Looking Back Before Looking Foward

I remember the turn of the century, the Y2K scare, the big parties. The BIG 2-0-0-0. I know exactly what I was doing - laying on the couch suffering with depression and a nasty cold. It seemed fitting to be sick on the couch during such a grand event I didn't care to be a part of anyway. Now that this decade is ending, I want to take a quick look back before focusing on the future. Walk with me, if you wish.

(2001) A year later, I had managed to "break the chains" of depression and started living again. After just over 2 years of sleeping, feeling numb and being completely disengaged, I suddenly felt...like I could breathe. (It was weird how it had happened too, like the light switch just flipped on one day.) This year is the year I met Matt. This is the year we moved in together. The year he graduated from college.

(2002) I went back to college. At 30. Enough said.

(2003-2005) My life was completely taken over with studying, tests, books, notes, classes. I was a robot going through the motions of life as a college student. I seem to vaguely recall a few much needed drunken nights after final exams. Matt and I also took our very first big vacation together. We took 8 days in between semesters and visited New Orleans, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. It was what I needed before beginning my final year of school.

(2006) We rang in this New Year with a bunch of friends on a Carnival Cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. I don't remember much of this cruise which tells me I had one fantastic time! In May, much to my surprise and relief, I graduated with my Chemical Engineering degree. After graduating, I fell into a funk again. Not as bad as before, but definitely a funk. I had spent the last 4 years running at such a high level of stress, I didn't know what to do with myself. It took me awhile to learn to relax. Matt and I were also unsure of our relationship at this point. School had taken so much of my time over the past few years we weren't sure if we knew each other any longer.

(2007) Matt and I became engaged. Obviously, we worked on our relationship and decided this was the right decision for us.

(2008) Wow! This was an exciting year FULL of changes and new adventures. In February, I interviewed for a new job in Northern Virginia and was told the same day that I got the job. A week later, I was told I had four weeks to get my stuff together and move up to Virginia. In March, I moved 1000 miles away from my fiance one month before our wedding. (Yeh, just a bit frantic) After several flights home for weekend visits, Matt and I married in April. I came back to Virginia to work one last week before we took off for our 3 1/2 week European Honeymoon where we visited parts of Italy, Greece, Monaco and Turkey. I then left my new husband in Florida, moved in with my friend Sarah, worked and waited until July when Matt moved up so we could finally start our married life together. Whew!

(2009) Another exciting year for me. In early January, we bought our first home. A three story town home just minutes from my job. It needed a bit of elbow grease, but once we were done (in October) it was exactly what we wanted. We renovated the kitchen, laid new carpet, painted every square inch and stained/sealed the deck. Also in January, we found ourselves pregnant with our first child. In May we learned the sex of the baby and in early October, we were proud parents of a 9 pound baby girl. We were also lucky enough to spend one month back home in Florida visiting with family and friends and showing off our daughter before I returned to work.

As this decade draws to a close, and I look back over the past 10 years, there isn't one thing I regret. I have a wonderful husband, a healthy and beautiful baby girl, a nice home, a good job, fantastic friends (both far and near) and a loving family. This decade started off gloomy but I wouldn't change a thing. It has made me stronger and grateful for what I have. I can honestly say I'm beginning a new decade happier than I have ever been. I'm looking forward to the changes and challenges 2010 will bring.

Happy New Year!
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* If you're lucky and I feel ambitious tomorrow, I'll see what pictures from the past 10 years I can dig up to share with you.

Enamored

Many years ago, when Matt and I began to date exclusively, I decided to introduce him to my closest friend. This was important to me only because I tended to pick boyfriends on extreme opposite ends of the spectrum. They were either too good or really bad. You know the types, so good you lose interest the next day - borrring - or the type of bad that made you cling to them hopelessly, knowing it was never going anywhere. I figured Matt had to be one or the other and I was too enamored to see it. Sarah was always good at telling me what I didn't want to hear or pointing out what I didn't want to see.

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Like the time we went shopping and when I came out of the dressing room sporting this dress that I just loved, she told me to take it off. It looked better on the hanger. You got to love that type of honesty.

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Anyway.

I asked Sarah and Gabe over for dinner. I believe, at this point, they had already met Matt at our favorite pub but who can really get to know someone screaming over loud music. I figured a quiet evening at home would open the conversation up a bit. I remember the four of us sitting in my apartment eating dinner around the coffee table - because we were young and poor back then, a dining room table was well beyond our means - hoping they didn't notice any serial killer tendancies or anything else that would make me scurry in the opposite direction. Towards the end of the evening, I quietly asked Gabe what he thought. He liked him. I then asked Sarah what she thought and her exact words were (I'll never forget them because it so wasn't what I was looking for at the time) "You'd make beautiful babies together."

(Choke. Cough. Ahem. Ooooo-kay.)

Moving forward nine years, Matt and I have made a baby together. I'm completely enamored with her. I stare at her all the time. I squeeze her and kiss her and smell her little head. I'm completely amazed that we made something so adorable. So beautiful.

I am in love.

Thanks for the warning Sarah, although it wasn't exactly what I was looking for at the time, you were so right. And no, I'm not biased at all.

In other news, our daughter is growing like a weed. At her 2 week appointment, she's gained 1 full pound and grown almost an entire inch in length when compared to her 1 week appointment. After double checking the measurements, the doctor stated the obvious. "Yep, she's going to be a big girl."

Feelin' the Love

You guys should go visit Sarah's post here and see some really funny pictures of us through the years, including some high school photos. It verifies that we are really this old. Although, I'll never admit it and I will always refuse to act my age - whatever "acting my age" is supposed to be!

As for the job, everything is moving right along. Nothing really exciting to report. The first three days are orientation and seem to last forever - as every orientation does. I have a lot of training classes to take and a lot of catching up and learning to do. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Or maybe this is over excitment. I'm not sure.

The first month, beginning next Wednesday, I will be pulling 12 hour shifts over night with a senior team in order to help me get up to speed as soon as possible. I'm not sure how I'll do on an over night shift, but I'll do whatever it takes to get where I need to be for this job. With any luck, I will learn quickly and be able to start my normal 8 hour "1st shift" (8a-5p) when I come back from our honeymoon.
(Mmmmm...Hon-ey-moooooooonn...Squeek!)

Don't laugh too hard at the pictures - we were only whipper-snappers!