The mother of all randomness...

Eight years ago today -- September 24, 2005 -- I wrote my very first post for this blog. I think it started as an experiment, to be honest. Other people were dabbling in this thing called "blogging" (a word which, I still contend, sounds just like the sound my cats make before throwing up hairballs), and as a "writer" of sorts, I thought I might toss my hat into the ring.

At the time, Rick and I were living in Austin, with our dog and cat, Echo and Allegro. Mom and dad had just moved from New Jersey and into a house right down the street... Eric was in Chicago, but single, and living in a tiny condo in Lincoln Park with a beat-up, pieced-together computer (which was affectionately -- or perhaps not-so-affectionately -- known as Frankencomputer). George W. Bush was president (ah, those were the good ol' days... ;)), "Lost" was a huge hit on TV, and the last two Harry Potter books hadn't even been released yet.

Since that day eight years ago, we've moved (twice -- once to a bigger house in Austin, and then to Chicago). Our sweet Echo and Allegro are running around together in pet heaven -- but we've been joined by Piva and Riff (who not only make life more interesting, but make me smile every single day). Mom and dad still have a house in Austin, but they also have a condo in Chicago. And Eric? Well, once he ditched Frankencomputer and moved into a nicer place, he met and married a girl who makes him happy, bought a great house, and proceeded to have the two cutest kids on the planet. (Way to show us all up, Eric... :))

We've had a U.S. presidential change, "Lost" came to an end (I'm STILL trying to decide whether I was satisfied with the final episode), and not only did J.K. Rowling finish up the saga of Harry Potter, but we all got to watch Daniel Radcliffe grow up on the silver screen as each movie was released.

For Rick and I, the last eight years have brought new jobs, a couple scary layoffs, and new opportunities -- we've discovered that when one job doesn't work out, sometimes it means that something much better is on the way. We've traveled to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Europe, and all over the U.S. We've said goodbye to some loved ones, and welcomed some new lives. We've met new people, made some new friends, and reconnected with old acquaintances. I've learned to cook some new recipes, and have gotten really good at baking cupcakes (WHY do I have to be so GOOD at baking cupcakes?? :))... but I've also learned to embrace my pedometer, and working out is more a part of my life than it's ever been.

There have been constants, of course -- family, long-time friends, my love of chocolate, the Yankees. (Although even the Yankees moved from their old stadium into a new one.) But it's interesting to go back through my eight years of blog posts and think about where I was and what was going on in my life when I wrote each one. And even though I've been slow to update lately, it's good to know that my blog is always here when I feel like rambling aimlessly about nothing. :)

So, in honor of my blog birthday (and keeping true to my randomness), here is a hodgepodge of pictures from the last eight years... mostly in no particular order whatsoever:

   

 

 

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to see what the next eight years has in store... :)