A Denver Family's Adventure Through The Ups And Downs of Life



Thursday, December 31, 2009

My Life During the 2000's

My life has COMPLETELY changed since the start of 2000. Here are just a few highlights of my life during the first decade of the new millennium:

2000: I rang in the new millennium with my boyfriend who was (let's just say) not too nice to me. I was living in Columbus, OH. I had finished college, but didn't have any real direction. I had taken a vacation to CO the year before and decided that it was where I was going to move. I dumped my boyfriend, moved back into my parent's house and started saving money. Surprisingly, there weren't too many fights with my parents and they were very supportive.

2001: In early April I took the plunge and packed up all my stuff for the cross-country move. My BFF Jody and her daughter Becca drove my car while I drove the moving truck for our 3 day adventure. My parents were very worried that I wouldn't be able to make it in a new place so far away from my childhood home, but they wished me well. On April 11th, I moved into an apartment to start my new life.
On September 7, 2001, I accepted my first FT marketing position and was scheduled to start work on September 17, 2001. My gamble was going to pay off.
September 11, 2001- There isn't more to say about that.
34 Calendar days after beginning my new position, I was laid off. I barely made it through 2001 by working various temp jobs.

2002: Still in CO, temp jobs sustained me until I found another FT marketing position with a HR consulting firm. What a great job-- 4 weeks paid vacation, small office, great responsibilities. I dated a few people, but it was never very serious. I took a solo vacation to Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone. I smelled like sulphur for 3 weeks, but it was totally worth it. I had some great friends and dated some people, but nothing too serious.

2003: I was able to take another solo vacation; and this time I drove to SLC, Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. What a great vacation. My HR consulting job was steady and things were looking great. Halfway through the year, I was laid off due to economic conditions in the industry. It happens. I have no hard feelings (anymore). Of course I was pissed initially. I took a chance and went on Match.com to look for a boyfriend. I had a few dates and ended up being matched with Brian. I winked at him and he winked back. We started talking online then on the telephone. We set up our first formal date on December 12, 2003.

2004: After doing some temp work, I was able to secure a position with Ouray Sportswear, a screen print and embroidery company. This was my most relaxed job. I was allowed to set my own hours (6am-3:30pm) and go to work in jeans every day. My relationship with Brian was going along so well that we decided to move in together.

2005: Yuck another lay off. The sportswear company was reorganizing their customer service department and absorbed my job. I received a great severance package and started looking for another job. Temp positions save me again. I was able to have "steady" temp work through the remained of the year.
My personal life was going wonderfully. Brian and I became engaged on July 15th and began planning a Summer 2006 wedding.

2006: While my personal life was souring (minus my grandfather passing away), my professional life was going okay, but not wonderfully. I started another new position with a natural foods company. The position was below my intellectual ability, but it was a job and I was thankful for it. By the start of 2006, plans were already mostly solidified for our July 29th wedding. What a beautiful occasion. We were married on the patio at Willow Ridge Manor in Morrison overlooking the foothills. Everything turned out so well. We honeymooned in Paris, Venice and Rome-- the trip of a lifetime. The rest of the year sailed by like I was on a cloud.

2007: Brian and I decided that were were ready to start a family so the first thing that we needed to do was to quit smoking. I was able to do that in 10 days with Chantix. I did not have any of the bad side effects that are described in the commercials. The foods company reorganized our department and I became a data entry person; completely below my education and ability so I began looking for another job. I found it in March and now I'm a Marketing Coordinator with my own office and a door (my first). To make sure that I didn't restart smoking, I wanted to start an exercise program. I was able to complete 2 half marathons in 2007 (the original one that I was training for- Denver Half Marathon for Teams in Training and the Georgetown-Idaho Springs Half Marathon). What an amazing accomplishment.

2008: After 11 months, we found out we were pregnant on our 2nd wedding anniversary, July 29th. I did not experience any morning sickness or cravings. My pregnancy was pretty textbook. We decided that we were going to give birth at a birthing center instead of a hospital, so we began visiting the Mountain Midwifery Center and their midwives. On November 24th we found out that we were having a boy.

2009: The only thing that I didn't like about being pregnant was not being able to be comfortable sleeping. Most of the time I ended up sleeping on our chaise lounge in the loft. My due date was April Fool's Day. I thought that it would be cool to have Sam born on his due date. What a great story. Sam didn't see it that way.
On Saturday, March 28th at 11:15, I started having real contractions. When they started coming 4 minutes apart we went to the birthing center and Sam was born at 5:36am on Sunday. I gave birth naturally in a birthing tub. I was so proud of myself.
The past 9 months having this magnificent child in our lives has been great. I never knew that I could survive on the least amount of sleep ever.

I stole this last line from my friend Katie, but it reflects my life and hopes for everyone.
It's been a decade of ups and downs, joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. Here's hoping that the next decade is good to us all!

1 comment:

  1. Brian's mom sent this to me. Thank you Andrea.

    Angie, I can't figure out how to "comment" on your blog: I'll just tell you that you're such a special person; you're funny, sweet, thoughtful, a devoted wife and mother; we're so glad you chose to spend your life with Brian, and give us the joy of a beautiful Grandson who is so happy and thriving. I hope this decade is even better than the last--with adventures, love, and happiness.

    Your friend (I hope),
    Andrea

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