Looking back on the Aughties...

What a difference 10 years makes.

When 2000 was ringing in, I was recovering from back surgery, still recovering from a bad breakup, 6 months into a new job practicing special education law, single and living in Atlanta.

This is what happened in the ensuing 10 years:

• I went to Australia and Papua New Guinea, going below the equator for the first time in my life
• I learned how to surf
• I developed a talent for appellate oral argument
• I did some knitting
  
• The interest in surfing spurred me to take a trip to Costa Rica, where I met my husband
• I got married
• I left a comfortable life in Atlanta for the uncertainty of trying to set up shop in Hawaii
• I had a baby
• I tried (unsuccessfully) to run a small business
  
• I left the uncertainty and isolation of Hawaii -- but also the sun and the surf and warm weather -- for a new life in Denver
• I lost two of my grandparents
  
• I had another baby

I can say for certain that life now is harder than it was 10 years ago. The choices that Jason and I made, in the name of seeking out adventure, have resulted in me less financially secure than I was 10 years ago. I'm more stressed out than I've ever been. I'm less certain about the future. These days I often feel like I'm hanging on by the barest of threads, just trying to wait it out until things get a little easier.

Sign of the times, I guess.

But, I love my husband. He is so different from me, but he is kind and sweet and funny. I love my children. They are beautiful and hilarious and adorable. I love my family, and their love for me keeps me going when times are tough. I have a roof over my head and food on my table and a decent job and I'm far better off than lots of other people these days.

Just gotta keep on keepin' on.