TAG, You're it!!

I was recently tagged by my friend Sarri. In the blogging world, that means we answer the same questions she answered in hers and tag others in return to do the same. Since anyone I would tag has already been tagged by my other friends, whoever wants to can feel inspired to "tag themselves". Oh, and I don't want anyone tagging me back! Looking back through the cobwebs of 20 years once is enough for me! :)

Here goes:

20 years ago:

I was getting ready to start my senior year of high school. This would also be the year that I would breakup and get back together with Tom a few times as I "experiment" with other fish in the sea. We all know at this point how that turned out! I was helping out at a travel agency filing brochures getting some experience in as well as working at Farmer's Co-op/West Valley Farmers as a receptionist for some extra money.

10 years ago:

We had just sold our manufactured home on Burnett Road and were looking for a place to rent. Fate intervened and has us take a wrong turn on 8th Street where we found a VA repo house that was for sale by silent auction. The day we walked in, we had 4 hours to put a bid in and the highest bidder would get the deal. We won that bid by $175. (We didn't know it until a few months later, but we beat out some friends of ours that were going to buy it and use it as a rental. We hadn't seen them since high school and now are good friends and their daughter and Courtney are good friends too.) Courtney was not quite 2 and talking up a storm!

5 years ago:

Ryan was just born a few months ago and a group of us would get together who all had recently had babies. Ryan was the kid that would fall asleep no matter what the noise level or the other kids around. (Ryan can still fall asleep like that, but his energy level when he is up is quite different now!) Life was definitely busier now juggling two kids. Courtney was 6 (almost 7 as she would say) and had just finished her kindergarten year with one of her very favorite teachers to date. She had been dancing for just about a year and a half. Little did we know at the time what a BIG part of lives that would become.

3 years ago:

This would be one of the most stressful years we had endured. Tom had lost his job that February due to a company that closed its doors with no warning. This would be the first time we experienced what it was like to be without the major breadwinner for about 6 weeks. In April, he finally found a job in Salem only to be told in September that they would have to let him go as one of the owners had decided to change the course of the business and his wife was going to help him and she needed a paycheck (Tom's to be exact). He would be out of work again for another couple of months. In the midst of that, Courtney was just getting ready to enter 3rd grade and we found out a couple weeks into the school year that her teacher had been diagnosed as having a brain tumor. She would not teach the rest of the school year, as after surgery, the prognosis was not good. There was an area they weren't able to remove because of where it was in the brain. She would die that following February and this was the first time Courtney had experienced anyone she knew dying. It was emotional for the whole school as she had taught there for so long. This was a very tough school year for Courtney as the class continually was playing catch up due to such a rough start. The highlight this year was Ryan turning 2 and a trip to Hawaii in July. How did we pay for that amongst Tom losing his job twice? It was already paid for before the first job loss, so we decided to go forward with the trip despite the work circumstances. It was a great trip in the middle of a horrible year, so we're glad we did. Looking back, it was a tough year, but we learned so much about ourselves and it solidified our faith in God even more.

So far this year:

Courtney finished her elementary school experience, Ryan graduated from preschool, and we all just returned from a 2 + week to Hawaii to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and renew their vows, our vows (14 1/2 years) and my brother and his wife's vows (1 year). Courtney and I also got to help backstage at one of our favorite shows "High School Musical". I also started the blogging world this year thanks to a couple of friends who inspired me with their blogs.

Yesterday I:

Drove Courtney to Newberg for the 3rd day in a row to go to a dance workshop, did laundry and watched part 1 of So You Think You Can Dance finale. (Pretty exciting, eh?)

Tomorrow I will:

Do more of the same!! Maybe I'll treat myself to a pedicure too. :)

Next year I will:

Reflect on this year as a great time with family, friends and lots of fun memories. This time next year, Courtney will have completed her first year in middle school (yikes!) and Ryan will have finished kindergarten. We hope to do something Disney near Christmas next year too.

Now it's your turn!