Anniversaries...

Time has just been breezing by and I wish I could get it to stop for a moment or two so it wouldn't feel like life is on fast-forward all the time.  However, so many important milestones are popping up here and there and they help me feel like life is on the right track.  It's a terrific feeling!

This time of year holds two important anniversaries for me.  First, and most importantly, the anniversary of my wedding day.  I am blown away that the 3rd of June marks our 9th year of marriage, and our tenth year of knowing one another.  Nine years ago I was finishing up my Literature degree and moving back to WY to marry my best friend.  Such a happy and sad time.  I hated leaving the life I had built in Nebraska, but I loved coming home.  Kyle and I are going to go on a sunrise hot air balloon ride this coming weekend in Boulder, CO.  I am so excited!  And I hope we live through it so we can celebrate #10 next year. :)

The other anniversary is not so happy, but still gives me good reason to reflect on how far I've come.  Two years ago I was in a hospital with severe memory and cognitive issues.  I didn't know why I was there.  I was scared and confused.  I lost my independence in many ways.  I was at a very low point, and didn't see my future or any potential for it.  My identity was shattered, and I became a different person in many ways.

Fast forward two years.  I just finished the second quarter of my graduate program for counseling.  While I already have a Masters, it's much more gratifying this time around than the first time.  That is mostly because I am having to work much harder for it.  But it's worth it!  Most significantly, I made the trip this past week to my first Residency, and I went all by myself.  I was so intimidated about the travel involved and the interaction this Residency would require.  I did myself proud, though.  I reached out to people.  I emerged from my introverted shell to interact.  I got from WY to GA and back with no mishaps (although when the Southwest airline said "Welcome to Mexico" accidentally upon our landing, I must admit I had a few moments of panic.  Fortunately, they were just tired and confused, not me!) I forced myself to explore a little bit of the city instead of holing up in my hotel.  I just kept telling myself, "I'm here, now I might as well take advantage of this opportunity.  And if I screw up, I get to go back home and no one will ever know it happened!"  I think I did all right, though.

I loved being in a new place and in the South.  I'd never been down there before. I loved hearing the languages, seeing new sites, and visiting with people from all over the world.  I loved the Coca-Cola.  I loved the excitement and passion of others in my Counseling program.  I did not especially love the humidity, nor did I have any idea what approximately half of the menu items were most of the time.  Google and I spent a great deal of time together trying to figure out what in Sam Hill I was eating.  They know how to make a mean dumpling down there, though!  I also started picking up the drawl, and I now say I am "fahn" instead of "fine".  Luckily I still had "ya'll" in my vocabulary from when I spent six weeks in Texas a few years ago, so I was somewhat prepared to talk their language.

It was a wonderful experience and gave me a much needed boost at a critical time.  I continue to surprise myself, and that is part of the excitement of being alive.  I made new friends and pushed my own boundaries.  I realized that I'm just as strong (and maybe even stronger!) than I was "before" the hellish year of 2013.  I realized how much I love sharing my life experiences with Kyle not because I can't do it without him, but because it makes it so much better to have someone to share the ride with.