Digging Out and Looking Forward in 2022 - 10 years of blogging

Recently I spoke for the first time since February 2020 to a live audience. It was surreal to walk into a library with my mask on and instruct a group of people all masked and socially distanced. But, that is our new normal in the age of COVID. Online is wonderful, but it can be very isolating. 

Other things have changed as well, and believe it or not, I am still adjusting even after two years. This is one reason I have come back to my blog. The deep depression I have been in from losing loved ones, friends, and colleagues to this disease cut me to the core. It was hard to communicate let alone go on as normal. 

Throw in starting my Ph.D., one child in college, my husband going back to school, helping my other child with high school, and caring for my father I have been living on caffeine and a prayer. I know many of you can relate! How do I do it, is a question I am asked often. However, when you do not know any difference you make it happen. 

So, it was no surprise to me that as the 10th anniversary of my blog loomed last December I had nothing to say. I do have ten drafts of blog posts sitting on my computer, but pushing the publish button was difficult. This leads me to today.

I need to read, write, teach, and publish more. That starts here. Plus, I'd love to hear from you. Anything you'd like to know more about from a lecture I have presented? Curious about a story I've posted here? Let me know. Send me a message through my contact form. 

Let's make the next 10 years amazing. 

5 years old and going back to school

Today is the 5th anniversary of this blog.  Wow, time really does fly.  I am not sure what I would have said if you told me 5 years ago what I was doing today. Honestly, I had no idea where I would go or what I would do!

In 5 years I have written hundreds of blog posts (not nearly as many as I wanted!) and watched my skills as a researcher bloom.  The genealogy community is such an amazing one.  So welcoming and so friendly, I was very overwhelmed at first to be sure.  Thanks to that welcome, plus the advice of countless people, I feel like I have flourished from those first nervous steps.

As I think on it, it is only fitting that on my fifth anniversary I am in school furthering my genealogy education.  Which, has been a great experience so far.  But, I am only 8 weeks in.  Ask me in a couple months how I am holding up. 

I wonder if the next 5 years will be just as amazing!

Happy belated anniversary… to me

Ah, the holidays.  Lots of food.  Lots of friends.  And for my house, lots of germs.  Which means I was in no shape to post my annual Anniversary blog post on the 28^th.  Yikes!

That is right, last Saturday the 28^th was this blog's 4^th anniversary.  I got sick before I finished the scheduled post.  Then, I got sick again!  Yay me….

Once again it was an amazing year in researching my family.  Lots of DNA results and meeting with new family members all over the country.  I traveled quite a bit and wrote even more.  It was so much fun to share everything with you all and to hear from you as well.  Thank you for continuing on the ride with me!

Which means, it is on to the next year.  I honestly am not sure where this next year will take me.  To be honest, I hope I am able to carve out more time for my own research and to knock down a few of my own family brick walls.  There are a number of them that I am quite close on.  I can feel it in my bones!

So, I hope your December is a great one.  End the year strong, get ready for new beginnings, and I promise to keep entertaining you!  

Year three in review

Another year has come and gone.  Why do they keep getting faster the older I get? I swear just a couple of months ago I wrote the “it’s another year” post for 2013.  Well, I hear when you are super busy the time just flies so we will stick with I am super busy and not just getting old.

Star Candy In Glass Stock Photo

by audfriday13. Published on 11 May 2012

Stock Photo - Image ID: 10082728

For those who have followed from the beginning this blog turned 3 on November 28^th.  Three years, wow.  There were times I wasn’t sure it would last past the first few months.  Thank you for sticking around and being interested in what I have to say.  It’s fun to run into you all in person at conferences or society meetings and know you enjoyed a post or two.

There were lots of changes to my genealogy career this year.  In October I announced that I accepted The In-Depth Genealogist as Creative Director.  This has pushed me in ways I could not have imagined.  It has also been a learning process as I figure out my new job.  Unfortunately it has taken time away from me being here, and with you, but in the New Year I hope to get a better handle on that.

a position with

I also hung my shingle out as a professional (or at least a struggling transitional) genealogist.  With the launch of my 2 books, increased speaking engagements, and more writing I thought I should put together a website and brand.  From that T2Family History was born.  I love the logo, which was designed by my friend Jennifer Soucy who is an excellent graphic design artist. 

