Today is my birthday (ugh!) and my gift from my husband is a short family vacation in about 3 weeks to Russell County, Kentucky where my ancestors are from!  I think it’s a wonderful gift!  I’ve been wanting to travel there for years – but not alone.  My kids will be happy with the boating, fishing and swimming on Lake Cumberland and I will get to do research!  (Of course, I’ll enjoy the boating, fishing and swimming as well…)

So now I need to make my research plan.  I know I want to visit the cemeteries for gravestone photos and I will visit the library, but I need to make sure I know exactly what I’d like to look for.  Should I try to squeeze in a visit to a courthouse?  That would involve arriving early or leaving later since we are going over a week-end.  Is there a genealogy room similar to the one I visited in Johnson County, Indiana?  THAT would be a dream come true!

I need to know I’ll be using the best use of my time – and still be able to spend time with my family.  I can see me doing early morning research while my kids sleep late.  Hmmm…let the brainstorming begin!