sabine | Decade in Review (Reply)

I'm a couple days late on this. I blame a child who only wants to eat well at night and plays all day. Also, there's too much good college football on TV.

In the last decade I:

Finished college
Started a doctorate, but finished with a master's
Fell in and out of love
Visited new countries
Worked as a science teacher, science researcher, and as IT tech
Figured out my ideal job, but haven't yet been able to get it
Lived in two states and at several addresses
Adopted the sweetest and laziest greyhound of all. Dingbat dog.
Got a cell phone
Watched far too much football
Finally became friends with my little sister
Made some good decisions and some really bad ones, and learned from them both
Gained weight, lost it, gained it, lost it, and gained it again
Had my hair as short as it's ever been, as long as it's ever been, and many different colors of red
Gave up on contact lenses

I learned:

That antidepressants work much better when you take the entire daily dose every day
What a pain scale score of 10 really means
How to throw pottery
That dance class is the highlight of my week
How to apologize and repair friendships
Correct posture
How to sew clothes, garb, and quilts
That sushi is delicious
How to have friendships that last a decade
That my daughter's smile is the absolute best thing ever and mostly makes up for the 9 months of physical awfulness it took to get her
How to game and how to run them
That I shouldn't be allowed into JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Lush, or a used bookstore by myself
How to tell when my mental state is bad enough that I need to check myself into the psych ward
That marriage is a series of compromises and that being married to your best friend is awesome
How to ask for and accept help when I need it and that there are certain people who will always be there for me no matter what
That maybe I'm not such a bad person as I tend to think I am
That health insurance is worth its weight in gold

I bought:

A wedding dress
Plane tickets
Boat tickets
An old car and a new car
A house
Baby clothes
More books than I know what to do with
Far too much cloth, yarn, and cross-stitch stuff

I celebrated:

My friends' weddings
New babies
My own wedding
My sister's wedding, even though I couldn't be there
The beginning of the decade on the banks of the Thames with friends and the end on my couch with my husband.
Birthdays including being able to legally drink, rent a car for less, and the big 3-0
Many holidays with friends and family

There were some really crappy times and some amazing ones. I'm looking forward to the 10s to see what happens next!