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!