10 Years of Triangle Livin'

Happy "we moved here 10 years ago" today. While I don't think Hallmark makes a card for this (although I have some freaky obsession with all the orphan cards.. like the one card they have in Sanskrit), it goes without saying that our move to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area 10 years ago has seen many events and the longest place we have lived together. Bill and I were talking last night about the highs and lows... here's a snapshot.

1999- Bill moves up on 4/20/99, I follow Memorial Day weekend since I stay behind to help with my mom's knee surgery and recoop. Bill takes a transfer with his job to Greensboro contract and I take a temp job that turns into a permanent job at UNC-Chapel Hill Hospitals We have an apartment in Cary. We spend most of the rest of the year learning a new place and working. Y2K madness!

2000- Bill moves off the Greensboro contract and onto to one at RTP. I leave my job and start a Masters program at UNC School of Education. Finally feel were are settling in making friends and learning the area. Still getting confused on the inner-outer beltline!

2001- A REALLY HARD YEAR! Finish Masters, PCOS diagnosis, 1st year teaching posit on 45 minutes away in a rural school district, Bill layoff in Oct, my dad is in the hospital more days that at home in 2001 so I am constantly on the road and passes away on New Years Eve. Ready for a New Year!

2002- My mom has more surgery due to a broken femur and hip so the early part of the year is again spent on the road many a weekend. Bill starts at a small start up in July where he makes friends with people we still know now, we buy our 1st house and get a dog. MUCH better year by mid-year and are very thankful.

2003- My mom goes into the ICU on my birthday in January and is in the hospital until March... lots of time on the road again, move to a new school district and new school that opens up alot of opportunities that fall, Bill moves up quickly in his job and we go to VEGAS for the first time and plan many a return trip!

2004- Year of many changes! Gastric Bypass in June, Bill laid off two weeks later but finds a contracting job same month so his time off is with my recoop. Feel like the whole year was pre-opp and post-opp related visits to Duke.

2005- CRAZY YEAR! We both turn 30 and make the decision to start trying for a baby once I am close to one year out from surgery, get pregnant in Vegas but miscarry in July, get pregnant again with Ben in Sept!!! Bill moves to another IT company sometime that year and I am working on National Boards, writing curriculum for the state and then presenting it at conferences within the state.

2006-A Year of Anticipation- Announce we are pregnant at a New Year's Eve party we host for friends, get remarried for our 10th wedding anniversary in Vegas in Feb, finish National Boards, interview and get my current position to help open a new high school in August that is 5 minutes away from our home, BEN arrives on June 9th!!! New baby bliss and fuzziness for the rest of the year!

2007- Really hard year juggling work and parenthood no major events other than loving our new family of 3! Frankly I don't remember much of this year!

2008- Really good year filled with many family trips, a growing and bounding boy, we make the decision over the summer to starting not trying/trying for a 2nd baby

2009- OBAMA inauguration on my birthday weekend to kick off the year, decisions about babies and jobs seem to be dominating the current landscape. We are both hoping that the year will end as well as it began.

Happy 10 years in one place and all that will happen in the next 10!