the end of a decade

Spotify recently did their yearly wrap up of music and showed me what songs I streamed most in 2019. After they did the songs of 2019, they did the songs of the decade. I didn't even realize that we are nearing the end of a decade, but after that i've really been reflecting on the last decade as a whole. The last 10 years I grew, a lot. I was 18 years old in 2010 and just starting my adult life. The years 18-28 were really about finding out who I was as a person and learning to live on my own. They were fun years, but also years of sadness and loss. I thought it would be fun to do a little post of me going back through the decade and remembering the highs and lows of each year.

2010

I could add a million photos from 2010, but we have to get through an entire decade here so I'll try to limit myself to only a couple photos per year. 2010 I graduated high school. That summer I went on a trip with our youth group to Colorado. The fall of 2010 I started college at Lock Haven University for Elementary Ed and roomed with Emily.

2011

2011 was a good one.  I went to Shippensburg University in the Spring for Elementary Ed and commuted there with Tara. My friend Mariah and I ran the Nashville half marathon together that April. While I was on the treadmill training for the marathon, I had an "aha" moment that I wanted to switch majors to Nursing. I applied to Penn State Mont Alto and got accepted for the fall.  That summer Tara, Mariah, and I spent a lot of time together hanging out, swimming, etc. Tara, Mariah, and I lived in an apartment in Shippensburg together that fall and I commuted from there. We made great memories living together!

2012

I'm having a really hard time finding pictures from 2012, but it was a significant year in this decade. In Spring 2012 I got accepted to nursing school. That spring I took a semester off from school and spent it waitressing at Hoss's. In the fall I moved to Altoona. I broke up with my long time high school boyfriend (5+ years), Matt, and it rocked my world. I spent the next couple months really trying to figure out who I was while living in Altoona where I essentially knew no one. I thought I would marry that guy (and he thought the same about me), but essentially we weren't right together and our lives really grew apart. In the moment it felt like my world was crashing down, but as I'm looking back on this decade I wish I could go back in time and tell my 20-year old self that everything would be okay.

Oh, and I met Trev in 2012. ;-) We had nursing clinical together and I remember my first impression of him being that sarcastic, funny kid who I could really see myself getting along with. We started texting each other over Christmas break that year and haven't stopped texting since.

2013

I started dating Trev in February 2013. After we started dating, I met all of his friends and became great friends with everyone! I met Janelle through Trevor and she and I became the best of friends. I continued through nursing school in 2013. We had lots of fun hanging out with friends, camping, etc. At the end of the year, Trevor's uncle Rob died from ALS. That was a rough time for everyone. And to end the year, Trevor, me, Brian, and Janelle went on a cruise over New Years from Baltimore to Florida and the Bahamas.

2014

2014 was a fun one. Trevor and I graduated nursing school. We both got our first nursing jobs! I went to the beach with my friends. I was in my friend Amanda's wedding that August. We had more camping adventures in the fall.

2015

2015 started off with a New York trip. Trevor and I worked out a lot this year and I became the most "fit" I've ever been. We went to the beach twice, with Trev's family and mine. We had fun on the 4th of July. Carly, Rayne, and I took a trip to Nashville and visited Uncle Doug which was so much fun. And I made the job switch to Labor and Delivery.

2016

I think out of the entire decade, 2016 takes the cake for my favorite year. We bought our first home together in January. Got engaged in February and got Timber the next day (that was my favorite weekend of all time). In March I found my wedding dress. The summer was filled with weddings and celebrations. In August, we took a leap of faith and moved across the country to New Mexico to pursue travel nursing. My heart has the fondest memories from those few months and I wish more than anything I could relive it. We started our debt free journey during this time. At the end of the year we moved back to the East Coast and started our jobs in Washington DC.

2017

2017 was also one for the books. I really became friends with my coworkers in Washington DC. We lived in DC for 6 months and a lot of my perspectives on life changed within those months. My heart misses DC so so much and sometimes I'm tempted to move back. In March we lost my Grandma Anna and then the next week on April 1st we lost my Grandpap. That time was really hard for me. In May we moved back home for the summer. I had my bridal shower. We remodeled our kitchen. We got married in July and went on our honeymoon to Hawaii. We moved to Boston that August. Trevor's back was in really bad shape at that point in time so we decided to temporarily move home so he could have back surgery. I switched from Labor and Delivery to the Operating Room that November.

2018

Ahhh, 2018. The year was pretty uneventful until July when we took a trip to Scotland, England, and Ireland. That was the best trip EVER. On the plane ride back, we brainstormed where our next trip would be. We decided that we wanted to visit Amsterdam next. Little did I know on that plane ride that I was PREGNANT! When we got home from our trip and I found out I was pregnant, Trevor had major back surgery the week after we found out. He had a rough, long recovery.

2019

Ahh, 2019. The year where Hudson made his appearance and changed our lives forever. What a great year and end to the decade.

So much has happened in 10 years and it's pretty neat to think of what the next 10 years will bring. People often say that your 30's are your best years. Is that true? My 20's were pretty great so I'm really interested to see what life brings.