How is it possible we have just 30 days left in the decade of the 00s? Remember 1999 when we were breathlessly waiting to see what would happen to the world's computers when the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000? Does that really seem like 10 years ago?? To me if feels as if this decade has flown by. On Jan. 1, 2000 I had a 4 year old and a 1 year old who are now 14 and 11. My daughter, who hadn't yet started school, is now in high school. My "baby" boy is a fifth grader. My husband, who was a chief in the Navy in 2000, has now been retired almost eight years. We moved to Rhode Island in August of 2002. This month we marked our seventh year in this house, the longest we've lived anywhere in 17 years of marriage.
In an article well worth reading, Time Magazine is referring to this as the Decade from Hell, thanks to the contested presidential election of 2000, 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic meltdown and other things you may have forgotten about but which left a lasting mark.
For our family, in some ways this has been the decade from hell. My husband and I lost three of our four parents as well as numerous aunts and uncles. We began the decade with two dogs, Roscoe and Consuela, both of whom have since passed away. These have been difficult, life changing losses. But our glass remains much more than half full. Our children are healthy and thriving (and FRESH), we have a wonderful family and delightful friends who make for a tremendous "village" in which to raise our children, I've realized my lifelong dream of becoming a published author, and thanks to my books, I've made so many lovely new friends.
Speaking of friends, I'm expanding my Marie Force Facebook account, so if you haven't already, please send me a friend request! I look forward to seeing you there. In 2010, I plan to start the new decade off right by greatly expanding the action on my blog. I want to talk books! I read like a crazy woman so next year I want to keep track of all the books I read. I'll be reporting in here and keeping a list to see what the grand total for the year turns out to be. I'd love to talk books with you, so tune in often to find out what I'm reading. I also want to talk more about what I'm working on so readers will know what to expect from me down the road. You might be surprised to learn that I'm working on my first-ever historical romance! I'm having an absolute ball with it! What do you think? Can a tried and true contemporary girl go historical? Hmmm.... Finally, in 2010 I plan to offer up one of my unpublished books to my blog readers as part of the promotion leading up to the book currently named "See You Next Time." More to come on that soon!
Now tell me, have you already decorated for Christmas or are you like me and put it off as long as you can? And did this decade go by as quickly for you as it did for me? Do tell!
