Inspired by my dear friend Sarah, and after seeing this on a couple of other blogs, it caused me to reflect back on the last decade and see how much I’ve changed in what really is a relatively short amount of time. It still seems strange to me that I can even remember back ten years – I know that I’m 22 and that I was 12 then, but it still doesn’t seem right that I should be able to remember back that far. Anyway, here goes…

2000
Age 12. In Grade 6, my final year of primary school. I remember I had a major crush on a guy in my class. Getting ready to head off to high school. Killing Heidi were (and still are) my favourite band. Started really getting involved with computers and webdesign.

2001
Age 13. My first year of high school. Felt awkward and out-of-place. Met some beautiful people, and some mean ones too. Discovered my real love for webdesign and got stuck into it. Had many high school crushes. Met my best friend (at the time), Sarah. Started wearing makeup. Achieved high grades and was awarded an Outstanding Academic Achievement award.

2002
Age 14. Barely remember it, but this is the year I started dance classes at school and fell in love with it. Discovered more friends and made my first male best friend. Got my site hosted for the very first time. Started learning how to use FTP. Achieved high grades and was awarded an Outstanding Academic Achievement award.

2003
Age 15. Fell madly in love with a guy I met online, only to be dumped and told he’d been cheating on me. In the interim, fell for another guy online (Michael) and met him in November. Lost the ‘V-Plates’. High school musical production, great fun and awesome experience. Achieved high grades and was awarded an Outstanding Academic Achievement award, along with three subject awards for Social Science, Dance and Media Studies. Passed Learner’s Permit test and started driving lessons with my mum and dad.

2004
Age 16. Final year of high school. Many trips back and forth to Melbourne to see Michael. Entered the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge with my dance class, and came fourth out of about 20 schools. Grades dropped a bit, enough to miss out on the OAA award for the fourth time. Didn’t care; was in love.

2005
Age 17. First year of college (Year 11). Had a ball this year – great classes, more relaxed learning atmosphere. Studied English, Maths, Psychology & Sociology, Environmental Science and Religion & Philosophy. Hated Enviro Science, and quit. Went to Vanuatu in September for Michael’s sister’s wedding. LOVED IT. Decided to move to Melbourne at the end of the year to be with Michael.

2006
Age 18. Living with Michael and his mum & stepdad. Enjoyed it, but a lot of tension at times. Studied Year 12 via distance education but gave up. Started looking for work. Got my first proper job with a government initiative for apprentices. Loved it. Bought Inspirata.org. First nephew arrived, Jonah. Got engaged on New Year’s Eve.

2007
Age 19. Continued working. Moved into our own apartment in April. Enjoyed the freedom but it was expensive. Got our first pet, Layla. Got my first and second tattoos.

2008
Age 20. Got another kitty to keep Layla company, and called him Hendrix. Went to my first arena concert to see Ozzy Osbourne. Came out of the broom closet. By June, decided we’d had enough of paying an exorbatant amount of rent and decided to move back to Tasmania. Got my third (and kind of fourth) tattoos. Packed up and left in August. Moved in with Mum & Dad to get us on our feet. Michael got a job at a printer cartridge store. I continued looking for work.

2009
Age 21. Huge party for my 21st, with friends coming down from Melbourne. Layla passed away. Cried. A lot. Moved into a rental. Bought Terri.nu Had two job interviews in May, and accepted one position as Legal Secretary. Started living a little, since we now had two incomes. Decided to get married with 5 months to plan. Married in November.

2010
Age 22. Managed to hold down my job for 12 months +. Lost a close family member to suicide. Moved out of the rental and bought our own house. Became DIY-lover. Resced Delilah. Continuing to work. Michael’s best mate got married. And … ?

So I’m back to work on Monday – leaving officially 2 days of my holidays. Where the hell did that time go?! I mean, I know I only got off work on the 23rd December, and we went to Melbourne on the 24th, the Gold Coast on the 27th, and then came home on the 2nd January, so that’s a decent chunk, but I had an extra week, and I feel like I’ve achieved nothing!

You know when time sometimes seems to fly by in some aspects, but the same amount of time seems to have been going for a long time? That’s kind of how I feel right now.

In other news, it’s like a month till my birthday. Woohoo!!! I’ve already asked my Mum if they can buy me a 1TB external harddrive, because I am running out of room on my computer, fast, and I don’t have any additional SATA slots left. Actually, I think I have one… but I’ll just get the external HDD. I can share it with Michael, then.

Also, I thought of my Dad’s 60th birthday present already – and his birthday is September. I received an email fwd from him – some ‘things you’ve done in your life’, and one of the questions was ‘Got a tattoo?’. His answer was ‘No, but there is one I have considered’. I asked him what it was, and he said ‘The Eureka Flag‘. So, I think I’m gonna organise for him to get his first tattoo on his birthday. I won’t tell him at all until the day – I mean, why not when he’s 60?! He’s semi-retired, so doesn’t need to worry about it for his job or anything, and it’ll only be small. I thought it was a neat idea and Mum agreed! So we’ll see what happens, but I reckon it’d be an awesome present.

I am still not doing anything hugely important. I feel lame for not blogging, but there’s nothing really to write about. Right now, I’m sitting in front of the TV with my laptop, watching The Biggest Loser and talking to Michael. He just got back from the weekend in Melbourne for his mum’s 50th birthday. It was kind of nice to get some time apart, but I’m glad he’s home.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been blessed with the job of taking over ‘Graphic Designer’ role for the Tasmanian Pagan Alliance, Inc. newsletter. The original GD, who had been in the role for 10 years, quit due to time and internet restraints, so I put my hand up straight away. I managed to pump out the latest newsletter, which was running late, in under 24 hours, so the State Coordinator and the Editor of the newsletter were really impressed with that – it makes me feel good to know I can contribute even more to this group I’m a part of.

Um so not much else to mention, other than mentioning the new endeavour that Catie and I have undertaken – check that out at Beauty-U. I’m meaning to post more there but the other things I’m doing (housework, Pagan Alliance stuff, etc.) have taken priority. I’ll try to post a couple of vids or blog posts this week.