Thankful Me

Photo: The Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City Utah on a flier advertising: RootsTech Salt Lake City February 26-29, 2020 Salt Palace Convention Center Registration will open in September 2019 rootstech.org RootsTech, the much-anticipated family history conference, is coming up next month! Hundreds of classes will be taught, ranging from "Get Started: Overview of FamilySearch.org" for the very beginner genealogist to "Dealing with Documents: Analysis, Extraction, Transcription and Abstraction" for advanced researchers. The Expo Hall will be filled with vendors offering goods and services related to family history. RootsTech attendees can find out which cousins are in attendance by utilizing the "Relatives Around Me" feature on the Family Tree app.  I love everything about RootsTech, including the keynote speakers. This year's lineup includes the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, David Hume Kennerly; NFL superstar Emmitt Smith; and

Photo: A small ceramic Mickey Mouse rides on a robotic vacuum To make the post title true: 1. I'm thankful for the Utah DMV. Seriously. The five minutes (at most) I waited for a walk-in appointment during the noon hour was so refreshingly short. (I don't even think it's possible to book appointments online; that's how reasonable the wait always is.) In contrast, in Los Angeles county, the lines outside the DMV prior to opening look like people waiting for stores to open on Black Friday! 2. I'm thankful for cute little reminders. I looked down at my robotic vacuum one day and saw a little Mickey Mouse (who is a decoration for a plant pot) taking a ride. Sometimes we end up in a place we never imagined we would be, but we just need to hang on for the ride.  3. I'm thankful that the fencing project is coming along. The installer apologized that it isn't finished yet, but the weather really has been a limiting factor. I told him it's OK; we're

Photo: A heap of crumpled orange metal sits behind a chain link fence on the grounds of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. A sign on the fence reads, "DANGER CONSTRUCTION AREA KEEP OUT" The theme for this week: life isn't always pleasant, but it is worth it, and it is always worth it to look back for the things to be thankful for.  1. I donated whole blood this week. Unlike platelet donation, which doesn't agree with me, it's very fast and easy for me to donate whole blood. Funny story: there was a man and woman donating next to me, and they were racing each other. The nurse who was helping me, hooked me up and immediately whispered to me, "You're going to beat both of them!" And I did. I filled that bag in three minutes, 27 seconds. We all have our talents, I guess, and one of mine is bleeding. I'm thankful that I can help others. 2. One of the benefits of having a child in medical school is that he reminds me to take care of age-ap

Photo: Grandsons on the left, and granddaughters on the right. Both grandsons, and two granddaughters, are on their bellies on a fluffy white rug. Youngest granddaughter, on the far right, sits and chews on her sock.  I missed last week's Ten Things of Thankful link-up, not because I wasn't thankful, but because I was busy, busy, busy watching my grandchildren for a week. I have five grandchildren, ranging in age from 1-7 years old, and while my own five children have a very similar spread in ages, somehow I still ended up making rookie mistakes during the week (saying "yes" to the water play area of the children's museum when I hadn't packed towels/changes of clothes, for example--I was fooled by the available aprons and boots to wear). However, overall it was like riding a bicycle; I didn't forget how to sneak in healthy foods, for example. "Breakfast" (winter squash) bread, anyone? The week was a week of comparisons of what was availa