This past decade has been huge for me. Every aspect of my life has changed in the paste decade – except that my parents are still my parents and of course I still have Sydney.
In 2009, I had just moved back to New York from California a few months before the new year, I was still trying to find a job – though would soon be hired by Walmart. In the beginning of 2009, I lost my cat Sacha to a veterinary mistake and was pretty broken for a while. I started working at Walmart – changed apartments in February, tried to make ends meet – sometimes failed – sometimes it was good. My best friend got married and I was honored to be her Maid if Honor! I worked my first Black Friday at Walmart (back when the sales started at 6am on Friday) and my first Christmas Eve (when they closed at 6).
2010 marked the beginning of the end of my relationship – we went from engaged to not engaged and looking back now that was probably the beginning of the end. I didn’t end up moving again – for the first time since 2006! I did however visit my step mom and dad in North Carolina for the first time. I met their amazing neighbors, and they took me on lots of sight seeing adventures of the area. Towards the end of 2010 my step mother – my second mother really since Debbie had been in my life since I was young, lost her fight with Breast Cancer. Other than my grandparents this has still been one of the biggest losses that I’ve gone through. I still think and miss her every day. We didn’t always get along but what parent does – that’s part of what makes them a parent.
2011 was a hard year – I went through a big break up, moved back home – helped him move into a new apartment…started a new relationship, started working overnights at Walmart while also working at the library – while that didn’t last long I think I went a solid couple months with no days off. I went to Chicago for the first time and had a blast! Deep Dish Pizza at Gino’s East and explored the aquarium and the planetarium. Also went to Niagara Falls as an adult for the first time! By October it was about time for another break up and honestly I think I mourned the first and the 2nd break up at the same time. The upside to the break up however was a lost weight – which put me into a new frame of mind for 2012! At the end of 2011 I went on probably my first real normal dating experience since high school. As the New Year was being rung in – I was on a flight to North Carolina to see my dad.
2012 was an amazing year – I flew from North Carolina to Boston to meet a group of great guy friends and adventures throughout Saugus and Boston ensued. I shot my shot and asked J out. He said yes! The next year was a lot of traveling to Massachusetts, and back. I drove to Massachusetts by myself in the first ever road trip! Was also pulled over for the first time – scary! No ticket though. I also started going to the gym regularly and lost about 50 pounds. This year I can say I was truly happy!
2013 was a big year of change! I interviewed three times – once for Department if Social Services, once for the Sheriffs Office and once for a promotion at Walmart. They didn’t give me the promotion but they did make me full time! I got the job at DSS but turned it down – and then I got the Job at the Sheriff’s! I tearfully said goodbye to the people that had become my family at Walmart and went into the brave new world of the County!
In 2014, J moved to NY and into an apartment with me! That took some adjusting! I continued working at the Sheriffs but I did get to go to Albany for training twice! Became friends with my coworkers at the Sheriffs! Was able to move Sydney into my apartment ❤️.
2015 was a lot of the same as 2014 except on Christmas Eve J and I got engaged! In one of the happiest moments of my life, he had hidden the ring in the Christmas Tree and after spending the evening at my mothers….we came home and I found it in the tree.
2016 marked the year I left the Sheriff’s office and began working for the School District…another huge change! We also began the tedious and stressful process of buying a house and planning a wedding! In the Fall of 2016 I traveled to Iceland with my mom.
In the first few days of 2017, we closed on our new house and closed tiniest the wedding planning. We also added Mac, Fiona and Rootie to our family household. Snow moved to New York! In September we were married and went to Iceland just the two of us for our honeymoon.
2018 my stresses continued. I also realized that conceiving might be a challenge for me. My father fought cancer – and won! We had a well installed – one of the biggest struggles we went through this year other than my own anxiety was not having a reliable source of water from June through October. I also was able to ween myself off of my anxiety medications in 2018! I received a promotion at work as well. There were a lot of stressors but also a lot of good things that happened.
2019 – the final year in the decade. This has been a tough year too. My promotion was changed from contingent to permanent (yay!) and some of the stressors that followed me from 2018 continued. On a positive note, I was in two weddings this year! J and I and his family also went to Universal Studios in Florida and got to enjoy some much needed time off.
As this year comes to a close I think it’s important that I look at where I started and where I’m ending. It’s been a crazy decade – I started having just moved back home from California, and I’m ending in my own home. I’ve made countless new friends and have drifted away from others. While I’ve felt loss, I’ve also seen new life born into this world! Nephews and GodChildren – I’ve had the honor of being able to watch my friends kids grow and I can only continue to hope that somebody I’ll have the chance to experience that for myself. While I’m not yet where I wanted to be at this point in my life I have to acknowledge that I have come so far from where I was 10 years ago. I’ve grown as a person – I’ve done things I never through I could and I can only hope in the next ten years I’ll be able to co to he growing!
There have been some down moments in the past ten years…and while they can be used as learning experiences, I don’t want to focus on them – the positives have been truly amazing and I’m looking forward to what the next decade has I store for me.
XOXO
B.
The Glazed Lyon 