Hello dear readers! I know it has been a long time since I last posted to this blog and I thought that this was a prime time to share what I have been up to. So in late 2017 I began a new job working as a city Traffic Engineer. I have been very happy with this new challenge, but have found that the learning curve has really used up an enormous amount of my energy . As a result, I have not had nearly the energy that I used to have for genealogy and my business.

It’s funny, but before I started the new job I spent every free moment working on my business and The In-Depth Genealogist. Every evening was spent on my laptop editing articles, laying out magazine articles, and preparing for webinars and presentations. While I still enjoy all of those things, I find that I would rather chill out in the evenings watching tv and playing with my dogs. As a result, I have decided to take a bit of a sabbatical from my genealogy business. I won’t be responding to any call for papers to do presentations for webinars or conferences for 2019. Perhaps in 2020 I will get my genealogy mojo back? I think a break will be good for me and hopefully I will find my love for the hunt back!

This past year was a rough one in other ways. You see, my corgi, Sasha, was diagnosed with a bone tumor. We made the difficult decision to try surgery to remove the tumor and her affected leg. Sasha became a tri-pawd and was able to get around better than before. Sadly, it was too late for her and her cancer continued to spread. We had a month and a half with her before it was time to ease her pain. She was the first dog that I had to put down and it was an incredibly painful experience. There are many days that I find myself thinking of her and wishing that she were still around. Fortunately my other two dogs were a great comfort as I dealt with my sadness.

Speaking of the other two dogs… Saphira (13 year old corgi) and Huxley (1.5 year old sheltie) definitely felt the loss of Sasha. Huxley was still quite the playful pup and so we decided that we wanted to add another puppy to the mix. It seemed like a quick decision, but looking back I am so glad we did. We got another sheltie and I named him Harry (after Harry Potter). His personality has been a great addition with his energy and loving attention. He and Huxley are best buds and they play and wrestle and cuddle together. It’s been a real joy to have in the house.

In other news, I injured my left foot in early July and was dealing with physical therapy for a few months. Finally the week of Thanksgiving I had surgery and am now on the mend! It’s slow going, but I am optimistic that I’ll be able to do more walking once I go through the remaining physical therapy.

I had a couple trips this year to visit family. First, a visit to my dad in Indiana was a really good time. We made an effort to do things like go to the local zoo and even went up to Lake Michigan. I even got to see some other family while I was there. Then in October, I went to North Carolina to visit my sister and my niece. Hard to believe my niece is a year old already!

Overall it was a good year. I learned a lot of new things and had some quality time with family which is very important to me. I will still be attending an occasional conference and be active with The In-Depth Genealogist, but I will be a bit more selective about where I spend my free time. So I will see y’all again soon… online or in person!