Decade

Inspired by my friend, Briar, I thought I'd jot down what's happened in my life over the last decade, from 2000 to 2010. You know, a quick little list! It has been an amazing ten years, that's for sure.

2000: I came out, after having finally realized my sexual orientation not long before 2000 began. Graduated from college. Embarked on a rather crazy several months of my delayed adolescent rebellion, while living in the Bay Area and working at an independent bookstore. Bought and rode a motorcycle. And, at the verrrrry end of the year, met Sacha!

2001: Sacha and I dated, went on a summer road trip, and eventually moved in together in Oakland. I quit the bookstore, joined AmeriCorps, and taught elementary school students about gardening and conservation. Sacha took a year off from teaching and explored starting her own tutoring business.

2002: I got fed up with AmeriCorps and went to a career counselor. That didn't work, so I went through What Color is Your Parachute?. The verdict: grant writing or social work. I tried grant writing first and landed my first job close to the end of the year. Sacha started working for a nonprofit in San Francisco, teaching financial management to adults. Sacha and I got engaged and started planning our wedding.

2003: Planned the wedding, worked, planned the wedding, worked, planned the wedding, etc. Then, we got married! It was a beautiful, amazing day that we will always remember. Then, we went to Hawaii. Ahhhh. Great honeymoon! Returned to Oakland and started planning our next big transition...

2004: Quit our jobs, moved to Portland. Sacha started her own tutoring business. I got accepted to a social work master's program. After living in Portland for two months, we bought our house!

2005: Sacha continued to do private tutoring and I continued to go to school. I spent the summer working for the family business in California, while Sacha powered through her teaching credential in Portland.

2006: We conceived, grew, and welcomed our first child! Mateo was born on October 31, 2006. Amazing year. Also, Sacha and I both finished our master's degrees - mine in social work, hers in education.

2007: Sacha taught kindergarten and barely survived! I stayed home with Mateo, who continued to delight us, although without anyone sleeping much. Sacha got a job closer to our home for the fall. The fall arrived and she started her new job. She also got knocked up with our second child. The new job, morning sickness, and our still-not-sleeping-through-the-night one-year-old consumed much of the end of the year.

2008: Mateo motored around, Sacha worked and grew our second baby, and I took care of everyone! Natalia was born on June 22, 2008, 14 days past her due date. She had a rough start, but we all eventually bounced back and enjoyed the summer as a new family of four! Sacha went back to work in September, which is also when I got a new job and started working half-time.

2009: We spent much of the year juggling schedules and flip-flopping our work and home times so that someone was always with the kids. I learned a lot about social work and struggled to leave work at work. Sacha mostly enjoyed her job. The kids grew and learned new things at an astonishing rate. When summer came, Sacha got a new job and I quit my job to stay home again. These have proved to be satisfying changes for all involved.

2010: An open book! We're looking forward to whatever comes next...