Hello 2010!

Wow! Is it really the year 2010? This past week has moved me to think a lot about the past decade and how much my life has changed and how much I, as a person have changed. The year 2000 was my senior year of college. I remember the frenzy that occured because everyone just KNEW that it was going to be the end of the world. If the world didn't end, then of course, all of our clocks and computers were going to crash and never work again! For whatever reason, I never got too worked up about it and looking back, I laugh at all the panamonia it caused! If you are a believer in our God, you know that no person knows when our Savior will return for us so why would anyone try to predict it?!
I graduated spring of 2001 and took a job at a brand new Kindercare daycare/preschool. I loved the kids remember being shocked because I never thought I would work with kids but strongly felt led that was where God was putting me. After about 4 months of not being able to tolerate the unprofessional management, I left Kindercare and started working for The Center for Mental Health in Anderson as a case manager on the child team. This gave me the freedom to create my own schedule and be creative in how I worked with the kids on my case load. It also opened my eyes up to some very sad situations that some kids are raised in. That job toughened me and took away a lot of my sensitivities which turned out to be both good and bad.

2002 was a fabulous year! I married the love of my life and love him more today than the day I married him! We bought our first house in Noblesville and were on top of the world. We lived as DINKS (Double Income, No Kids) and very much enjoyed life and each others company. 2003 was another great year as we continued to live life and learn the ropes of being in the "real world." I remember Brad going through many job changes, some by choice to better himself or for better pay and some that were not by choice and came as total shock. I remember hurting for him as I could see how much it was hurting his pride to not have a job while I was working. Thank God we did not yet have kids!

In March of 2004, our lives forever changed! Our beautiful little Gabriana Nicole came into the world on the 13th! She stole our hearts and wrapped her daddy right around her finger! He's still there and I think he will forever stay! Parenthood has been one of the best things that has ever happened to us and I love how it challenges me. Yes, frustrations and anger arise but it always gets made up with giggles and complete joy. During the fall of '04, I had a strong desire to live a little closer to my side of the family. While I had no desire to live in Shipshewana, I wanted to convenience of being able to go and see them without such a long drive so Brad and I made the move to Ft. Wayne. Brad had found a job with GE (now Medical Protective) and commuted for 3 months before we decided that it was time to take the plunge and rent and apartment so we could have more family time. It was a struggle and I remember days when my cupboards were almost bare, except for formula and baby food but we survived!

The summer of '05 brought some majorly hot weather and a strong desire to get out of the apartment life so why not rent a cute little farmhouse in the country with NO AIR CONDITIONING! The day we moved in it was 90 plus degrees. I remember our family leaving after everything was in the house and Brad stripping down to his boxers and I down to my shorts and sports bra and just looking at each other like, "What did we just do?" We have many "warm" but fond memories of the farm house. The first morning we woke up there we had 5 deer grazing in our backyard. We also had bunnies, racoon, and I remember looking out my kitchen window to a big, fat groundhog staring up at me! I also remember taking Gabby out the back to pick red raspberries and eating them right off the bush! Yum! That summer was a doozy! I found out in May I was pregnant, later that month, Benny slipped a disc in his back. We were prepared to put him down but my parent's came to the rescue and helped us fund a back surgery for him. Benny came home 8 days later and I gave him physical therapy 3 times per day. He started walking again in September! August 11, we took Gabby to a Wizards baseball game for his company summer picnic. We had great seats and Gabby had talked all day about how we were going to the baseball game that night. As the second batter stepped up to the plate and hit the ball, it fouled, came up in the stands and hit Gabby right in the head before bouncing off her and spinning higher into the stands. After several hours in the ER, we found out she had a heirline skull fracture. God worked his magic and blessed us with a fully recovered little girl. We were so grateful that she turned out o.k. It could have been so much worse! And....to wrap up that summer, our water softener went out at the farmhouse we were renting. The landlord didn't think he should have to replace it and at that point, we felt it was time to start searching for a house of our own. On August 31, we took posession of our new house which is where we currently live.

In February of '07, Carson joined our family. It was now complete. I have always seen myself with a boy and a girl! He arrived and filled our hearts with contentment and happiness and continues to every day! Two weeks after Carson was born, my grandmother passed away. I was two days away from taking Carson to meet her. I remember feeling a lot of anger toward her for slipping off to Heaven before I got there to see her! What a blur that time of my life is. To have been post partum and then dealt with that loss was almost too much. If it had not been for the grace of our Father and the support of family, I don't know what I would have done.

Hard to believe but 2008 is not bringing back any thing significant right now.

2009 was a challenging but good year for us. After noticing some things in Carson that we did not feel were quite "right" we had him evaluated and found there were some delays that we then began services for. Gabby also started kindergarten and seemed to change from a preschooler to a little girl overnight. Our conversations get more and more intellectual (for a 5 year old) every day it seems. I cherish these times and look forward to many more meaningful talks. Brad's insurance business is flourishing and he absolutely loves his job! It's so great to see him in a profession he loves and watch him work so hard at it. The victories are sweet and the losses are learning experiences but we move on and he strives harder to get the next account! The losses are becoming fewer and further between and it's great to watch him grow! I love that he can make his own schedule which allows for him to attend programs and events for Gabby or be home if I need to go to the doctor or any other appointments where kids are not always appropriate. He is a wonderful father and husband and I don't know how I got so lucky to have him joined me in this journey we call life! I enjoy growing with him and know we have a fabulous future ahead of us.

So that, in a nutshell is just a glimpse of the last decade through my eyes. It's been a long post. Hope I didn't lose ya! Thanks for reading!