2009 – a year in review

What a year 2009 has been!!! Let’s see if I can capture all that has happened.

I stopped dancing professionally. I started a freelance paralegal business. I started blogging. I joined Twitter. I took classes at a local university in San Diego.I found a regular client through a cold call. I started taking ballet classes again. I took a summer law school class at a local law school. I stopped dancing. I started moonlighting for a social media company. I started dancing again. I took the LSAT. I was the guest blogger/tweeter for the NALS conference in Irvine, CA where I had a blast. I went to Blog World Expo which was absolutely amazing (and I am for sure attending in 2010!!!) Meanwhile, through out all of this, I had met someone who originally was just a friend who would discuss cases with me and was helpful during my summer law class. He is now my boyfriend. I moved to Northern Virginia and I have experienced my first white Christmas on the East Coast. I have a new job in Washington DC and my company still exists in San Diego. I joined NALS and I am on their @Law committee (which is their publication).

Wow! 2009 was a year of growth, learning, figuring out life and what I want, and having the guts to move across country and try new things. All in all, it was a great year. I look forward to 2010 and the new things to come. I am confident that 2010 will be an even better year.

I am grateful for every experience. I am also really glad that I have joined Twitter. I have found clients on there, I have made professional connections, and most of all I have made friends. There are many people, such as Susan and Elisa, whom I am so glad are in my life and make me proud to call them friends. 🙂

How has your year been? Leave a link below so I can read about your year in review.

Blog World 2009 Rocks My Socks!

I wrote this post, for the most part, right after BWE ended. Due to some personal complications it is not getting posted until now (has it really only been one week since BWE? Seems longer!)

This was my first year attending Blog World Expo and all I can say is: WOW! It was amazing! First off, I wasn’t completely prepared for the sheer volume of people and the size of the convention center. Second, I wasn’t prepared for walking past people in the hallways who are the greats of the social media world. I think I actually tripped as I

Grace Boyle and I

walked past Chris Brogan. Also, I talked to people in real life that I never imagined I would such as Jun Loayza, Ben Parr, and Problogger. I got my picture take with Anthony Edwards (he was my favorite on ER. I stopped watching after they killed off Dr. Greene) How I kept from passing out with excitement is beyond me.

There were so many great educational sessions offered. Many of them I wanted to attend but couldn’t either because my pass didn’t allow me to (Note to self: start saving up for next year’s full access pass now) or because they were scheduled at the same time (Does anyone know if the sessions were recorded?). Pretty much, if you could think of it, there was a session on it. There was a huge exhibit hall with vendors, which is where I spent a lot of time. I got to hang out at the lijit booth with the amazing blogger Grace Boyle.

Honestly, my favorite part of Blog World was hanging out at the Blog World Radio booth.  I got to sit there and tweet my heart out about the radio shows that were being done live from the middle of the exhibit floor. There were so many great people as guest on the radio show…from Scott Stratten to DebNg to Adam Carolla (yes folks, that’s right…I sat at the table next to the table that Adam Carolla was sitting at…and didn’t take a picture…talk about being serious about your tweeting!) I now think that tweetchat is the greatest invention since sliced bread (read more about tweetchat here), tweeting for a living would be the best thing ever, and that I would love to do this again at other conferences (hint, hint people).

A good time was had by all….I think.

Angie Swartz, myself, Alan Underkofler