2010

As December demands, I've been thinking a lot about this past year. In my life, even years tend to hold the most significant life changes. I was born in an even year, as was my husband and my younger brother. I graduated high school, college, and graduate school in even years. Both times I had pericarditis were even years. I got married in an even year. And - of course - my daughter was born in an even year.

In retrospect, 2009 was really a placeholder of a year. "Waiting" pretty much sums up everything that defined it - waiting for a new job for Michael, for the right time to start a family, for Alice's arrival, for a move to a new apartment, for something to change at my job. And all that waiting paid off in 2010 - Michael has a job that is a much better match for our lives right now, Alice is here, we live in a new, family-friendly apartment, and I've taken on additional responsibilities at work. It was a year when things happened for us, and that's an amazing thing.