The “Zeros” Decade in Review

As the first decade of the 2000s comes to close, it marks an interesting point in my life to ruminate on the first decade of my adulthood.

I entered 2000 as a 16-year-old child and will enter 2010 as a 26-year-old woman. So I thought I take an opportunity to reflect upon the "zeros" decade...

2000:
I ring in millennium at a friend’s party. All Y2K fears are unfounded. I get varsity letters in two sports. I start to date my first love (spoiler alert, he is not the Mr). I complete my Junior Year of High School. I travel to Australia. The USS Cole is attacked. "First Love" and I are so in love and swear we’ll be together forever. George W. Bush narrowly wins the Presidency. We all learn about hanging chad. I submit my college applications.

(2000 - High School tennis)

2001:
George W. Bush takes office. I’m accepted into several colleges and chose the University of Southern California. I graduate from High School. I turn 18. I register to vote. I spend a summer traveling across Europe. I move into the dorms at USC and begin freshman year. I stay with First Love, long-distance. I rush and join a Sorority. The September 11th attacks happen. I watch the tragedy unfold but somehow still attend classes and parties. I meet many of my current closest friends. The US goes to war with Afghanistan. I finish my first semester with a 3.7 GPA. First Love and I decide to “take a break.”

(2001 - Senior Portrait)

2002:
I return to USC. I get my first fake ID. I frequent the campus bars. The European Union launches the Euro. I date several guys on and off – including First Love. The dot-com bubble bear market reaches bottom. I get my first internship in Public Relations. I move into my Sorority house and become House Manager. I maintain an honors-level GPA. I struggle with emotional “Sophomore slump” and consider leaving USC to be a ski instructor. I decide to stay at USC.

(2002 - Hawaii)

2003:
I begin to date a guy that I never liked. We date for months. I complain to my Mom that I’ll never find “the one”. The US starts the Iraq war while I’m on Spring Break in Mexico. Bush declares “Mission Accomplished.” It’s not. I break up with “guy I never liked” and beg “First Love” to get back together. We do. Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes Governor of CA. I meet the man who will become my husband (the Mr.) at the campus bar. I am invited to join several academic honors societies. Wildfires blaze across Southern California. My family and friends evacuate their homes. I break up with First Love for the last time. I am elected Vice President of Membership for the USC Sorority Panhellenic Council. I start dating the Mr. I celebrate Christmas and New Years on a two week Caribbean Cruise.

(2003 - San Francisco)

2004:
Trains in Madrid are the targets of a terrorist attack. I intern in Investor Relations. I turn 21. I join Facebook. I orchestrate a large part of a successful USC Sorority Rush as VP of Membership. The Mr. and I tell each other that we love each other. I vote in my first Presidential Election. George W. Bush is re-elected. I interview with a large consulting firm and receive a job offer. I accept it. The Mr. takes me to a Christian church for the first time in my life. I complete my last class at USC. I get my first iPod. My family takes a cruise to Mexico. The Tsunami swamps Indonesia.

(2004 - Sorority sisters)

2005:
I watch the USC Football team win the National Championship in the Orange Bowl, in person. I work at several ski resorts before settling into my real job. I continue to date and attend church with the Mr. I graduate from USC with honors. I start my job at the large consulting firm. I move to Manhattan Beach, CA. London subways are attacked by terrorists. I become a follower of Jesus Christ and begin to know Him as my Lord and Savior. Hurricane Katrina wreaks havoc on the South. I survive my first project at large consulting firm and begin a new one. The Mr. moves to Long Beach, CA to work in mortgage banking.

(2005 - USC Graduation)

2006:
I continue to work for large consulting firm at several clients. I achieve “diamond” status at Hilton from traveling so much. I join a Church life group and attend with the Mr. I am baptized. My Mom and I travel around the Midwest for a summer vacation. While there, the London liquid terrorists are stopped. We are the first to experience the new travel rules. Arnold is re-elected Governator. Saddam Hussien is killed. The Mr. and I celebrate the holidays together for the first time.

(2006 - Dinner in Manhattan Beach)

2007:
The Mr. and I become members of our church and lead a small group. Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the House. The Mr. leaves the suddenly shaky mortgage banking industry for a job in insurance. It was a good call. My uncle has a massive heart attack and stroke. My family spends weeks in the ICU with him. He miraculously survives. The Virginia Tech shooting happens. The Mr. proposes to me on the beach on my 24th Birthday! I start planning our wedding. “Don’t Stop Believing” tops charts thanks to the Sopranos. I receive a huge promotion at work. The Dow Jones industrial average records it’s highest ever close. I’m a Bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding. Wildfires ravage San Diego again. My parents evacuate their home for an intense five days. Unlike many others, their house survives. My grandfather dies after his battle with Alzheimer's.

(2007 - Right after the Mr. proposed!)

2008:
I begin a wedding blog to be wedding planning outlet and get hooked. The Mr. and I purchase our first condo in Long Beach, CA. The China earthquake kills 90,000. I spend most of my spring and summer living and working in San Diego. I have my Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party. The Mr. and I wed on 8/16/08 in San Diego. We honeymoon in Maui. John McCain selects Sarah Palin as his running mate. Wall Street falls apart. Barack Obama is elected President. I start The Newlyweds Next Door. We celebrate our first married Thanksgiving and Christmas together with our families.

(2008 - Wedding Day)

2009:
We watch USC win the Rose Bowl. The miracle on the Hudson River happens. We vacation in Breckenridge, CO and the Mr. falls in love with Snowboarding. Barack Obama is inaugurated. We vacation in Arizona. We worry about losing our jobs, but stay employed. Our new family member, Judah the kitten, moves in. Michael Jackson dies. I’m a Bridesmaid in a friend’s amazing wedding. We celebrate our one year anniversary. The H1N1 outbreak and vaccine scare Americans. We vacation in Boston. USC has one of its worst football seasons of the decade. But we are still fans.

(2009 - First Anniversary)


What will the next decade bring? ...

All I pray is that it brings faith, hope, and love.

(And a big house with a couple of kids wouldn't be bad either).

Considering that I'll be 36 by the time the two-thousand "teens" end, I'm sure there will be more change in my life in the next decade than I can even imagine.


Happy New Year to you all. Thank you for being my blog readers, my cheerleaders, my support group, and most of all, my friends. May your next year and decade be filled with peace, prosperity, and passion.