The End of a Decade

Stephany recently recapped the decade that is coming to a close on her blog. It was SO fun to read so I thought I'd do something similar. Life can change a lot in a year so it can REALLY change in 10 years! It was a real test of my memory to think back on themes from each year - but here it is!

In 2010 I left a job that was a terrible fit, ran a marathon, and met Amber (who is one my bestest friends) in real life for the first time!

As the decade began, I was working at a new company in a role I secured at the end of my MBA program through on-campus recruiting. The job ended up being a terrible fit and took a severe toll on my self-confidence. I left that job in late March and took a huge step back, career-wise, and returned to a company/role I held years before. In the second half of the year, I trained for and ran my 2nd marathon in Portland, OR. I ran this marathon with Amber! We had been friends through blogging for years so decided to meet up and run a marathon together. I flew into Vancouver, BC and we road tripped down to Portland, spending time in Vancouver and Seattle doing some sight-seeing. We were basically together 24/7 for 5 full days and had the best time. It was the beginning of one of my most treasured friendships! That fall I started dating someone but ended that relationship right before Christmas as I knew we were not the right fit.

Amber and I at the original Starbucks

In 2011 I started a new job, traveled to Paris to celebrate my 30th birthday and moved to downtown Minneapolis.

2010 was a rough year, career-wise, but things turned around in 2011. I changed jobs and worked for someone who would become my mentor and is now my colleague. I turned 30 and was a bit sad that I was welcoming a new decade of life without a husband and child in my life so I went to Paris by myself to celebrate the fact that I could go anywhere I wanted! It was an amazing trip and made me realize I needed to move out of my suburban condo and move downtown so I could have more of a pedestrian lifestyle. I took the level I CFA exam in June and moved into my new home in July. I joined a running club shortly after moving downtown. I met so many great people through that club and became a much faster runner. I also became an aunt for the 6th time but it was my first time having a niece! In October I met up with some blog friends to run a half marathon in Victoria. 2011 was a year of GOOD changes.

In 2012, I saw lots of blog friends, was a bridesmaid twice, ran my 3rd marathon, and met Phil.

I started off 2012 by traveling to Chicago for a blogger meet-up. Then I put my head down and studied for level II of the CFA exam. In July, I traveled to British Columbia for Amber's wedding and got to meet my blog friend Kelly for the first time IRL. I was a bridesmaid in Amber's wedding and had the best time in beautiful BC. That summer/fall I trained for and ran the Des Moines marathon. In October I traveled to St. Louis for Nora's wedding. I was a bridesmaid for that wedding as well and had the best time. Shortly before Nora's wedding, I got set up on a blind date with Phil. There was an instant connnection but little did we know we'd get married about 4.5 years from that first date!

At Phil's holiday party. We were babies!!

2013 was, in a word, rough. 

At the start of 2013, I found out my job was being moved to Charlotte. I had 2 weeks to decide if I would take the job or a (very small) severance package and 2 months to move. I was in the midst of studying for level III of the CFA so I did not have the bandwidth to look for a job and couldn't stomach taking the risk of not finding another job. So I begrudgingly moved to Charlotte. Phil and I broke up that summer. I didn't know how long I'd be in Charlotte and he was focused on helping his mom out while his dad battled Alzheimer's disease so it wasn't the right time to work on a long-distance relationship. His dad passed away in August. I dealt with stress fractures that spring/summer and a lot of weird joint pain and ultimately found out I had rheumatoid arthritis in August. I traveled to Paris over Thanksgiving because I needed something good in my life! I did a lot of traveling that year as I was desperate to see friends/get out of Charlotte. Besides Paris, I went to Asheville, DC, Pittsburgh, and NYC twice. And I traveled a lot for work. I passed level III of the CFA and was so relieved to never have to study for that test again. I survived 2013 and that's about all I can say about that year!

In Brooklyn with the Manhattan skyline behind me

Experiencing the Christmas season in NYC

In 2014, I moved back to Minneapolis and got back together with Phil.

