After much ado… I chose not to attend RootsTech this year. While I’m sadly watching my friends on Twitter and Facebook sharing glimpses of the fun they are having… I must admit that I had a several good reasons to stay home this time.

The first, you see, is this darling little girl that is coming (with her parents of course) up to visit family in Ohio. I just couldn’t miss the opportunity! She lives in North Carolina and I haven’t seen her since October.

Next was purely a financial decision. While the conference is a fantastic opportunity for my business where I make many new contacts and friends… it sadly can be quite expensive. Since I started my new job in late December it has been challenging to put away the money that would have been needed to pay for the trip. Flights, hotel, and food quickly add up. So instead of carousing with my buddies… I’m tweeting and Facebooking and watching the livestream at Rootstech.org. You can too!

Yes, it makes me a little sad to not be there. But knowing that next year… I’ll have the money to go and the vacation time necessary to not feel rushed… it’s going to be great.

So in the meantime, I’ll have a great time interacting with the genea-buds online. Next year I’ll be up there singing Karaoke, enjoying my amazing friends, and promoting The In-Depth Genealogist with my best bud and business partner, Terri.  By the way, we have a great sale on subscriptions to the magazine if you want to subscribe. It’s just $20 for the year and that includes an issue EVERY MONTH. It’s my pride and joy to publish the magazine… and I learn so much from our writers. You will too! Just visit http://bit.ly/2018ROOTS to sign up through March 6th!