This week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge with Randy Seaver is a unique one:

1) When you are performing genealogy research or writing, what makes you happy?  List ten genealogy moments that make you happy. 

I could rattle off several genea-happy moments, but then had to think a bit more deeply.

Here’s the list I’ve come up with:

1. I love finally figuring out what a document says, whether due to poor handwriting, foreign language or faded image.

2. When I’m searching for vintage photos or postcards to send back home to descendants, I always get that “yes!” feeling when I find one or more descendants.

3. I love hearing from distant cousins who find my blog and leave comments. It’s even more fun if we can each share something new with the other.

4. Occasionally, I find photos of an ancestor that I haven’t seen before. That is really fun!

5. Uncovering new clues about an ancestor in a book or journal article makes me smile and always sends me down the rabbit hole.

6. The best feeling of accomplishment is finishing a big project, like when I compiled links to U.S. county histories (and which are posted on this blog under the header photo).

7. Breaking through brick walls is definitely one of the best feelings ever. I am probably most proud of finding my Danish great grandmother’s home in Copenhagen and then uncovering the origins of her paternal grandfather, Johannes Jensen, who was given up for adoption.

8. I always smile when I find a new resource to help with my current research subject.

9. I love sharing genealogy tips and resources in blog posts.

10. Last, but not least, I love finding new comments from blog readers, especially when I’ve been able to provide them with new information.

Thanks, Randy, for this week’s challenge. It was a bit different, but fun!