Notes From the Ether: Life and Research Updates

I know it's been a little quiet (ok, very!) over here in KINterested land, so I'm here with a few updates.

A little over a year ago - September 2015 - I posted a list of genealogical hopes for my Year Off. Here we are, at the beginning of August 2016, and my Year Off is almost over. In fact, that's part of why I've been so quiet - with my time away from work running out, I've both been contemplating ideas for a final trip abroad and also beginning to think about job options and career possibilities.

For the first, I've finally decided to spend about 3 and a half weeks in Europe again, but this time exploring Denmark and The Netherlands. You'll find me writing about that over at my other blog, A Runs Away, beginning in late August.

As for the second, museum education remains one of my loves and I'm excited to dive back into catching up on what's happening in the field. But I'm remaining open to other possibilities that might be a good fit for my love of history, my organizational, research and leadership skills (wrenches arm out of socket patting self on back), and, frankly, my desire for that elusive thing called work-life balance. (Stop laughing - unicorns might not exist, but narwhals do! Which is to say, the perfect might not be possible, but surely I can get close!)

And as for my Genealogical To Do list from September, I've knocked quite a bit off the list. I've been digitizing my Grandma Doris' photo albums (s-l-o-w-l-y), I've been down to DC for 2 research trips, I've posted quite a few stories and mysteries here on KINterested, I've done a bit of long-distance Ohio research, I've reviewed some of my old research to search for mistakes and new research avenues, and I've researched in New Jersey and Alabama, and attended a family reunion in Georgia. I also attended the National Genealogical Society's Annual Family History Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

And, as I type this, I'm sitting at the airport, heading out to Ohio, where I'll be traveling with my Aunt to West Virginia to visit my paternal Grandfather, someone I have never met as an adult, and met perhaps once as a child. This was a key part of my To Do list and I am finally making it happen.

I can't promise I'll post during this trip or immediately after, but I will follow-up. I'm looking forward to an interesting experience! Stay tuned...