A whole new decade!

I'm a sucker for "Best Of" lists -- so the end of the 00's (is that what we're calling this decade?) is quite delightful for me, as each magazine reviews the best movies/personalities/news stories of the past 10 years. 10 years seems like such a long time, and for me it has been the most defining decade of my life, so far anyway. I've probably said that every 10 years... but isn't that what living is about? Defining yourself and your goals a little bit more distinctly each year?

I started the year 2000 at Walt Disney World- did my coordinator shift at Garden Grill restaurant in the Land pavilion and rushed home to toast the New Year, arriving just in time to watch the ball drop - I spent that New Year's night with Judith, Jenn, Vaughn, Whirl and friends... and nothing makes me happier than knowing that I still count them among my very best friends. In February of 2000 Jenn moved back to MA, our roommate Keith got a dog, we moved to an apartment in Orlando and my boyfriend talked me into moving back home myself to New Jersey, under the auspices of finally settling down, getting married, etc. I got a job at Montclair State University and moved to Montclair, NJ... which I knew from the day I got the job was a bad decision. Even though Jenn had left, and Judith was planning to leave, I loved my Disney friends as my family, and was growing very close to them. But I got to be in NJ for when Judith arrived, and we bonded over being fish out of water. While my job at MSU was not exactly a dream job, I met incredible people there who will always be part of my life, and was given great opportunities to do what I wanted to do, develop a progam, teach a class... I probably wasn't grateful enough for the opportunities I had at MSU while I was there. I was closer to my best friends from high school, Niki and Kate, so we got to hang out a lot. I got back into performing, at the Studio Players in Montclair... and learned to be on my own when my boyfriend decided that he could do better than me and dumped me less than 2 years after I moved up there to be with him. I was hurt and bewildered, but it was the best thing that could have happened.

Everything happens for a reason, right? I also happened to be living in New Jersey in February of 2003, when my father had a stroke and our world got rocked. It was so inspiring to watch him work so hard to recover, and watch my mom be so unconditionally supportive of him. With my sister in Nashville, I was glad to be close enough to visit every weekend, help out when I could, and serve as a point of contact for my family through his recovery. (He's doing great now, by the way. You'd never know he had a stroke.)

Many trips to Walt Disney World, plus some trips to California, cemented the fact that I needed to get back to working at Disney full time. I applied for job after job, and finally got a full time job in reservations at Disney Cruise Line. Was it my Disney dream job? No, but it was AT DISNEY, where i needed to be to finish what I started. Moving back was hard, financially, but it was the best thing I could have done emotionally. I moved in with Bessie and Ryan, who became my Florida family, and eventually got selected to be an Entertainment Manager at my "home" park, Epcot.

That job changed my life - I made plenty of mistakes and learned plenty of tough lessons, but I also appreciated the fact that I looked forward to going to work every day. I got to share an office with Howdy, who had been so supportive of me through all of my moving back & forth, and uncertainty about where I was going and what I was doing. Working at Epcot also introduced me to John- who became my "can't live without" friend, my Florida partner in crime.

I got moved to the Magic Kingdom, which I treated as a great tragedy at the time, but became a great opportunity to learn more and do more than I ever thought I could. I came into my own at that park in a very weird way, and developed a confidence that I never really had before.

I also struggled while I was there, as I was dealing with being "single" for the first time since I was 17. I certainly made mistakes in that area too... but it all worked out for the best when I was a bridesmaid in my friend Niki's wedding in September of 2006, and met an adorable young man who asked me to dance over and over. I was in love faster than I thought I could be, but Shaun was and is exactly what I needed. He's funny without trying too hard, smart without being a showoff, and so sweet and caring that I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be the recipient of his affections. Unfortunately he lived in Massachusetts.

His attempts to move to Florida touched my heart, and were also coupled with a move at work that put me on night shifts in an area that was interesting and fun, but not the same challenge I enjoyed in my previous job. I loved visiting him in Boston- and Niki was there too, as well as Jenn only 45 minutes away and my friend Kristy not far away either- so I started looking for jobs in Boston and got a job almost immediately at Boston University. Would it be a good idea to move away from Disney AGAIN for a boy?

It was completely different the second time though. This time, it was my decision, not his. I cried upon saying goodbye to my friends: Bessie, Ryan, Howdy, and especially John, but I wasn't as sick with sadness as I had been in 2000. I was ready to go, ready to make the move, and ready to start a new chapter in my life. Even though I'm not a millionaire, I had accomplished a lot in my mind: I really felt like I made a difference in people's lives. I was starting to feel like I couldn't keep up with my fast and fancy-free Orlando lifestyle, and wanted to settle down.

So to Boston I came, where I started grad school, started volunteering at the John F Kennedy Library, and carved out a nice little life for myself. Shaun and I spent most of 2009 planning our wedding, I still get to visit my Disney friends, and I'm growing a nice little batch of friends up here too.

Oh- there were travels in there too - I cruised through the Panama Canal, hit up California 3 times, went to New Mexico & Colorado for the first time, and I'm packing for my trip to India that leaves tomorrow (so technically part of the next decade, not this one).

Is my life different than it was 10 years ago? Absolutely. But my 4 best friends in 2000 are my 4 best friends now, plus a few more added in. Our family lost Mom-Mom Chebra, my last living grandparent, but we added my brother-in-law, Clif, and just a few months ago my gorgeous niece Eden, and will soon be officially adding Shaun. My friends have gotten married, had beautiful children, some have gotten divorced, but they all are happy.

My life is pretty much the same as it was 10 years ago- no husband (well, at least not for another 128 days), no kids, no homeownership, no millions of dollars in the bank, but in so many ways I am so much richer than I was before. I appreciate more, I love my family and my friends more, I have the most wonderful fiance a girl could ask for. The 2000s have been very good to me... and I can't wait for all of the excitement to come in the next 10 years.