As another year comes to an end, it is time to look back at 2019 and move forward into 2020!  It has been a busy year for The Accidental Genealogist, and here is my review of my favorite moments and plans for 2020!

Last year, I chose the word “Simplify” as my word for the year. I carried through on this theme both in my personal and professional life.

Personal

My mantra throughout 2019 was “Declutter/Downsize”and I did this in a big way with the sale of our house! This had been a plan for many years, and the timing was just right in 2019. In preparation for the sale, we decluttered and parted with many personal belongings. It was so freeing to finally be rid of stuff we had been saving for many years.  So, I walk into 2020 without the burden of a house or unwanted items.  We found a temporary place to rent while my husband and I plan our next steps!

Professional

I simplified my professional life by letting go of projects and engagements that no longer serve or fulfill me. Much of this will manifest in 2020. 

There were a number of highs and lows associated with my work in 2019. I have chosen to release the negative and focus on the positive.

Courses:  

I built my online course site Research, Write, Connect by adding several new courses on writing and genealogy throughout the year.  I also finished writing many courses for the Eastern European Genealogy Certificate for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. 

Writing:  

I continued writing magazine articles and blog posts and worked on a few more projects of my own.  

Conferences and Webinars:  

Because of the crazy pace of my life this year, I don’t have a full tally of all the presentations I gave in 2019 but my calendar was quite busy with conferences and webinars. I expanded my international speaking resume by speaking at MyHeritage Live in Amsterdam in September and RootsTech London in October.  I presented a number of webinars for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, the Virtual Genealogical Association, and many genealogical societies/organizations. 

Family History Research:

In 2019 I had an opportunity to visit Slovakia for the third time! I did not blog about this trip because I basically went along as an observer and not a researcher. The trip was not something I had planned, but came about because I was heading to London for RootsTech and some family members decided they wanted to join me. We visited with cousins in London. My cousin J wanted to search for his paternal grandparents’ villages and so we ended up flying from London to Kosice for a few days, While there, we did tour his ancestral villages (Čičava and Vojčice)  and also had a chance to visit with our Alzo family in Kučín. 

Roman Catholic Church Kučín, Slovakia 2019 (Lisa A. Alzo

We also visited the village of Poša and had a chance to meet the mayor who shared with me some information to help break down a genealogy brickwall for my paternal grandmother’s side of the family.

View from cemetery, Poša, Slovakia (Lisa A. Alzo)

2020:  Let’s Go!

I have selected the word “transform” as my word for 2020. 

From the Oxford Online Dictionary:

Transform
verb

“make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of.”

While 2019 was a year to simplify various aspects of my life and work, 2020 is the year I plan to make some big changes including where I live and what type of work I do. While I don’t have all the specifics in place, I can say that I will be doing more creating/writing and online teaching, and virtual presentations. and less traveling/speaking at in-person conferences/events. 

I am also planning some changes for this blog and my blogging in general. Stay tuned!

I would like to extend a special thank you to my readers for your continued support in 2019. 

I wish you all good things for 2020!


Copyright 2019, Lisa A. Alzo, All Rights Reserved