This Decade

Lots of people are writing top five or ten lists for the last decade. I don't have the energy to write a top whatever list, but I thought I would just list some notable events--good and bad.

People I've Lost
Jon
My Grandma
My Dad

These are three biggies. Jon's accident was in 1999, but he died in 2000. What a way to start the decade. But it was his death that made me realize I couldn't spend the rest of my life as it was. I was living in a town of 1000 people in central Wisconsin and working at a job I hated. That's when I decided it was time to go back to school.

My grandmother helped raise me. She meant the world to me. In 2000 she had brain surgery (she was 94). She lived for two more years. Her death broke my heart, but she was ready. And there is something comforting knowing that she did everything she wanted to do and she died when she was ready to go.

My dad. I started this blog three weeks before he died. I knew he wouldn't live through the year. I found out the Christmas before he died that he was having chest pains, shortness of breath, and other things that all pointed to the massive heart-attack that killed him. As much as we fought, it's amazing how much his death affected me. Three-and-a-half years later and it still does.

People I've Gained
My three nieces. My nephew was born January 1999. My brother refers to my nieces as "devil-nieces." They kind of are. But I only see them once a year so despite their screechiness and diva-tude, I think they are pretty amazing.

Friends. Friends in library school. Friends in Mississippi. I wish I could say I have gained friends where I am now, but I haven't, really. Leaving my friends in Mississippi was the hardest thing about moving. I knew it would be, but I never knew how hard. As I mentioned before, they were the best group of people I've had in my life since college.

Old friends. With the help of Facebook I have found several dear old friends and reunited with some of them. It's been really great to reconnect with these people fifteen+ years later. What's even more amazing is that it's like nothing has changed. When I think about it, this year has been the year of long-lost friends. I've been able to reconnect with many old friends. People I never knew I missed until I found them again.

Things I Did
I earned a master's degree. I moved from Wisconsin to Mississippi to Washington--all in about five years. It never seemed like a lot while I was in the middle of it, but looking back, it was. Big moves, big changes. The trip from Mississippi to Washington took five days. It was the most I had ever driven and the first time I'd ever driven across mountains. It was pretty damn cool. I moved to Washington hoping this was a place I could settle. It is a place I could settle. It's amazingly beautiful and even though the fog can be oppressive and this morning I laid in bed swearing because it was still dark at 8:00am, it's lovely. But, there are other reasons I may not be able to settle here, but not things I want to post on a blog. I will say I never thought I would get to this age without having a group of people around me. While I love this area, it's been damn near impossible to find my own people.

Went to Lambeau Field, Twice. Maybe not a big deal to everyone, but it is huge to me. Going to Lambeau in 2007 and then again in 2009 was amazing. I hope to make it an annual trip. I have been to three Packers' games over the last three years. One in Seattle and two in Green Bay. All fun, but nothing can ever compare to Lambeau.

Whale Watching. Seriously, it was awesome. If I could spend every waking moment on the water, I would.

I became a vegetarian (2000, I think. Maybe it was 1999. Honestly, it all blends together). And then a vegan (2008).