FIFTEEN YEAR MEME, Part One

About 15 years ago (j/k) April: Thoughts In My Tumultuous Brain had tagged me with this MEME, to reflect on the past 15 Years of your Life. This has been really challenging for me because there is a lot to reflect on. So here is a start. This is a Part One of Two parts because I have had a busy and wonderfully crazy life. I know I have left out so many details but here is a start to this way overdue MEME.

1994: I was a Junior in high school, played soccer, had a foreign exchange student from France stay with me and my family over the summer, Helen. She was a lot of fun and I am glad that my Mom let us enjoy this experience (for the second time). I did well in school, made Honor Roll and went to state for DECA which was held at the Broadmoor Hotel in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. This is when I fell in love with this hotel. I went only as a Junior Observer and had a really good time. I was 16 years old living in Pueblo, Colorado with my Mom and my little sister. My older sister was in college.

1995: Senior year of high school, I graduated at the age of 17. Played soccer all four years (Goalie), had all A/P classes, with the exception of Math, not my best subject. I was very involved with high school activities my senior year. Student Council-Secretary, DECA President (went to state again), French Club V/P and FBLA among many other extracurricular activities. I really enjoyed my Senior Year. After graduation I got my first job at Sonic as a carhop, got my license and bought my first car-Dodge Aries(1980). During that summer I met Shawn and traveled outside of Colorado for the first time to Houston to meet his family. We met in July and we were engaged in October. I then found out I was expecting our first child in November, so we got married in December! WOW! Everything happened so quickly.

1996: I moved to Colorado Springs, CO. We moved into our first apartment and didn’t have much of anything but we were happy and excited for our first child. I worked for Target until I had the boy in July(32 Hours of Labor). I only stayed home with him for 5 weeks. I found a job at a Drycleaners as the front clerk and after four months I was promoted to the Store Manager. I had a lot of fun working there. We were a happy little family of three.

1997: Still working at the drycleaners, worked 45-50 hours a week and the owner had even talked Shawn into doing some work from home for him. That place kept me very busy. I enjoyed it all but now look back on all the time I had missed with the boy. We had very good friends and loved living in Colorado Springs. We moved into a very nice Condo and had a lot of barbeque's with Shawn’s friends in the Army.

1998: Job was going great, I made awesome money, the place ran smoothly and I had a boss who was the best. The boy was getting so big and doing so many things that Shawn and I would just watch him and play with him for hours on end. In August, Shawn has gotten notice that we were going to be moving to Ft. Eustis, Virginia. I was devastated but at the same time excited to see that part of the country. Around November we got news that we would be adding to our little family and we couldn't have been happier.

1999: We were living in Newport News, VA and I found a job at the Hampton Inn & Suites but had to quit shortly after my hire due to complications with my pregnancy and the company not willing to work with my doctor’s orders. I was still able to take advantage of that employee discount for a few years thanks to some great friends I had made the short time I was employed, my dear friend Joyce. This is when I started my career with the Home Improvement chains. Home Depot hired me at 4 months pregnant…it helps that my interview was with a pregnant woman. The boy was going to a daycare on post and one day I got a call from Shawn asking me if I had picked him up? Mind you I am at work. Long story short, the daycare LOST our son. What a nightmare. So I called my Mom who wasn’t working at the time and asked her to come stay with us until I had the girl. She moved in a week or so later. How awesome was that! She spoiled us rotten while she was there. I came home to a sparkling clean house, happy little boy and dinner. If only I could go back to those days. That was when Darren really bonded with his grandma. Lauren was born in July (2 Hours Labor) too and we were now a wonderful family of four. I thought about being a stay at home Mom since I had realized that Darren was now 3 and I couldn’t remember all his baby years and now I had a new baby. So my Mom returned to Colorado and I returned to work a few months later. It was a nice thought I suppose, ha.

2000: Still working at Home Depot and enjoying the family life we had. I had moved to Home Décor and was working with neighboring departments, Flooring, Paint and Electrical. So I know a little of this and a little of that which has come in so handy. Towards the end of the year, Shawn was asked to become a recruiter and so with that we had orders to move to Texas. Originally the Army was going to assign us to Brownsville thinking he spoke Spanish. When they discovered we were not Spanish speaking people we were told that the assignment would still be in TX, we just didn’t know where exactly, which made it impossible to transfer with my job, grr.

2001: After staying with Shawn’s family in Houston for a few weeks, we finally got orders for Round Rock, TX. We were very excited. To be back in a friendly state and be close to his family. Recruiting was a terrible experience for Shawn and it was a time that really tested our marriage. I had fallen into a job with Lowe’s and worked Customer Service part time. I got to stay home with the boy and the girl during the day and I worked nights and weekends around their father’s schedule. The boy had started Kindergarten this year and we loved his school. My Mom & Fred were visiting when 9/11 happened. I am sure we all remember how that day went. I am actually really glad they were there because Shawn was locked down in San Antonio and they were there to comfort the kids and I. Shortly after 9/11, we got orders for Shawn to return to Ft. Eustis and I was so upset. I had made a lot of good friends and enjoyed my job and loved the boy’s school and teachers, but when the government calls, you must go. So in October we packed up and headed back to Virginia.

TBC.......