BBQ, Bonding and Cracking The Whip

Last month, Amy Coffin of WeTree and Denise Levenick, The Family Curator met for lunch while Amy was visiting Southern California for the holidays. I don't know how many adult beverages were consumed before they hatched a plan to set a few goals and a plan to complete them before the end of the year using the Buddy system. Next time I see them (most likely in June at Jamboree) I intend to buy them a round myself. Their plan is so simple, yet brilliant! Find a genealogy buddy who has no problem nagging and hounding you until you complete the goals that were set. Yeah, I know that encouraging and reminding are probably prettier and kinder words, but if truth be told, not very effective for me. I embrace the nag and hound as the motivators I know I need. I'll do anything, climb any mountain, swim any sea just to get the nag and hound to stop.

I also knew that I needed a "Buddy" who lived close enough so we can meet in person to check up on each other's goals. And most importantly I needed a Buddy who knew me, knew how important family history and genealogical research is to me and would not be afraid to crack that whip, so to speak. Cheryl Palmer over at Heritage Happens, fills all those requirements. She lives less than one hour from me and we were roommates at the 2009 Jamboree and heck, if you can share a room for 3 or 4 days without feeling the urge to stuff them into their suitcase and ship them home, then hey - BFF!

She posted her goals on her blog and thinking that Amy and Denise's plan would work for us, we made a date for lunch and met a couple of days ago to set some goals.

Cheryl discusses hers over on her blog, which you can see HERE. I came up with two things that I wanted to get done before the end of the year:

1. Write and submit a genealogical article to , well, anyplace that will take it.

2. For my educational goals for the year, I really wanted to do something different. After reading a post on Dear Myrtle's blog about a place called Second Life. Through the use of avatars, they get their genealogy groove-on. The group has recently been approved and is a bona fide chapter of the APG - Association of Professional Genealogists. I signed up on Second Life today. This goal is going to take me way longer than I had anticipated. I can't seem to even get my avatar dressed and when I tried to change the hair style and color of her hair - well it somehow got snatched off her head completely so now I have a naked and bald avatar prancing around make-believe land and have not a clue as how to save my avatar from certain destruction. At the very least a ticket for indecent exposure.

On a somewhat brighter note, I just made a commitment that will take care of that writing goal. Another old roommate of mine (this one from Samford) is a member of the Idaho State Genealogical Society. She contacted me and asked if I would please write up my story about Pauline and submit it for publication in their quarterly journal. When I did not give an answer to them right away, my husband looked me straight in the eye and said, "If not NOW, then WHEN?" So I replied that I would write the article for them.

They replied back with this: We need 15 pages and some photos and need it no later than February 28th. OMG ! Cheryl . . . start cracking that whip!

Me and Cheryl Palmer at Famous Dave's BBQ