10 Years

August 1, 2002 - My parents and I hopped on a flight to Phoenix to get me moved into my new apartment in Tempe.  Since I hadn't come out to AZ for auditions (for various reasons) into graduate school, this was my first glimpse ever of my new "home."  I remember looking out the window of the plane and thinking it was so brown, how the heck would I ever get used to it?  And then I got off the plane.  My breath literally got swept away by how HOT it was.  Is it possible for people to live in this kind of heat?!?  I told myself it was just two years, and I could always go back home if I didn't like it.

August 1, 2003 - One year of grad school down, one to go.  I took summer classes, worked on my recital repertoire (to do in November), taught, visited home in June, and had found wonderful new friends with similar interests online. 

August 1, 2004 - Graduate school done!  I even passed my comprehensives at the end of the semester without having to do an oral.  YAY!  I bought a car in April (yes, I went two years without a car), had appendicitis in July, moved into a new apartment in South Tempe, and entertained various friends that came to visit during the year (Charlotte and Josh, I remember, but possibly others).  I was two weeks away from adopting Cookie (our cat) at this point, and six weeks away from meeting the husband.

August 1, 2005 - I'm MARRIED, omg.  I worked three jobs this year at the same time:  Arizona School for the Arts, ASU Piano Prep program, and private teaching.  GAH.  The husband and I got together in September, engaged in October, moved in together in January, got married in May, and bought our condo in Chandler in June.  Belle (our dog) came to live with us in July.  It's been one heck of a year!

August 1, 2006 - A fairly uneventful year in Arizona.  Stopped working at Arizona School for the Arts, got a job working full time at a charter school in the East Valley (they'll lay me off in October 2006), the husband is working hard in Scottsdale and thinking about going to graduate school, and we honeymooned in December 2005 on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

August 1, 2007 - Definitely changes in the air.  The husband started a job in Tucson in January 2007, I worked three jobs again at different times (the charter school, a pension company, and then the prison starting in April), sold our condo, lived with the husband's parents for four months, bought our house we still live in, and decided we wanted to start thinking about creating our own little family.  :)

August 1, 2008 - Both the husband's brother and my brother got married this year, and we participated in both weddings.  Did a kickboxing class for fun in the spring, and ended up pregnant and due in January!  Still working at the prison, and the husband changed over to a different department at his work place.  I also took some classes toward my HR certification.

August 1, 2009 - L was born on January 7th.  I had my gall bladder removed in April.  I also stopped working to stay home with the munchkin.  Post partum depression sucks. 

August 1, 2010 - A year of ups and downs for the husband and I.  However, we're still together!  I'm pregnant again, this time due at Christmas time.  In a few weeks, we'll find out it's a girl.  The husband and I took a cruise to Alaska for our 5th anniversary - it was awesome, aside from the sea sickness and morning sickness I had.  Our house has also turned into a toy store!

August 1, 2011 - E was born December 28th.  Having two girls in diapers and to take care of has been stressful.  Add on top of that I started working at the community college two nights a week when E was three weeks old, you've got a stressed out mama!  I started running again about this time to get in shape (yay for jogging strollers!), and L is getting potty trained.

August 1, 2012 - This morning, E decided to mash a banana in her hands and then put it in her hair like it was gel.  GREAT.  Then, she cried at me while I tried to get it out.  Thank goodness it's bath night.  L decided to poop in the middle of my workout, so I had to pause the DVD, clean up her butt, and then continue (that can't be good for calorie burn).  We need to go to Costco and Target this morning, after my shower, and then we'll be able to hang out until I make dinner this evening. 

It's amazing what has happened in ten years.  I'm curious to see what the next ten will bring.  In the meanwhile, I guess I can start calling myself an Arizonan (transplanted, of course), and enjoy the ugly brown and heat some more.  :)