. He took one of our working charts and created a "torah" type casing for it. He calls it the "Foster Family Torah." He was kind enough to bring me pictures of the spindles he had created on a lathe and the rack he had created to be able to hang and turn it on the wall. He even takes it with him when he talks about family history so he created a cover for it. Isn't that fantastic? This family history is sacred ground for his family so he felt it was appropriate to take good care of it.

Thank you so much to everyone in Mesa for the warm welcome. I went home feeling so appreciated. And I'm rededicated to making sure every family representation we create is something to treasure. We are honored to help you share your family history with the next generation.