Decade in Review

This post has taken me awhile to compose. I was hoping to post it right on January 1st. Its been hard to put together what I hoped to be able to convey. And now January is already almost over 🙈

What a year! What a decade!

How do I even sum up everything that happened over the last 12 months. Let alone the last 10 years. There have been some amazing highs. Some incredibly deep lows and at some points, a few plateau moments as well, where live just seemed to happen.

Let’s take a quick review.

2010:
I found myself in my first year of nursing school. Which was probably one of the biggest adjustments I ever had to do schooling wise. Even more so than transferring from a German school to a Canadian school.

The summer brought an amazing Europe trip. I was able to join my aunt, uncle and cousin on a Northern Europe/Baltic cruise. It was such a great experience. I think my favourite place was Russia and visiting the Alexander Palace in St. Petersburg.

The 2010 Summer Bible Course in Chilliwack, BC also took place that summer. It was transformational in more ways than one. It was also where I met Annika for the first time. She pointed out a few months ago, how this year (2020), we will both celebrate our 30th birthday, but also our 10 year friendiversary.

 

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2011:
The year was filled with the first trip to Mexico, building many friendships, another cruise (this time to Alaska).
Most importantly though, it was the year Jeff and I began this crazy adventure of life together. We officially started dating in July and were engaged by October (I know, I know. But when you know, you know 🙂 )

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2012:
Was a BIG year!
We started off by planning our wedding and life together. I started my first real nursing job as an Undergraduate nurse.
We had our bridal shower and on July 7 we said ‘I do’.
So life as a married couple began. It truly has been a blessing being married to you babe.

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2013:
I finished my degree and landed a dream job in the Stollery. Many, many years ago, when someone from Canada came to visit us, they showed us a picture of the Stollery (somone else was interested in moving there and they were a pediatric nurse). That day, I said “one day I will work there”. Here we were years later and I was starting a job on a pediatric cardiac inpatient unit. I think I may never go back to adult nursing again 😛

We also did our first trip to Germany as a couple. Even though the circumstance where not what we had wanted for our first Europe trip (we went for my grandpa’s funeral), it was still a good trip and Jeff got to meet all of my family.

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2014:
Another year started with a Mexico trip, which was so relaxing and beautiful. A Valentine’s Day at McDonald’s 😀
It also brought the beginning of my health struggles. Even though we wouldn’t find out for another 2 years what was really happening, the first signs and symptoms started showing up. Mostly my ever present companion, pain.
Through all that, we managed to squeeze in quite a bit of life into the year. I even did a position change and against all my fears decided to take a job in the Pediatric Intensive care unit (best career choice I have made to date).
Oh, and we bought a house. 🙂 At least we started the process of having it built.

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2015:
It was kinda a big year again, still in a very good way.
we celebrated Jeff’s Birthday in the mountains in February.
In April we finally moved into our “forever home”
I was asked to be a bridesmaid for the first time in Melissa’s wedding, which then was planned for September.
In October we made our second trip to Europe together. This time for a happier occasion, a wedding, and a lot more sight seeing 🙂

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2016:
Our most difficult, most trying, stressful year. The year I got my diagnosis. The year our lives changed forever. Before this year, I had never even heard of Medullary Thyroid Cancer. Now its become my ever present side kick.
I was diagnosed at the end of May, had my first surgery in June and started radiation in August.
After that was done in October, Annika and I fulfilled a dream of ours to go to Disney World. It was such an amazing trip and definitely something to look forward to while undergoing through all the treatments.

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2017:
I started my Epicure business in January, which even though its slowed down significantly, is still a part of my life and I am very grateful for it.
A family trip to Mexico followed in April and my first trip to Toronto to see a Medullary Thyroid cancer expert.
Shortly after celebrating my 1 year cancerversary, I had my second neck dissection, which went off a lot smoother than the first surgery.
I went to my first Epicure conference which was a blast and went back to work after 14 months of being off.
We had another amazing trip, this time with a group of friends, to Cuba. It has truly been one of my favorite tropic vacations.
The year ended with Caleb’s birth and time in the hospital. He’s added so much fun and laughter to our family already.

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2018:
With everything that happened for the years before, this was almost a ‘boring’ year. It was filled with growing closer to God, friends and family. We had another family vacation to Mexico, a short trip to the mountains, more work, more weddings, more Epicure and I think my personal highlight, the True Woman ’18 conference.

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And then we reach 2019.

When we first found out about our pregnancy, Jeff and I were talking about how difficult 2019 has been. How sweet of an ending this hard year now was going have, with a little one on the way and setting up 2020 for one of our best years yet.

We talked about how, after 2016, this year, 2019, seemed to be the hardest of our marriage, maybe even our lives. Not necessarily a bad one, but a really hard one, with many changes, challenges, growth, finical changes, learning and sometimes frustrations.

Starting with January and my finding out about my cancer markers rise that I hadn’t been informed about. Jeff going back to school to get his Primary Care Paramedic. Having to rely mainly on my income alone while he was in school. Many months of running after doctors and trying to find the right people to do the right things, to get the right information to make the right decision. Which therefore brought us to our Germany trip, that I almost had to make on my own so Jeff could have finished up school.

Germany, where we got more clarity and answers in regards to tumor size and tumor location. Leading back home for Jeff to start his practicum and me to figure out what to do with all the new Information.

To switching churches. Jeff finishing school, waiting for the provincial exam. Finally writing after waiting for 4 months. Passing (with flying colours 🙂 ) and getting a new job.

In between all of that, we lost our sweet baby. One that we prayed for, for so long. One that brought new hope. One that was going to end this year on such a happy, exciting note.

All to say. 2019 was hard and we are happy for it to be over.

As with our hardest year, 2016, this year has also taught us, myself, a multitude of amazing lessons. Some that I would have rather not had to learn, but down the road will surely appreciate. Some that we really needed to learn and grow with.

It’s been a crazy decade. Full of love, life, laughter, tears, heartache, brokenness, faithfulness and God’s love.

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Here is to the new year, the new decade. New chapters, new adventure and new opportunities. I am praying for a few more highs than lows this year.