The 00's

In honor of New Year’s Eve today, I thought that I’d do a decade in review. I can honestly say that this has been the most influential and landmark decade of my life, but of course I’ve only got three to compare… The 80’s were fairly important to me, as I was born in 81 and don’t remember much of the rest of it but I obviously learned a lot in those years. The 90’s were fairly difficult as I started it as an 8 year old and ended it as an 18 year old. I got through those years as an awkward teenager and successfully graduated high school without a second glance. And then I moved to Utah in the summer of 99, starting the 00’s in the midst of total motherboard meltdown paranoia. But here we are ending the 00’s with many mixed emotions.

According to the Time magazine article, The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell, “the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post–World War II era.” I’m feeling like that may not be exactly true for my life. I look back to the start of the 00’s as myself being a very different person than I am now. I was a naïve 18 year old, living the first 6 months on my own in Utah. I wasn’t exactly buying into Y2K as the end of the world, and ready to start my life as my own. Of course, as the clock struck midnight, nothing really happened and I started on my path to how I am now ending 09. Though the country and world as a whole may view the first tenth of the 00’s as the worst decade ever, I see some pretty significant personal achievements occurring. “Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever you want — just give thanks that it is nearly over.” I’ll agree that I’m more than ready for 2010 to be a much better year than 2009, I’ve got some good things that have happened too.

We were expecting the 00’s to be more than it was, “Instead, it was the American Dream that was about to dim. Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end,”. True, the US as we knew it was about to change. We started and ended the 00’s in a bad place. We also had many other tragedies along the way – Hurricane Katrina, war in the Middle East, a Tsunami in Asia, shootings at Virginia Tech and Fort Hood most recently, economic and financial downfall, terrorist attacks and the like. Personally, I saw some heartbreaking things – the passing of an Aunt and an Uncle, lost jobs, financial insecurity and family dividedness.

On the other hand, some pretty landmark things have happened in my life. At the beginning of 2000 I became a Christian. What an important and amazing thing in my life. Through church, I have met the bestest friends I could have ever asked for. I also met my hubby, which of course, I didn’t marry until 2004, which is again, one the best things in my life. I graduated college in 03 and started my career path. I’m thankful for my job, that I’ve now been at since 06. We’ve bought two houses, sold one. And most recently, ranking up there with my fortune of meeting and marrying my husband, is having my first child, a son. What a complete joy in my life.

Though there have been deaths and births, marriages and divorces, new friends and old friends, heartbreak and joy, I am overall fortunate for my life and many, many blessings. I’m open to new things and ready for change and growth in my life. 2009 has been tough, probably the hardest that I can remember. Yet, it has also been the source of my greatest joys, therefore I’m conflicted about the ending of this year. I go forth in the next year hoping to be a more candid, respectful, thoughtful and gracious person. I hope I can reflect the joy of Christ through the living of my life and exemplify what it means to live a worthwhile and outwardly joyful life. I hope to be nicer and more giving to those in my life that I love, are angry with, don’t really know well or haven’t met yet. I’m learning to adjust my expectations of others and of situations, while at the same time elevating the expectations that I have on myself. I want my husband to be proud to have me as his wife, I want my son to reap the benefits of his mother, I want my family to be happy that I’m in their lives, and I want my friends to be lucky to have me as their friend.

In December 2009 alone, Reed has learned to crawl, gotten two teeth and has started to pull up on things. It won't be long now before he is standing and walking on his own. Hopefully it will be followed by words.

I’m excited to see what the 10’s bring, hopefully less tragedies and crime throughout the world, peace among nations, financial restoration, good deeds and much growth. I hope that during the next 10 years I can accomplish something worthwhile. I’m hoping for one more child in our life. I hope that Reed sees these next 10 years as the best of his life. I look forward to celebrating 10 years of marriage with my husband in 2014. I hope to travel to some places I’ve always wanted to go.

So for now, I wrap up my review of the 00’s. May everyone’s next 10 years be filled with joy, health, happiness and love.

Cheers~