Liv's Tree House

RootsTech for Newbies: Packing & Attending the Conference Part 3 of 3 See Part 1 here and Part 2 here . RootsTech is quickly approaching, so let's dig in to the last minute prep as well as the advice I have for newbies while at the conference. PACKING A list of things to consider, followed by a few recommendations as you pack your bags for RootsTech. Weather:  Salt Lake weather during   RootsTech can range from mild winter days in the 50s to sub-freezing daytime high temps, so pack warm clothes and layers. They do keep the conference center at comfortable temperatures so it's just getting to and from the building as well as to and from any other plans you have made that you'll need the extra layers. Activities:  RootsTech will keep you completely busy, but we discussed some other options in the last post . That said, be sure to keep all of these extra-curriculars in mind when packing. Meals:  The Salt Palace has several food options, ...

RootsTech for Newbies: Pre-Conference Prep Part 2 of 3 See part 1 about registration, travel, and stay here . Let's jump right back in.  You've got your RootsTech pass, you've registered for your add-ons and your travel is booked. What next? INSTALL THE ROOTSTECH APP You'll want to visit your app store and download the RootsTech mobile app. The app has everything from the conference schedule, week at a glance info, exhibitors, speakers, class syllabus & slides, maps of the conference and more. You can connect with friends and relatives through the app, schedule out your desired classes, and receive notifications of updates and information throughout the conference. It's got tons of helpful resources so go ahead and install it now. ( Android | Apple ) PLANNING YOUR SCHEDULE This is important! Don't skip this. PLUS it's incredibly fun! Probably my favorite stage of prep for RootsTech, this is whe...

Thanks to all of you who participated.  I really enjoyed reading all the different entries.  So many of you deserved to win, it was difficult to decide. Penny was entered by a friend who had a lot to say about her wonderful friend Penny, specifically how much she has been dying to attend RootsTech for years, and I'm so excited to give her the opportunity.  I spoke with Penny tonight.  It was wonderful to hear her story, and I'm really excited to see what experience RootsTech has in store for her.  All of you can have that same experience--it's not too late to take advantage of the promo code "HOLIDAY" at registration to get the best price of the year. Now that you're planning to attend RootsTech, be sure to follow my series " RootsTech for Newbies ". CAN'T MAKE IT? Follow my "#NotAtRootsTech" series coming soon.

RootsTech for Newbies: Registration, Travel, & Stay Part 1 of 3 Considering attending RootsTech for the first time? I was recently asked if I had any advice for newbies, and instantly my answer was, YES!! So I figured I'd share a few "pro tips" here. I have been attending for seven years now, so I've learned a few tricks along the way. First of all, if you're still on the fence about attending, first read, Countdown to RootsTech2020--Yes This Conference is For You .  If you've ever attended a conference of this magnitude in the past you know that there's an energy that can't be recreated online or in any other setting, and the spirit associated with family history creates an unparalleled experience, which alone is worth the price of admission. That said, if you just can't make it this year, watch for my #NotAtRootsTech series coming soon, where I'll do my best to help you recreate the experience from home this February. So le...

So...this class was born from my recognition that I really do have a very distinct process for managing the messes that I find when doing my family history in FamilySearch. I learned it through picking several peoples brains about their process then adapting it to be my own.  That said, consider this all a guideline then adapt it to fit your brain. I have a very strong conviction that it's important, as a member of the LDS church, to help contribute to the clean up and improvement of the great big tree known as FamilySearch Family Tree.  I've honestly spent most of my time as a genealogist cleaning up messes and have learned nearly all of my researching skills from working through those messes.  It wasn't until recently that I realized that even some who have been doing genealogy for years are just avoiding the so called "messes" because they don't really know how to tackle them. And so this class was born. First of all lets define "knots" from the t...

Alright so I had a super busy weekend.  I taught 3 classes this last Sunday at the BYU Family History Library , and what I hadn’t thought to prepare mentally for was the fact that if you’re teaching in the same room 3 classes in a row, you’ll also be chatting & on your feet not only the whole class hour, but also in between classes too.  So from 3-7:30 pm I was talking straight through.  That said, I was exhausted when I was done last night and my feet were killing me. Note to self, no heels when teaching at RootsTech .  Today I’ve been dragging a bit too, BUT I promised my class some info about Zoning on here today, so here it goes--- Zoning , a new tool from FamilySearch .  It’s in beta mode, so it’s likely to change from what I give here, but for now this is where things are at.  It’s a great alternative to indexing for those peeps who are burnt out from Indexing but are still not quite ready to dig into research, OR for those of us who research and ...

