Jewl Of The Lotus

the sound that strengthens compassion in all enlightened beings. om mani padme hum.

 

Istanbul 2014

Last month Nate was invited to Istanbul to speak at a brand new conference, Istanbul Tech Talks. The company hosting the event was generous enough to invite the speakers to bring a guest, and so we journeyed to a land far, far away. It was a great time, overall. We met some great people....

 

Deer Valley 2014

For three consecutive years in a row now, I have oddly found myself returning to the strange state of Utah. Is it the case that once you enter, you will forever be drawn back? I do not know… but it’s getting a little creepy. In the past, Salt Lake City was my destination for...

 

Saugatuck 2012

Last Fall, I had the chance to stay a few nights in the cute little Lake Michigan coastal town of Saugatuck, Michigan. There was even time for a day trip up to Holland. Not pictured here: my favorite part of the trip – sampling beers at Saugatuck Brewing, New Holland Brewing, and Bell’s Brewing....

 

New York City 2012

Finally! I’ve gotten around to posting a few of my favorites from last year’s trip to NYC. I don’t think too much explanation will be needed, so let’s just get straight to the photos…

 

Spring Awakening Music Festival in Chicago

Wow! What an utterly crazy fun weekend! Without even seeing any numbers, I think it’s safe to say that the first ever Spring Awakening Music Festival (SAMF) in Chicago was a HUGE success. I didn’t hear anything negative about the festival while I was there (except maybe re: the high price of water) and...

 

RootsTech 2012 Recap

Well once again, RootsTech was a huge success. With registrations up over 30% from last year, we had over 4000 genealogists and developers in attendance. And if I had to guess, there were probably twice as many developers as last year. Maybe it’s because I’ve been up since 5am, have a cold, and generally...

 

I Won the Ancestry.com 15 Days of Discovery Grand Prize!

Wow. So, who knew those online contests where you can win trips and meet celebrities ever paid off?!?! It turns out, the grand prize is not a lie. Because I won it!! No joke. Each day for two weeks, I submitted my basic contact information to the Ancestry.com 15 Days of Discovery sweepstakes hoping...

 

Wow, 2011 Was Pretty Awesome

I can’t believe 2011 is over… seriously… I can’t. Fastest. Year. Ever. 2011 was phenomenal. Insane. Exhilarating. Awesome. Joyful. Busy. Just all around generally incredible. Probably my favorite year in my <27 years of existence. Here’s just a few reasons why: Marriage – Best day of my life. We did it!! And it was...

 

One Month Later – A Look Back At Israel

It’s been one month to the day since I’ve returned from Israel… but with as busy as we’ve been with wedding planning and life, it feels like it was forever ago. I think many of us agree that it was probably the best week of our lives, and it sounds like most people are...

 

RootsTech 2011 Wrap Up

Wow – RootsTech 2011 was an absolute blast, indeed, a techie-genealogists dream come true! I almost don’t even know where to begin, there is so much to say (and so I apologize, because this may get long)! I learned so many great genealogy tips, began formulating some great ideas for genea-tech applications, and met...