I would like to thank those who entered the contest to win free entrance to the Arizona Family History Expo on January 22-23, 2010 at the Mesa Convention Center.  I enjoyed all the contest entries.  Thank you for all the great photos!

I put the numbers 1-7 on slips of paper and mixed them up in the official Land O Lakes whipped butter container.  The two numbers drawn from the container were entries 4 & 5 both submitted by Nancy Hill.

Join me in offering Nancy congratulations!  I know you and your companion will have a wonderful experience.

I feel my approach to Family History is Innovative. I am committed to acknowledging connections across the generations—past, present, and future– and igniting a sense of extraordinary purpose in individuals in THIS generation.

When I worked as a calligrapher, I visited with countless people who felt the impact of heart-wrenching disappointments, bickering, contention, divorce, trauma, abuse, addictions, lack of finances, illness, conflict, self-doubt, death in the family, and other adversities. The last thing that they wanted to do was turn back and look at all that pain. They felt their family was a disappointment and wondered why they were a part of it. Now, I seek to show those great people that painful family experiences don’t have to keep them from enjoying Family History. I seek to provide encouragement, insight, and be a catalyst for happy changes in family lines.

In an attempt to bridge the generations by reaching back, as well as looking forward, I created the website www.familytreequest.com and three blogs:

www.familytreequest.wordpress.com gives those who want to embark in genealogy access to news, research, and resources.

www.familytreegal.blogspot.com contains posts that are intended to help lives change in this generation—thus strengthening family trees for years to come.

www.journalriffic.blogspot.com contains an original and unique method of journal writing to document the history-in-the making that occurs as individuals take deliberate, specific steps to glean wisdom from the past, live mindfully in the present and prepare confidently for the future. These are people with courage who are ready to grow in spite of insecurity frustration and fear, with an intention to strengthen themselves in THIS generation.

I have a firm conviction that Family History includes history-in-the-making. I’m striving to help others maintain that larger view as we discuss genealogy and family history. Innovative in my own way? I think so.

My Ohio grandmother and her sisters in 1902.

Each Blogger of Honor at the 2nd Annual Arizona Family History Expo to be held January 22-23, 2010 was given two tickets to the Expo.  Some have chosen to hold contests to give the tickets away.  Each contest is different and each has a different deadline.

To increase your chances at winning free tickets, I encourage you to enter as many contests as possible.

Here is a list of the contests with deadlines:

• Amy Coffin (December 30, 2009)
• Donna Messerly-Brown (January 2, 2010)
• Joan Miller (January 10, 2010)
• Thomas MacEntee (January 10, 2010)
• Mark Tucker (January 10, 2010)
• Anna Dalhaimer Bartkowski (January 15, 2010)

Bookmark this post as I will keep it updated as other contests start.  If a contest for the Arizona Expo isn’t listed here and you know about it, leave a comment so that everyone has a chance to enter.

Submitted by Sheri Fenley

Stanley Beffort
Salina, Kansas
(c) 1953

Submitted by Sheri Fenley

Stanley Beffort
Salina, Kansas
(c) 1949

The Family History Expo is coming to Mesa, AZ on Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23, 2010.  The cost of registration is very affordable:

Single Day: $40

Two Days: $75 ($65 if registered by January 1, 2010)

Single Class: $12

But here is your chance at winning a free ticket to attend both days of the conference.  And as an old family friend always says: “You can’t beat free!”

I have 2 tickets available for the contest which starts today and ends Sunday, January 10, 2010 with a random drawing of all contest entries.

To enter, pick ONE of the following ways to enter:

1. In 300 words or less write about one of the following:
   • How you got started in genealogy or family history
   • How technology can be used to better support genealogy
   • How you have used social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr in your family history
   • What features that don’t exist today would you like to see in your genealogy software
   • How the Genealogical Proof Standard has helped you in your research
   • What you hope to gain by attending the Family History Expo
2. Submit a photo and caption about one of the following:
   • You holding a copy of the Genealogical Research Process map
   • A favorite ancestor photo
   • You or an ancestor as a Boy Scout
3. Submit an entry for the ThinkGenealogy Innovator award

Submit your entries via e-mail to: contest@thinkgenealogy.com

You are allowed to enter as many times as you want but send each entry as a separate e-mail.

All contest submissions will be posted on the ThinkGenealogy blog.  By entering, you state that you own the copyright to the content and you give permission for that content to be published on the ThinkGenealogy blog.

I am looking forward to all the submissions and wish each of you luck in the contest.  The winners will be announced on the blog during the week of January 11 – 17, 2010.