2012 Achievements

It’s time to reflect on my 2012 genealogy goals.  With only two things on the list for the year, I thought I’d manage to accomplish both.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  And while I may not have accomplished the stated goals entirely, I did have quite an interesting year.

Here were my 2012 goals:

BCG Certification – The intent for 2012 was to “start the clock” for certification.  Unfortunately, other obligations and health issues got in the way this year.  So on the 2013 list it goes.

Publishing Articles – My goal was to publish more articles in 2012 since I didn’t publish anything since 2010.  I managed to get one article published (at least it’s supposed to be sometime this month) and it was the only thing I attempted.  Publishing articles will always be a goal, so on to the 2013 it goes.

Even though I didn’t exactly do what I set out to do, there were some things that I did accomplish.

• I helped a friend by tracking down her birth mother, which ended in a very happy reunion.  This is the first adoption case I’ve attempted (outside of my stepfather;s case) and I am happy that everything worked out…I know this isn’t always the case.
• I updated a course for National Institutes for Genealogical Studies, and am working on converting a “quick” course into a “for credit” course.
• I published two guides for Legacy Family Tree:
  • Legacy QuickGuide™ Using Historical Newspapers for Genealogy Research – Printed Edition and PDF Edition
  • Legacy QuickGuide™ Lineage Societies and Genealogy – Printed Edition and PDF Edition
• I successfully launched the 2012 Webinar Series for Illinois State Genealogical Society and am all set for the 2013 series.
• I was named Outstanding Junior by my DAR chapter and am competing at the state level.
• I continued to take on client work.
• I was able to go to RootsTech 2012 in Salt Lake City and spent many hours at the Family History Library.  Lots of learning, networking, researching, and hanging out with friends!
• I was an official blogger for RootsTech 2012 and was asked to be an official blogger for RootsTech 2013.
• I attended Midwestern Roots 2012 in Indianapolis.  Learned some new things, met some new people, and hung out with great friends.
• I indexed over 40,000 names for the 1940 census through FamilySearch Indexing.
• And, despite my busy work and volunteer schedule, as well as health issues, I still managed to fit in some personal genealogy research and even made a few breakthroughs.

Although I had some setbacks, I think I had a pretty successful year.  I’m hoping that the adjustments my doctors have been making in my treatment plan, will result in more strength to achieve even more in 2013.  Stay tuned for my 2013 goals!