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It’s been another rough year, but I did manage to achieve my 2017 goals, or at least make some progress.

First, I did continue to make my own research a priority, focusing mainly on getting my ducks in a row for the components of my Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) portfolio. In fact, I have all three generations of the narrative started—the intros and child lists are complete. All I have to do is write the narratives for the focus person! I also have a good start on my case study. I said at the end of 2016 that I was hoping to make some headway and maybe be “on the clock” in 2018—I’m on target for this!

Second, I did in fact publish some articles this year. I wish it was more than two, but, like I said, it’s been a rough year.

  • “Busted,” published in the May/June 2017 issue of Family Tree Magazine.
  • “Blueprint for Success: Building a Genealogy Education Plan,” published in the Fall 2017 issue of FORUM.

As for blogging more, I had a plan all laid out for weekly posts in 2017. I did in fact start implementing that plan and then something happened that derailed everything—on top of that, I was also ill for several months. Because of all this, I am way behind on many things so my blog will have to take a backseat until I get the rest of my life caught up, hopefully soon.

Looking ahead, I have a few goals for 2018:

  • Turn in BCG portfolio. I did make tremendous progress on my portfolio and I sincerely hope that I can get it to the point where I can complete the application and officially start my “clock” in 2018. Although I have one year after that point to turn in my portfolio, I’m doing most of the work ahead of time so I can turn it in soon after I apply. I’m glad I chose this strategy because something always seems to come up and I can’t afford to file an extension (plus it lessens the pressure!).
  • Publish articles. Almost always a goal each year, I’m keeping it on the list. I wasn’t able to submit anything for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly in 2017, but hope to do so in 2018.
  • Special project. Melissa Barker and I are working on a project together, which we hope to get moving along after the first of the year. We’re still in the early stages, so I don’t want to share any details at the moment.

Trying to keep it simple, but there’s still a lot of work wrapped up in these goals. I sincerely hope I am able to fulfill them all. What about you? What sort of things did you set out to do in 2017 that you accomplished? What are your goals for 2018? I’d love to hear about your achievements and goals, so be sure to post a comment!