The year started with me becoming an aunt for the 7th time, this time to a 2nd niece. I hosted Kyria in Charlotte in February and had fun showing her Asheville. I did a lot of networking and ended up accepting a job offer in Minneapolis in April. I resigned a week after my 1-year anniversary of moving to Charlotte. I knew the job I was taking was probably not ideal but it got me back home. My mom and I road tripped back to Minnesota in May, just after Mother's Day. Phil and I picked up right where we left off. It was like we were never apart. I helped him settle into the home he bought in February. In the fall, I travel to San Francisco for another running meet-up - this time for a Berkeley trail race. We didn't know it at the time, but it was the last time we'd all run a race together that decade as 4 out of 5 of us now have kids! Our friend Leigh was pregnant on that trip and, unbeknownst to us,  Lauren was newly pregnant but not far enough along to share the news. In December, Phil and I traveled to Jamaica with lots of Phil's college friend for our good friends' wedding.

In 2015, Oscar joined our family, I changed jobs, completed a triathlon and ran my 4th marathon.

Early in 2015, Phil and I went to Santa Barbara and had a blast! That summer we went to a friend's in-laws' farm to pick out a cat. We thought we were getting a boy so named the cat Oscar - only to find out "he" was a girl! In July, I changed jobs and joined my mentor/former boss. I had been in discussions with this firm for almost a year so was thrilled when they were able to hire me. I haven't perused a job site since moving over to this company as I am so happy here! In August, I completed my first triathlon. In September, I visited Amber in Kamloops and had the best time. In October I ran my 4th (and likely final) marathon! Blogger friend John came to do this race with me and I had fun showing him Minneapolis. I didn't break 4 hours like I hoped I would - but that's ok. October was a crazy month. Besides running a marathon, I traveled to Miami with the ladies in my family and went to Boston with Phil to visit friends. In November, we spent some time in Philadelphia before traveling to NJ for my friend Alli's wedding. I got to give a blessing during her Jewish wedding ceremony.

Post-marathon. I should have been excited but I was sad that I didn't break 4 hours.

In 2016, we traveled to Mexico, I moved in with Phil, had surgery on my hip, and we got engaged!!

We started off 2016 with a trip to the Cancun area of Mexico for my birthday. I had nagging hip pain and eventually discovered that I had a labral tear in my hip that required surgery. I moved in with Phil on a Friday and had surgery the following Monday! Talk about trial by fire! Kitty was an excellent nurse while I recovered. She barely left my side. That fall, Phil and I traveled to Bend, Oregon and a great time hiking and seeing the sights. The year ended on a very high note as we got engaged on December 9th!

In 2017 we got married, got pregnant, and went on a babymoon to Asheville.

2017 was a big year. We got married in May, went on a honeymoon to Maui (best vacation ever!), and got pregnant in June! We were expecting it to take a long time to get pregnant so we were both shocked when the pregnancy test I took in July was positive. The pregnancy ended up being very difficult as my RA was very active. My little sister came to visit me in September and we thoroughly enjoyed the one-on-one time together. In October, I felt well enough to go on a babymoon to Asheville, though, and we enjoyed our last kid-free vacation!

In 2018, we became parents to beautiful baby Paul.

2018 was all about adjusting to becoming new parents. I had a 20-week maternity leave and loved being home with our sweet baby. The return to work was rough and I questioned if I was meant to be a working parent. Paul was sick a lot, slept so poorly in the fall, and got tubes at 9 months. Paul and I got the stomach flu around Christmas so our first family Christmas was very quiet.

In 2019, I settled into life as a working mom, we took our first family vacation, and bought a home!

As the calendar turned to 2019, I found my groove as a working mom and knew I was not meant to be a stay at home mom. We celebrated Paul's birthday in March with family. We took our first family vacation to Florida in April and my parents joined us. In the fall, after searching for 2+ years, we finally found a house. We moved in on November 22nd and have spent the last 6 weeks of the year settling in and making it our own. We hosted family for a post-Thanksgiving dinner and will have Christmas at our house with Phil's mom and brother.

Whew - did you make it this far? If so, I'm impressed! Life sure has changed in the last 10 years. The first 8 years of the last decade were full of lots of travel adventures. The last 2 years were very quiet on the travel front but featured other kinds of adventures. Our life is quieter but it is full in a different way. At the start of the last decade, I hoped my future would include a husband and a child. I got my wish and more, and for that, I am incredibly thankful! I can't wait to see how life will unfold in the decade to come.

What memories from the past decade stand out for you? And for those who celebrate, I am wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!