I've seen so many yearly review posts on blogs in the last day or so. It's really gotten me to thinking about the past year as far as blogging goes. Because I've been feeling kind of down lately and like I haven't accomplished the kinds of goals I had hoped to, I've decided that it's probably a good idea to take a look at the past year objectively to get a fresh perspective on what I've actually done. Here goes.

Going Places

I was lucky enough to start off the year by heading off to Nashville for Blissdom in February. I got to meet and travel with one of my favorite online friends, Angela Moore, as well as hang out with some fabulous bloggers. I also got to see Harry Connick Jr. perform. Swoon!

In May, I was fortunate enough to be asked to spend the day getting to know Chevrolet. It was an amazing day because I got the chance to learn about the new cars from Chevy and experience them up close. I also met a great group of bloggers from Pittburgh and the surrounding area and established some really wonderful relationships. And we were able to visit some local sites like Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Seven Springs. It was so nice.

That day with Chevrolet carried on to a future relationship when Chevy so generously donated a 2011 Traverse for me and three fellow mom bloggers to drive to the Type-A Mom conference in Asheville, NC. We had such a great time. I really bonded with my fellow Pittsburgh area mom bloggers and learned so much at the conference, connecting with tons of fabulous women and enjoying Asheville food and culture.

Brushes With Celebrity

2010 really was the year of celebrity encounters for me. I had the opportunity to meet or talk to a lot of very cool, well-known people. First, I'll mention that I had the chance to talk to Dr. Oz - twice. I was able to listen in on two teleconferences and ask one question of him each time. The first time was in June. Sadly, I was so busy with summertime activities and the kids being home, that I didn't take the time to write anything up. I won't make that mistake this time. I just talked to him last week about his weight loss program for the new year. Stay tuned for info on Dr. Oz's new weight loss program and some insight on his own food weaknesses very soon!

I had some fun encounters with a couple of my kids' favorite Nickelodean and Disney stars. We were able to attend a Pittsburgh grocery event and meet Reed Alexander, who plays Neville on iCarly. He was promoting his new cookbook, and he was absolutely adorable and sweet. The kids loved him, too!

The kids and I also ran into Rachael Bell, who plays Addison on Disney's Suite Life on Deck at our local grocery store. Seriously, we did. She happens to live in our town and goes to the local high school She was such a sweet girl. The kids were shy about meeting her, but she was so gracious and friendly.

Speaking of child stars. It was very cool to be able to interview Candace Cameron Bure, of Full House fame. I was inspired by her drive to be a healthy mom to her kids and her commitment to her faith. It was very nice to talk to her. In fact, she has a book coming out, and I believe I'll be interviewing her again by email very soon. Keep an eye out for that!

One of the greatest thrills I had this past year was when I talked to Carol Evans, the President of Working Mother Media. What an inspiring woman. She started out selling advertising when Working Mother magazine first launched in the '70's. She's worked her way up, all the while raising her own children. Carol had lots of advice for women in the workforce as well as moms who stay at home.

Professional Achievements

Whew! This post is getting very long, so I'll try to wrap things up quickly. While I haven't had the kinds of professional writing achievements I had hoped to reach this year, I have made some fabulous partnerships and earned a bit from my own blogs. This has inspired me to consider branching out and growing my own online projects. I think this is truly where my passion lies and that I've been avoiding pursuing my own projects out of fear, all the while searching for something more secure. Success is worth the risk. I plan to keep this in mind as I move forward into 2011.

So I guess I didn't have such a bad year, after all. I totally recommend taking some time to analyze your own year in review. You may be surprised at how far you've come. Tell me, what was your greatest achievement of 2010? What are you most proud of?