Shiny New Decade

Tonight is the last night of this month, this year, this decade. I always feel like the start of the school year and heading into fall is a bigger transition and fresh page but I do tend to reflect with the end of the year as well. 2020! This seems so crazy to me. Aren't we all supposed to be driving (piloting?) flying cars by now? At any rate, I thought I could get a little nostalgic and spend this blog looking back on the last ten years' worth of big moments. :)

2010 - this was the year I started counselling. 24 years young. That has been undeniably one of the greatest gifts I have given to myself. I planted the seeds for some deep introspection. Some other highlights from that year were our first family road trip and watching our little Hannah walk down the aisle as a flower girl for one of my best friends.

2011 - my sister showed up on my doorstep in June of this year. She was 15, barefoot, totally breaking down. She needed someone to show up for her. I tried, not sure how much I helped, but I wanted to. I want to dedicate a post to this in the new year. I can't recall much of what else happened this year off the top of my head but I know that my dad came up to visit for his 50th birthday that November and that was a highlight.

2012 - after 4 years of chipping away at courses I earned my first uni certificate this year. It felt like a massive accomplishment - still does. I took Hannah just the two of us to visit my dad and stepmom this summer. It was a great trip. They had bought a beautiful character home in Victoria on a massive lot near a gorgeous park. We went into Vancouver to the aquarium, went up island to Cathedral Grove. She loved the soft mossy surfaces of the rain forest. And she ate virtually all of the peas and tomatoes out of their garden.

2013 - This year I got pregnant with our little Mack. We were a family of three for six years so it was a big adjustment. I was spoiled with a relatively easy pregnancy and went into labor on New Year's day 2014. My older brother got married this year as well and I traveled to Calgary to be there for a delicious 7 course Moroccan meal:)

2014 - Rang in this new year with a sweet, chubby (10 pounds, 6 ounces) bundle in my arms:) I took both girls on my own out to my dad's again that year. It was a lot of work with two but it was nice to get them out on the beach (my happy place)

2015 - this year was the start of a shift for me to go after what I wanted. My mat leave was challenging...I developed post-partum depression, my husband and I were in a terrible place, and financially we were drowning. But I needed things to change, so I committed to a 6 course fall semester at school. It was exhausting balancing that with work and life but it helped me move past the halfway mark in my degree and I really needed that for myself. We were gifted a trip to Disneyland that year and we took Hannah for 5 days for rides, pools, and the San Diego zoo! Another big highlight this year was one of my younger sisters getting married (the sister we took in), and she asked me to walk her down the aisle that day, Hannah got to reprise her role as flower girl as well.

2016 - my husband and I had started marriage counselling at the end of 2015 to decide if we could make it work between us. We decided we could, and we put a plan in place to fix things. The biggest stresses in our life were financial (stemming from an expensive addiction that I will expand on more later but am proud to say that my husband committed to stopping chewing tobacco that year and has never chewed again. This was and is a massive accomplishment) and part of what we needed to do was sell our house and start over financially. This was not easy, and it was very stressful, and my body basically gave out on me, but we did it. We also saw Hannah walk down the aisle for my younger brother in the park across the street from our dad's place in Victoria, right on the water. This year I also became an auntie for the first time to my sister's boy.

2017 - another 5 years of courses, another educational milestone. This year I finished my uni certificate in mgmt and officially registered in the bachelor of commerce program. It felt good to know I was getting closer. This year we were in a significantly simpler place and better place financially and so when my bestie called to ask if I would join her in Ireland I just jumped. We took an epic 12 day road trip that I still think about almost every day. I reconnected with who I am on that trip. I filled up my soul. I got my first niece this year too, my brother's girl.

2018 - I took a professional leap of faith this year by moving to a firm where I would see audits and review engagements for the first time. It was terrifying. But I learned so much and I showed myself that I am capable of really challenging work. It ultimately wasn't a fit for me, but I am so happy to have pushed myself out of my comfort zone like that. I also applied to the CPA Western School of Business as a mature student! I got another niece this year, the first from my sister.

2019 - this year we moved to our dream house, I started my dream job, and I got to take the girls to visit my dad and stepmom again, this time with my brother's wife joining me with their two girls (they gave me my third niece this year). The beach every day! Wine every night! His wife is like a sister to me so it was amazing. I also got to go to my first professional sports game - a hockey game....in a sky box! An incredible way to end the year and get to know my coworkers (this was a gift from the partners at my new firm to the entire team and their spouses!).

So this decade has had a ton of ups, a bunch of downs, some epic trips, some big milestones. I have had the pleasure of seeing three of my siblings get married, all in different cities. I have become a mom for the second time. I have recommitted to my marriage and to myself. I have met so many amazing people that I am grateful to call my friends. Looking at this summary of the last ten years there are three main themes - family, school and travel. I wouldn't have it any other way. If I am so lucky as to see this whole next decade,

I want it to be about enjoying time with friends and family, finishing school once and for all, travelling as much as I can, and prioritizing my and my family's health and happiness. Wishing you a safe, happy, healthy 2020 and beyond! :)

Amanda