2010 = A new Decade! How to summarize the past 10 years?

Me and some girlfriends 10 years ago!

Virginia, Me and Marisa 10 years ago

We have a new decade quickly approaching, which is really hard to wrap my mind around. It is amazing how many things have changed in my life over the past 10 years. I spend New Years Eve of Y2K in Mobile Alabama with Molly Richardson from church. We stayed with a friend of ours that we knew from years of going to Montreat church camp together. We had an amazing time. It was in Mobile that I made my final decision about college. I was on the fence about going to either Alabama or Auburn. Auburn won because so many of our friends were going there!

Later on in January I went to visit Brad in Auburn for a basketball game, and met who would be my first ‘real’ and serious boyfriend. We dated until two weeks before I left for Auburn. He was going to be attending Mississippi State to become a meteorologist, I of course, I was going to be at Auburn…. With no car….

I graduated from Greater Atlanta Christian School on June 1, 2000, 11th in my class with core GPA of 3.90. I finished out the summer working at Jean’s Party with Hallmark in Tucker, Georgia – wrapping up two amazing years of working there. Two days after I left for Auburn, my parents moved to Dahlonega, Georgia, where they live now.  I spent 2 weeks in Scotland with my choir from church.

This was certainly a lot of change in the life of a person who does not care for change too much! This combined with Auburn being such a large school lead me to eventually transfer to North Georgia College and State University. I took a year off and worked at Challenged Child early intervention center for children with special needs. I had an interesting boyfriend at that time, who taught me a lot about how some boys are yucky! When the Summer came, I took a job at Rick’s restaurant in downtown Dahlonega, and met some of my best friends who were also waiters there. That was the same Summer I raised money and moved to Africa for a month to do medical missions work.

I was 20 years old, and went to Africa, to live in a tent with 3 other people for a month with no bathrooms or showers not knowing a soul. What an amazing experience! One of the best parts was when I got a scorpion in my pants that stung me over… and over… and over… again.

That Fall I began school at NGCSU, which began a cycle of highs and lows combining to make one phenomenal college experience. I rushed Kappa Delta, founded and was the VP of the Community Leadership Connection, made the Presidents or Deans List every semester, published a book for children from abusive families, went to Washington D.C and the Air Force Academy for leadership training on the colleges dime, was on SAB, was an RA, nominated for the highest leadership award (came in second :( ). I had a lot of fun in between going to fraternity and sorority socials and formals. I had two serious boyfriends during my stay at NGCSU, both, who I am so much better off without now.

NGCSU is also where I kissed death and came back to life. I had my head injury. My heart stopped beating after I was running on the treadmill one Friday night. I stopped running to tell my friend Stephen Jordan to have a good weekend. I just passed right out onto the floor stiff as a board. I cracked my head open and was out like a light. Stephen knew everything to do to keep me alive until the ambulance came to take me to the hospital. He called my family to let them know what was happening, and stayed with me at the hospital until they got there. What a good friend. I was transferred to a better and bigger hospital to recover because my injuries were so severe. I was in a drug induced coma for 5 days. No one was sure if I would have brain damage, what kind of brain damage it would be, or even if I would walk again. I started to come out of the coma, and had to learn how to walk again with the help of physical therapists. It was awful. Mom then began her chemo treatments. What a year.

I bounced back pretty quick from the head injury and finished out the semester at school. It was confirmed that I have a head hard as a rock and an iron will. Life can be taken from you in a blink of an eye.

August 4, 2004! Graduation day! What a proud moment for me. Amidst transferring schools, taking a year off and having a traumatic brain injury, I managed to finish school in 4 years! That iron will thing again….

A new adventure was about to unfold before me. I decided to attend graduate school at the University of South Carolina for my degree in Social Work. I moved here on August 14, 2004 not knowing anyone here. This was the same day that my dear friend Stephen Jordan who helped to save my life moved to Duke to begin treatments for his aplastic anemia that came back full force. Little did I know that the next 12 months were going to be some of the most trying times of my life. Stephen became very sick. I would visit him once a month to keep him company. In the mean time, I met a boy, who I thought would give me the world. He swept me off my feet and took me to Rome, Italy on NYE to ask me to marry him. He was a West Point graduate who I thought would give me the life I always wanted. What I didn’t want as a life full of lies and being a trophy wife, which is the direction that life was moving in very quickly. March 2005, Stephen died, June 2005, I broke my engagement and later that year my KD big sister betrayed me in a way greater than anyone could ever know and went on a tailspin destroying my friendships with mutual friends. I felt so out there and alone. I had the worst kind of broken heart from a broken engagement, broken friendships, the death of a dear friend who saved my life and living in a strange state.

I picked myself up by my boot straps and met some amazing ladies here in Columbia. One night – much to my surprise (and his too), my prince charming showed up while I was out with some girlfriends listening to an 80’s band. It was a cold, rainy February night (Feb. 25th to be exact).

He was it! I just knew it with every ounce of my being. We went on our first date the next day to church, and the rest is history. On May 25th, 2006, my precious Wade sent me on a scavenger hunt all over Columbia to our ‘special’ places. The last stop was on the horseshoe where he had a picnic set up with all three of our dogs. It was then and there that Wade asked me to be his wife.

A few short months later on August 5, 2006, we married and began our amazing journey together. Since being married, he has helped me to grow into a much better woman, and has helped me to see the strong character that I have.

We have traveled to Jamaica, San Francisco twice, Monterey CA, he was driven across the country with my dad and brother…. We have gone to the beach and mountains numerous times, to Denver and Los Angeles. We have had a couple of trips to Disney World thrown in the mix too.

Wade had become a Presbyterian with me as we have found a great church that we belong to and are very involved in.

In the past 10 years I have obtained 3 dogs, 3 degrees, lived in 3 states, 1 other country, risen up in the ranks at work, bought a house and found the love of my life. 10 years goes by at the blink of an eye, and so much can happen. I feel like this past 10 years is when I really ‘grew up’ and learned some valuable lessons about life.

Who knows what this next 10 years will bring? We are hoping for health, life, a lot more love (and travel) together and maybe a kid…. Or two…. Or maybe even three!

For those of you who have known me over the past 10 years, thanks for sticking by me in for the good and the bad – and I look forward to celebrating many more ‘decades’ with everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!