What A Difference A Decade Can Make

Today is the day before I am to turn 35. Today is also the day that I returned my books to the bookstore marking the end of my final semester at Eastfield Community College. As I walked across the parking lot and returned those books I felt a sense of weight lifting off of my shoulders along with a sense of accomplishment and a sense of sadness. The semester is finally over (except for that last weight training class tomorrow night) and I can finally begin to relax just a little bit knowing that there are no more assignments to be completed and turned in, no more deadlines, and no more papers to write. Yes I still have to take the THEA exam this weekend for UTA but that's nothing compared to the pressures I've felt all semester.

As I buckled my seatbelt and looked up at the sky I took a moment to reflect on where I am now and where I used to be. Just 10 years ago this was me:

I was getting ready to turn 25, had already assumed a parental role with Dalton, was pregnant with Alyssa, had dropped out of college twice, and was unmarried. Sure I looked happy but I was terrified. I worked for the Audubon Nature Institute at the time as an Administrative Assistant and had no intentions of giving that up. I thought then, that I would one day end up being a career driven, corporate mother. I had no clue what life really had in store for me.

Now on the eve of my 35th birthday I sit here proud to be the mother of 3 beautiful, intelligent, and compassionate children. I have completed my final semester at Eastfield Community College and have earned my Associates in Arts degree and am heading for the University of Texas-Arlington in the fall to begin my Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies with an EC-6/ESL teacher certification. I am a proud member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Mesquite ISD School Health  Advisory Council (SHAC), and the PTA at McKenzie Elementary. I have been awarded the honor of being named to the Dean's list each semester that I have attended college since 2011 and I have successfully completed our school district's A.L.I.V.E program that is offered for community members. I have also been married for the past 8 years and have spent the past 11 years with my husband.

We've lost our home twice in those 11 years, once to Hurricane Katrina and once to the economy. We had a son born with spina bifida and tethered cord syndrome who is just perfect now. We've faced poverty, illnesses, deaths, debts, job losses, and bankruptcy. We've also celebrated many birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, accomplishments, and achievements.

Gone are the days in which I sought to be the head of a major corporation. Gone are the days when I played music. Gone are the days of late night partying with friends. I traded all of those things for a life of being a wife, a stay at home mother, an active member in the community, and a student. My passions include my family, education, teaching, and helping others.

While there were once days that I declared I'd never have kids, I'd never become a teacher, and my sons would all have long hair, I could not imagine my life being different than it is now. I love my kids! I love being in the classroom with kids and watching their faces light up in those moments when they finally understand something, and as for my boys...well they can do whatever they want with their hair.

As I look back over the past 10 years I can see just how much I have really changed and grown and am still in the process of doing both. Life doesn't end when you become an adult, when you get married, or when you have kids. It only ends when you stop learning and stop growing.

A decade sounds like it is so long but, honestly, it's just a small fraction of the time that we have here on Earth. As I look back on my past decade I am amazed to see how much difference 10 years can really make.

2004

2005 

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014