I have continued with my courses through The National Institute for Genealogical Studies and am 1/3 of the way through the program.  Yes, I am still on track to earn my PLCGS in American Studies in December 2016.  It seems so far away but I know that it really isn’t.   If you are curious about The Institute or the courses pop on over to their blog and learn more!

For this blog, it seems I wrote some articles you all really took a shine to.  The top 10 posts (and 1 series) from 2014 were:

10.  Getting Around Richmond

9.   Fear Comes in Many Different Forms

8.   Spanish American War Pictures

7.   NGS Recap Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4

6.   Pocahontas’s Wedding Jacket

5.   How Direct Sales Helped Me With Genealogy

4.   The Writing Life Blog Hop

3.   21 Valentine Days and Counting

2.   Are You Ready to Research at the Library of Virginia?

1.   A New Adventure

What is coming in 2015 you ask? Well bigger, better and more I hope!  What I do know is that it’s going to be busy, and right now in January my eyes are set on finishing the marathon.  Hope you will dream big and come along for the ride!  

Happy 2nd Blogoversary!

Well, it’s been 2 years.  Wow is about all I have to say to that!  I wasn’t sure this blog thing would last 6 months to be honest with you, but here I am, still chugging away. 

It has been an amazing 2 years though.  So many discoveries, so many new cousins, plus the opportunities in my newly developing professional life, and of course all of you.  Whoever “you” are, thanks.  This little blog wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t for your support no matter how small it may seem.  Keep on reading and letting me know your thoughts.

Last year I wrote a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish before my next anniversary.  You can read the post here but in short these were my goals:

ü  Finalize and submit all paperwork to the DAR as well as the GSMD for me and my husband.

ü  Continue to write and work towards further publication opportunities.

ü  Research the possibilities for certification.

ü  Attend one national conference.

Believe it or not I did all but one.  This year I started writing for the In-Depth Genealogist as well as doing a couple guest blogs here and there.  I did research certification possibilities and enrolled in the Boston University online program to help with that.  My one national conference was FGSin Fort Wayne this past August.  I did submit, and was accepted to the DAR.  The GSMD on the other hand, I am still waiting on my final okay (8 months and counting) plus I am at the mercy of my mother-in-law for my husband’s information.  What can you do?

This year, I am going to be a bit more ambitious with my goals.  I would like to:

·         Work on writing my grandfather’s WWII story.

·         Find more lecturing opportunities.

·         Scan and organize all my pictures and documents.

It is a small list, but I have a feeling looks can be deceiving.  Keep your fingers crossed for me and look out for the update posts.

Since it is also Thanksgiving here in the US I think I will put 2 candles in my pumpkin pie and wish for an amazing third year!  There is a lot in the works for the coming year, stay tuned…

Happy 1st Birthday!!

 

One year ago today I wrote my first ever blog post.  I was petrified.  It had taken months for me to work up the courage to actually set-up the blog and put that first timid post out there.  To be honest I think I fretted more about the design than the actual post.  I looked at it for at least 30 minutes before I clicked the publish button.  Little did I know that 4 days later I would also become the 2nd Family Tree Firsts Blogger.

Then I waited, and wondered.  Who out there besides the few friends I had who liked genealogy, my husband, parents, and mother-in-law would read this.  It was amazing when I had my first comment from someone unrelated to me.  I nearly passed out the first time I had more than 20 reads in one day, let alone the first time I had over 1,000 reads in a month.  It appeared that people were actually READING this blog.  Wow was about all I could think, and it made me want to research, share, and write more.

To say it has been an amazing whirlwind of a year would be an understatement.  It has changed my life.  No, really, it has.  I am a more confident writer and researcher.  I have met amazing people who are dear friends to me, even if I have never met them in real life.  I am looking to my future in this field and I am excited about it. 

So, on that note, what are my goals for the upcoming year?  I have thought long and hard about this, and have decided on the following list:

• Finalize and submit all paperwork to the DAR as well as the GSMD for me and my husband.
• Continue to write and work towards further publication opportunities.
• Research the possibilities for certification.
• Attend one national conference.

Yes, I am being ambitious but, like I have been told, I might as well shoot for the moon because even if I miss I will still land in the stars.   Thank you for reading, thank you for returning to see what I am up to, and thank you for all your support. 

Here is to a great second year!
 

photo credit: Here's Kate via photopin cc