A decade

When I started the 2000's, life was quite different.

Obviously. I mean...we're talking 10 years here. It doesn't matter how boring you are, 10 years vastly changes your life view.

But when the calendar changed from 1999 to 2000:

--I was a newlywed

--I was watching the ball drop over Times Square...at 9pm. First New Years in PST.

--I was miserable in my job, still fighting the urge to drive off the edge of the highway each day home from work. Or driving off into the sunset and leaving my life behind.

--I was eating a lot of Chicken Voila.

--I was jealous of my college friends who had gone on to grad school...I missed the life of a student.

--I was jealous every time my family did anything together. So so so homesick.

--I had NO desire to become a parent.

--I was 30 pounds lighter than I am now...but that Chicken Voila was going to change that soon.

--I was miserable.


You could not pay me enough money to go back to New Year's 2000. While I was happy to be married to Jeff, I was bitter that we were living on the west coast, unable to appreciate it or enjoy it. I was realizing that my life-long goal and desire to be a teacher was a big fat mess. A big fat mistake. I was homesick and not giving California a chance to be anything other than "Not Home."

It's been a good 10 years. Lots of growing up. Lots of reproducing. Lots of moving. Lots of adjusting and adapting to change. Not much career growth or enlightenment. Not much improvement in health or wellness.

I have few expectations for how the next 10 years will end up. I will have a 16, 13, and 11 year old, and unless there is a miracle of science, no others. I will probably be working full time. We will probably be in a new house...quite possibly in a new state. I will have more nieces and nephews. I may finally learn how to spell words like separate and museum without spell check on. I may have an actual hair style...and I will probably have to start dealing with grays. My wisdom teeth are going to need to come out. I may have glasses. Let's hope that I finally have curtains on the windows (although that hasn't changed in 10 years yet...)