Day 2 of RootsTech 2014 has come and gone. I'm sitting in the hotel lobby of the Marriott typing my required daily report. As an Official RootsTech Blogger I knew this would be the toughest part of my assignment. I have to be in the mood to write, and when I'm ready the words will just flow onto the page. Last night as I wrote my blog post I didn't feel ready to share my experience. That's because I was still trying to digest things. Sometimes it takes me days after an event to understand exactly what I just went through.
I have to say so far I know I've done one thing right. I rented a hotel room even though I live only 40 minutes from Salt Lake City. Previous years for RootsTech I would commute in by car, Trax or FrontRunner. After the full day events I would ride trax over to the Salt Lake City and County building to wait until my husband was finished with work. I would be out of the cold, but without internet access the whole time. We typically got home about 11:30 p.m. at night. After four days of RootsTech events I was totally spent.
When I learned that Official RootsTech Bloggers needed to post on their blogs daily throughout the conference I knew I was in deep trouble, time and energy wise. So, I decided the only way to do that was to check into a hotel. I'm at the Marriott and let me say I don't regret that choice at all. Even if I wasn't an official blogger staying across the street from where the RootsTech conference is being held just makes life easier.
I am attending injured this year. It's a miracle I am even upright and walking. For several years my hip has been hurting me and it was only getting worse. It was painful to lift my leg into our SUV to drive. I felt I needed to either do physical therapy or get a personal trainer. I decided on the personal trainer. We started out slow and worked on building up my strength. I was motivated and dedicated to getting well. I was working out 6 days a week. Then a few weeks before RootsTech I told my trainer, "Lets work on this hip and leg, it's not any better, let's kick things up." Well she gave me simple exercises, but told me I could do them every day. By the end of that week I couldn't walk. I moved standing semi upright but you would call it a slow painful shuffle. I went to my doctor and was referred to a orthopedic surgeon. I decided to go to my chiropractor just in case he could fix me. He also referred me to the orthopedic surgeon and didn't schedule another appointment for me. Chiropractors don't usually do that. I knew I was in trouble. My husband gave me a priesthood blessing before going to the surgeon, which let me know this thing was going to take time. I got into the surgeon and thankfully learned it wasn't a bad hip, as in needing a hip replacement. It was bursitis instead. I needed to take it slow and only exercise in the water.
I had a week and a half before RootsTech to get well. Every other day I got into the pool and then jacuzzi and slowly learned to walk and gain my strength again. I felt like a miracle was happening every day I was in the pool. Last Saturday I over did again by running around shopping. Walking on my cane put strain on my arm, hurting my rotator cuff, and causing tendinitis in my elbow. Sunday morning I was hurting so bad I was unable to move my arm. I knew I needed to put it in a sling for church but something told me if I did that the pressure on my neck would cause that to scream in pain too. I hurt so bad Sunday evening, I decided to just go to bed early and rest. My husband came into our bedroom to get something and the thought came to my mind. I had a blessing for my hip but my arm, elbow and shoulder where something totally different. I felt it was OK to ask for another priesthood blessing. In it I was told simply that the pain would be suppressed. I thought OK, I can deal with the edge being taking off the pain, if that's all I'm given right now, and I will be grateful for that, but I'm still going to RootsTech. After getting up from the chair my husband asked me where something was. Without thinking I reached out for it with my bad arm and found it was miraculously healed. I slowly moved it around testing it out. I had a faint memory of pain, enough to know it was tender and still healing, but without a doubt the pain I had was suppressed. I knew a miracle just happened and I was grateful. I had two days to get better before RootsTech started on Wednesday and each day in the pool healed the remainder of that pain.
My hip is still healing thought. My first day at RootsTech I hung my heavy bag over my shoulder and crossed the street from the Marriott to the Salt Palace. By the time I arrived at registration I was hurting and concerned I wasn't going to make it back up the hall to the luncheon and keynote. Then a little voice told me "It's your bag". I took it off my shoulder and carried it with my other arm. After doing that the pain slowly improved so I know that's what's been causing the bursitis in my hip.
Thankfully the Marriott has a pool and jacuzzi and they have been my friends. I know I wouldn't be attending RootsTech if I didn't have access to them every day. I am grateful to be an Official Blogger and being asked to blog every day. If things hadn't worked out the way they did I wouldn't be here at all.
I've had several people stop me during the conference telling me how much they enjoyed my blog article on last year's RootsTech called "I Cried!" They hoped I was going to write something like it this year. Now that article was pure inspiration and you can't make those things happen on demand. I have to just see what comes.
In this morning's keynote by Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch, we received some figures reporting on the progress FamilySearch has made with partnerships and adding features to the Family Tree. The next keynote speaker was Annelies van de Belt, CEO of DC Thomson Family History, my mind wondered and I realized that yesterday and today I didn't cry a single time. I was pondering on why? Amazing things have recently happened in my life. I have had true miracles happen to get here. I even heard the spirit tell me to take my bag off my shoulder. Directing me in something so simply, but a change so needed or I wouldn't even be sitting in that very keynote this morning. I know I'm listening, but I'm not crying.
Then the reason why I wasn't crying came to me. Last year we cried because our heart needed to be touched and turned to our families. We learned how stories and photos play a vital role in changing and turning out hearts. Since then partnerships have been made and tools have come into place that make recording our stories a reality. Now it's time to get to work.
I listened to the next keynote address by Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Women, in a totally different frame of mind. She spoke to my soul as a blogger and some changes that are happening in my family's life. It confirmed to me "Now it's time to get to work." The bar has been raised, things are happening at a faster pace, we all need to be prepared to do wondrous things. Being here at RootsTech is a launching point this year. Each day is a day of discovery at RootsTech. I found wonderful classes that help me quicken my pace. I can't wait to see what is in store for me tomorrow.
See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is another RootsTech Day!
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