Cheryl spent most of today at the Family History Library, making solid progress tracking down documents for her Mayflower Society application.
Meanwhile, all the excitement from the past week—plus the whirlwind of family events before I even made it to Salt Lake City—finally caught up with me. I took things slow, working on marketing for Buy Your Friends’ Book Day.
Before lunch, Cheryl shared a rather unsettling family story. More on that in a future post (because suspense is fun). Naturally, we decided it had all the makings of a great genealogical mystery novel. Over a leisurely lunch at the Hyatt Regency, Cheryl had most of the plot outlined—with a little help from ChatGPT.
After lunch, Cheryl headed back to the FHL while I stayed at the hotel to join the bimonthly Zoom with Lynn Palermo and the Family History Writers. Once that wrapped up, I finished planning my author talk at AM Coffee & Co. on Wednesday afternoon.
And then… I took a nap!
Dinner was easy—lunch leftovers—followed by a walk back to the Hyatt for a little dessert. During our stroll, we attempted to piece together our RootsTech history, trying to remember how many times we’ve attended and where we’ve stayed. It took a detour to the Hilton to jog our memories (turns out we’ve been there before… just no idea when).
Good thing I’ve been blogging for years! Thanks to my well-documented dedication (or, you know, compulsive record-keeping), I figured it out:
- 2018 – First RootsTech, stayed at the Hilton
- 2019 – Stayed at the Plaza
- 2020 – Stayed at the Radisson
- 2021-2023 – Virtual only
- 2024 & 2025 – Back at the Radisson
Enjoy this gallery of five years of ridiculousness!!
At the 2018 MyHeritage After Party – the theme was “the Roaring 20s!” Sadly, they don’t host a party any more.
2019 ! In the lobby of the Salt Palace
2020 – They had lots of fun activities throughout the hall.
2022- We took a room at the Stockbridge Hotel in Massachusetts and attended virtually.
2024 – Cheryl had a BIG surprise when she opened the new package of underwear she purchased for the trip!
2025 – The Three Amigas! Lynne Bliss, Deb, Cheryl
Why were we trying to sort all this out? Well, as you may have guessed, the Radisson is fine—but it’s missing a few things I’d enjoy, like easily accessible coffee and snacks. On the bright side, you can’t beat the location! Fortunately, we have plenty of time before we need to make any 2026 lodging decisions.
And with that, folks, I’m officially wrapping up my RootsTech recaps! Time to swap my genealogist cap for my writer’s hat. Stay tuned for more on Buy Your Friends’ Book Day and my upcoming speaking engagements!
deborahsholman.com 
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