The Past Decade

It's hard to believe we are starting a new decade. It seems like it was just yesterday that everyone was freaking out about Y2K and what would happen when we rolled over to the year 2000. Now here I am awake at 6:00 am on January 1, 2010 thinking about all that has happened in my life these past ten years. The first word that comes to mind is change, which there was A LOT of. So because I am up early and Katie is still sleeping, I thought it would be fun to summarize the biggest changes in my life these past ten years.

1. Graduated from Metro State College of Denver in 2001. Even after changing schools three times, I still stayed on track and finished in four years which was something my parents REALLY wanted.
   
2. Started my career with Head Start the summer after graduation. Little did I know that teaching preschool would lead to so many other opportunities.
   
3. In 2002 I changed positions and became more like a Social Worker for the Head Start program. It was a wonderful opportunity and led to what I do today.
   
4. 2004 brought the biggest change of all when I packed up my car and my cat and moved to Bellingham. For someone who thrives on planning and predictability that was the craziest thing I have ever done. I had no job, no home, and no friends which led to many tearful nights. Little did I know that that move would turn out to be the best thing to happen in my life.
5. Within a few months of getting here I found a cute little studio and my dream job as a Family Service Specialist with the Head Start program in Mount Vernon. I had a 30 minute commute but it was through beautiful forests rather than through polluted traffic). And the best part was that I not only was working for Head Start but I was doing the same job I had been doing in Denver. Things were looking up!
   
6. In the summer of 2006, I walked in the Breast Cancer 3 Day. This was an amazing experience that I plan to do again in Denver in a few years.
   
7. The best change of all came in September, 2006 when after two very lonely years and way too many bad dates, I met the man of my dreams. We met on MySpace through a friend of a friend and within a week of that first date at Applebees, Jeff and I knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.
8. Jeff proposed in December, 2006
   
9. We got married June 9, 2007
   
10. In April, 2008 we found out we were going to be parents. I will never forget that night!
11. Bought our first house in May, 2008
12. Our beautiful baby girl was born January 6, 2009
13. I turned 30 in June, 2009 with a wonderful surprise party thrown by my husband.
    
14. And in October, 2009 we found out that our family of three was becoming a family of four.

Ten years ago if you had asked me where I wanted to be in life by the year 2010, this is exactly what I would have said. My life is everything I ever have dreamed of!

Happy New Year everyone!