Thursday’s RootsTech was an amazing day of inspiration and motivation and got us all asking ourselves, “What’s your DNA?” Whether it be your family’s food DNA, family business DNA or the regular definition, DNA is something to consider when it comes to family history, family stories included.

FamilySearch International CEO Steve Rockwood started things off talking about family and food stories and got us all thinking about what the make up of our family’s food stories are. He got us started with our family stories right away by having us share our family food stories with our neighbor and then encouraged us to do some recipe sharing online on the FamilySearch site. We are excited to try it and have already talked about what recipes we will use.

The Property Brothers then graced the stage. Their great brotherly chemistry was felt by the crowd as they talked about their Scottish heritage and shared some great family stories. The talked about their desire to build business from the time they were young. “At 8 years old our dad said, ‘You’re 8 years old, it’s time for you to get a job.’ That’s the kind of family we are from,” Jonathan Scott said with a laugh. He also talked about how important it is to know your past. “You can’t appreciate where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” So true!  

After their keynote address we got to take part in a great press conference where we saw a sweet and personable side of the Scott brothers. More to come on that in a later story!

At the conclusion of the mornings session we got a sneak peak of My Heritage’s new DNA kit that will explore in detail ethnicity. There were no dry eyes in the room after watching a video clip of two brothers that were united after results from the new DNA test.

Cece Moore explained in an interview later that day that she was also eager to explore the new test to see what it has to offer. We can believe her advice, considering she is a DNA and genealogy expert. Can’t wait to hear more from her on Saturday. She told us stories of how important it is to get DNA results. “Sometimes paper trail ends or don’t even offer accurate information. DNA can answer those questions,” she said.

We also got a sneak peak into the behind-the-scenes of all things RootsTech when RootsTech coordinator Jen Allen sat down and talked about the magnitude of the event. There are 7 full time staffers who put everything together, plus a large team of FamilySearch employees who take time from the regular jobs to help out, not to mention the hoards of volunteers. She admitted they are already thinking about next year – what to tweak, who to invite and how to make it better. She told us the date will change to the last weekend of February next year and stay that way from here on out. “Seeing people around engaging in family history. That’s what I love about all of this,” Jen said.

The day couldn’t have ended on a better note with a performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The huge choir performed classics from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. Oscar’s grandson, Oscar Hammerstein III, narrated the evening and told the story of his family and musical theater. As it turns out, his great-great grandfather is really the founder of Times Square and Broadway as he opened the first Opera house there around the turn of the century. The music was flawless and so was the storytelling. It was a sweet reminder that family stories weave into all facets of life – the arts, food, sports, you name it and families create stories and memories that surround it. What’s your family’s DNA? What’s your personal DNA? If you haven’t yet, please enter our DNA test giveaway. Like our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages and share or retweet for an entry. Click here for more information. Figuring out our DNA is the good stuff! Watch for our round up tomorrow as our attention will turn to African heritage.