I was super excited to read the news about this new feature earlier this week, but I wanted to take the time to play with the new tool before I blogged to profess my love. It is a WONDERFUL feature, I'm so excited to have it available now, thank you MyHeritage for being on board. Now if we could just get Ancestry and FindMyPast on board.  I can honestly say that having this tool will drive my research to MyHeritage first before I go searching on the other sites for records, just for convenience purposes.  The tool works slick, and easy.  The only problem I've stumbled upon so far is that it wasn't available with all the records I've found, but the ones it was available on, it worked like a charm. Thank you for making my busy life just that much more simple!

I had a huge stack (as you can see) of binders to digitize, but the pages were those sticky kind where it’s like photograph suicide to remove…the only solution, a book scanner.  So to the BYU Family History Library I headed this weekend.  I couldn’t carry them all in so in enters the double stroller, I knew motherhood was preparing me for more than just mothering. Sadly, that amazing book scanner I used last time was apparently on trial at the time and has since been removed.  To those of you interested in using it, they said they’ll be purchasing one in the 2017 budget year, so it will return in the future.  BUT--I had a task to do so I decided to check out the other options for book scanners.  They have some amazing flatbed scanners that really do a great job and are quite quick…12 huge binders of photos and 4 hours later I was done. The great news is that during my time in the library I made some friends.  I love chatting it up with people and helping w...

Scanning or digitizing your family treasure trove can seem to be an incredibly daunting task, but it doesn't have to be.  If you take a few minutes to educate yourself on the basics then you can make an informed decision about the best route for you and your archive. I got going on it myself in 2010.  I admit photos was an obsession before family history entered my radar--I'd say photos, digital scrap-booking, and family movies was what led me to discover my love for genealogy.  So I'm pretty sure I am genetically hard-wired this way.  So with 6 years of experience under my belt and research on the subject I'll give you the basics. First of all, assess what you've got, and what you can and want to digitize.  You'll likely be surprised at the things that you'll find as you start to dig.  Things like photos and documents are easy to scan, but many of us have things like film, tape, & heirlooms that can be a little more tricky to digitize. Next, learn a bi...

After a 2 year hiatus, I'm ready to get back in the swing. I attended RootsTech 2015 and remember I was super motivated to get going on this blog again, because every year, RootsTech just re-motivates me and makes me want to share all that I'm discovering about this constantly changing market. BUT unfortunately, baby #3, demands of mommy life, church life, and community life, overtook MY LIFE, and I wasn't able to rekindle. BUT now it's 2016... I loved this years theme "Celebrating Families across Generations", because as a Mom-o-three, I'm always trying to find new ways to connect my kids to this fascinating work that I love, genealogy.  So RootsTech 2016 was a success. I've already started testing out new products and renewing old ones that I love, shout out to StoryWorth (LOVE it!). So here's to a new beginning with this blog. Being once again updated from sunny Pacific Grove, California.

As you know, I have a serious obsession with RootsTech , and LOVE everything about it.  I'm sitting here listening to the live stream while on my vacation in Pacific Grove, California. I know I'm crazy!  Just sitting here I find myself blogging, pinning, and researching all at the same time. I forget how motivating RootsTech is. I found out shortly after last years RootsTech that they had adjusted the dates for this years events and it happened to be the same week of the AT&T, Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. Which we've had reservations for since before we moved back to Utah. So I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to make it to RootsTech this year, and I was devastated.  So here I am in my condo catching what I can via live stream. Thank you FamilySearch !!  I'm dying that I'm missing out on the ExpoHall but catching what I can via blogs and other media.... Hope to do some more updates soon. It's been a very busy year and I have much to fill ...

So I came back from a week off and it was a difficult week of vacationing.  You probably think that I'm kidding, but it was super frustrating  I came back from my amazing RootsTech experience armed with all sorts of new resources for doing my family history work, and I didn't have a chance to play with them for a week and a half.  The time with family was great, and I am glad I went, but I'm really excited to be back and digging into all that I learned. The real problem is that I got back from vacation and FamilySearch decided to go ahead and release a Beta version of their new "enhanced" site while I was gone.  I've been dying to witness it ever since the Genealogy Conference I attended in early March where Dennis Brimhall introduced the new enhancements via a demo video.  So with all of these new products, my mind is on fire, and I can't decide where to focus my efforts, so I can't report in full on any of it, but I've been playing around with t...

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint s (LDS), otherwise known as the Mormon church, and have been my whole life.  I come from a split family where I had the opportunity to learn different ways of life growing up.  My mother and step-father were members of the LDS church and my father and step-mother were non-denominational and Catholic, respectively. As a member of the LDS church, who also grew up in Utah, I was taught the importance of doing Genealogy work my whole life, but still at large I missed the boat on the whole process until recently.  I was living in Virginia in 2011 when my sister decided it would be a good idea to make a life story book of my grandmother's life, to give to my mom for Christmas.  Six months and countless hours later, we presented my mom with my most cherished piece of work in this life; a beautiful and thoroughly researched compilation of my grandmother's life entitled "The Life and Legacy of ...