Ain't No Party Like a Genealogy Party

After the conclusion of the California Family History Expo, Lisa Louisa Cooke, aka the voice of Genealogy Gems, invited some people to her house for a little get together. I was fortunate enough to be on the list.

First of all, Lisa has a beautiful house, filled with heirloom treasures, photos and things that make you stop and admire. It's like a museum, but funner. I even got to see *the* studio where she does her podcasts. More impressive were the neatly labeled and shelved research binders....kind of like my own (not).

Lisa and her husband served us a delicious dinner, but what really takes the cake was, well.....the cake itself:

But here's where it gets amazing: Lisa made the cake. Back in the day, before she was a big name in podcasting, Lisa was a professional cake maker. One of the displays in her house contains many awards and ribbons she's won on the fair circuit.

The party was really, really fun. I had a yummy dinner and talked with all my genealogy friends. After the cake was cut and we were digging in to it, I had sort of a revelation--kind of like those shots in movies where  the sound fades and the camera pans the room in slow motion so the *moment* can be captured....

....Here were all these incredible people in one place: the makers of genealogy products, the producers of genealogy events, the dedicated volunteers that put on major genealogy conferences on behalf of their societies, the incredible bloggers, professional researchers, speakers, prolific minds that are the foundation of today's genealogy field....and my goofy mug. It was so nice to be able to visit and laugh with everyone. Nobody had to run a booth, or hurry to speak at a session. We all had nothing to do but hang out and enjoy the company. It really was a wonderful conclusion to a great weekend. I feel blessed to have been a part of it.

So thank you to Lisa Louise Cooke and family for the hospitality. And thank you to all my wonderful genealogy friends who visited, gave me rides around town, laughed and made my trip to California really special.