Wednesday, December 30, 2009

A Decade in Review

I saw this idea on another blog and loved it...so I have to borrow it.. It is amazing to think of 10 years and what changes have occured in my life! God is so good and faithful!
(disclaimer: this is long, once I started got excited about documenting milestones! more for me than you!)
2000

Adjusted to life in the real world with first job as a Registered Nurse
Learned how to deal with the stress of working in ICU
Bought my first home (a townhouse)
Realized living on my own was lonely even though I was still 15 min from mom and dad
Met the man of my dreams and realized he would one day be my husband

2001

Jan 26th, got engaged to my prince charming and started planning a wedding
Wanted to marry in may, got talked into september for "financal reasons"
Realized my future husband was brilliant and full of potential
Signed him up for the MAT without him knowing then drove him to take it so he could go to graduate school (his dream but needed a kick in the back side)
Start the application process for john to go to anesthesia school
Prayed for guidance in so many life changing areas
Sept 8th- marry the man of my dreams
Sept 11th- watch the twin towers fall while on a cruise ship on our honeymoon.
Try to get in touch with family from ship, no luck.
Feel sad and scared and try to enjoy the honeymoon anyway
sept 20something- get on a plane for interview to Duke for john, near panic attack flying so close to the terrorist attacks
dec-john interviews in kansas for anesthesia school
I don't go because "God would never send me to Kansas!"
John gets accepted to KU immediately.
I tell my family and new hubby I can't go to kansas
God starts revealing His plan for us to go to where?KANSAS

2002

John interviews at UAB, knowing he had KU to fall back on
I hope to fall in love with birmingham while there, hate it
March-put house up for sale to get ready to move to kansas
thinking it will take a while, sells in 2 days
Move in with mom and dad for 2 months while getting ready for move to kansas
May-move to kansas, john starts school
I stay behind to finish working and become and aunt for the first time!
I join john in kansas. hardest move of my life.
Have to totally rely on GOD for everything.
Find amazing job with nursing agency at 2 great hospitals
Make enough to support john going through school and live in 2 bedroom apt.
Realize how stressful it is to bethe breadwinner, move away from home, get married, and start feeling alone and lost
Homesick and depressed
Realize the honeymoon is over and had no clue how hard marriage really was going to be
Take a much needed vacation to the beach following john's first semester in grad school
Pack my bags for home and tell my hubby this is too hard (didn't ever make it out the front door)
decide to "stick it out" and adjust my expectations
Find an amazing church and start going to a couples bible study in kansas

2003

John starts in the OR for anesthesia school and stress levels reach an all time high.
Marriage is tough and my prayer life gets an overhaul.
Start longing for a family and the desire to have a baby burns in me
Realize we hadn't gotten pregnant and had been married almost 2 years.
Countless doctor's appointments and a diagnosis of infertility
Depressed, devistated, exhausted
Cry myself to sleep for weeks
mourn the loss of not conceiving and start praying for a miracle (along with hundreds of other people through prayer chains)
may- travel home for hubby's best friend's wedding
June- get in-vitro payment plan in the mail and again grieve over the thought of not having children
See 2 faint lines and realize God loves me
Take 3 more tests and know a miracle has taken place
Hospitalized for hyperemesis and find out pregnancy is tough
Stress out about not being able to work while so sick and being the bread winner.
Meet and get to know my best friend through work
Continue to enjoy new and growing friendships through church and small group
Go to marriage counseling
Found out we would be having a BOY

2004

Working way too much, days, nights, weekends, ICU, labor and delivery all with agency, trying to keep up with bills and pregnancy
Blood pressure goes up and swelling starts. pregnancy does not agree with me
Feb 27th-induced and deliver a healthy baby boy after a very trying and painful labor
Bond with my miracle
Hubby excells in school and looks forward to a dec graduation.
realize my hubby is the best father I could ever have hoped for for my son (and more)
Baby blues set in
Have to go back to work
Gramma (my mom) makes a trip to kansas 9 times in 9 months to watch jackson while I work and sleep
Aug-trip to louisiana to house hunt and look for a job, realize family is what matters
Spend every penny we have to put a contract on builing our dream home
Dec- john finishes anesthesia school after much blood, sweat, and tears for both of us
Move home to louisiana and back in with my parents as our dream home finishes contruction
Jackson learns to walk and we are amazed everyday with our miracle and how wonderful he is

2005

Jan- john studies every waking minute for boards
John starts new job
11month old jackson is rushed to the ER with anaphylactic reaction to eggs (scariest few hours of my life)
Feb-move into dream home
Jackson turns 1
March- realize that God has a wonderful plan for us and that includes blessing us with another miracle baby
Aug 29th- Hurricane Katrina changes life as we know it forever
Again count our blessings-our home was spared
Endure another sick pregnancy and watch blood pressure go up
Realize it's hard to be pregnant and take care of a 1 year old
Nov 16- Logan Maxwell is born and my life is filled with joy

2006

Jan 1st brings God's faithfullness in john's job transition to new employer
Adjust to life with 2 boys
Settle into roll as stay at home mom and love it
Vacation back to kansas to visit dearly missed friends, didn't go quite as planned
Still adjusting to living in hurricane ravaged town

2007

John gets idea to write a book, I never knew he could write
Boys start mommy's day out
I lose 70 pounds of baby weight
Start making deeper friendships at church through couples small group- open up our home for meetings
Continue to learn that marriage is hard work and adjust to the demands of 2 kids on our relationship
Vacation in pensacola and realize how blessed I am
Enjoy hours of boating, swimming, and good ole' louisiana living with parents and sisters close by.
Realize family get togethers are crazy with 7 cousins under the age of 6

2008

My hubby spends hundreds of hours writing, editing, and ultimately self-publishing his book about anesthesia
Worry our oldest may have autistic traits, start evaluations and countless therapy session with multiple disciplines (ST, OT, etc.)
prayer life again gets revved up thinking about wanting only the best for our boys
Head back to the beach for our favorite vacation spot.


2009


Watch Jackson excel in school and progress through speech therapy and occupational therapy enough that our fears and concerns diminish
Train for and complete my first ever triathlon
I go back to work for first time in 5 years
Take a trip to Branson, Mo with in-laws
Boys meet mickey mouse!!! great vacation to disney with my parents
The most perfect beach vacation yet with crystal clear water and perfect weather. The boys love the sand
Can't shake the desire for another baby
Pray about adopting
Sign up for half marathon to race in 2010
Struggle with finding out who I am and what I'm here for...



1 comment:

dwhite said...

Wow! What a look back - amazing what can happen in 10 years, isn't it? Your whole world (literally) can change. I might have to work on one of these. Thanks for the inspiration - of this an much more!!

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