A Decade ~ 2010-2020

To be honest, I didn't even think of the new year as being the beginning of new decade 😂 I guess that's a testament to our full lives these days.

Once I finally got on board with the decade change, it got me thinking of a blog post I made for our ten year anniversary...Ten years ago, I never would have expected.  I decided to use a similar format to remember our past decade.





Ten years ago, I never would have expected...

• We would be a family of 5!  I've never been the person who knew exactly how many kids I wanted and which gender I preferred.  Brent and I knew we wanted a family and after we had Luke, we knew we wanted him to have a sibling.  Luke was nearly four year olds when we began 2010.  We had started trying for another baby in 2008.  After a year of trying, we had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy resulting in surgery to remove my ruptured fallopian tube.  It still took us until 2012 to add Nora to our family and then we even had a third, Jace, in 2018.  I never would have thought we'd have a third child, but man, am I glad we have all three.  They are the joy of our days! 
• I would have the opportunity to work half time for nearly a decade.  When 2010 began, I was working with my boss to change my job from a .8 FTE (30 hours per week) to a full time position that would be a job share between two .5 FTE employees.  The change in schedule became reality in July 2010.  My part time schedule is such a blessing to our family and gives me nice balance between work and home.
• I would be working in a clinical department at Mayo.  My first 8 years at Mayo (starting in June 2005), were with MMSI, Mayo's third party administrator for their employee health plan.  I began my .5 FTE schedule in 2010 while in this department.  In 2013, I was ready for a change of scenery, though I had loved the time at MMSI and my many great coworkers.  I transferred to Mayo Travel Services for a year, then transferred to the Neurology department, specifically the Mayo Stroke Center.  I have been here since, have learned the inpatient and outpatient worlds from an administrative lens, and I get to work with the most wonderful team of people!  I've never known exactly what I wanted to do for a career and I have a general studies bachelors degree.  I didn't know where I foresaw myself ten years ago, but I really enjoy the variety of work I do now. 
• Brent would be changing jobs.  Brent started 2010 in his fourth year with Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union and was commuting nearly full time to the branch in St Paul.  Affinity was a great company to work for and he had had several opportunities for growth in his four years. Spring 2010 brought the surprise of Brent losing his job, beginning an online MBA program, and starting to work for Think Bank.  Think has also been a great company to work for and he's, again, had several opportunities for growth. 
• We'd be living in Stewartville.  I'm not I've ever blogged about our decision to move to Stewartville, so here's a quick synopsis.  Brent planted the seed to move in summer 2015.  We looked at an existing house in Oronoco and tried searching for other options within the Gibbs Elementary (where Luke was a 4th grader) district but didn't find anything much different than our current home.  We expanded our search to other areas of Rochester, but we were concerned with the impact to Luke.  He would need to meet all new kids in a new elementary school for his remaining 1-2 years then he would meet even more new kids once he transitioned to middle school.  It all sounded like a lot for our quiet boy (who I should mention was on board with the idea of moving).  Our friends who had lived in Stewartville for about 8 years, suggested we look at lots in their neighborhood.  The benefit to Stewartville for Luke was that once he met kids in elementary school, he would be in school with the same kids until he graduated.  One thing led to another and we were listing our home in NW Rochester (fall 2015), choosing a lot and house plans, and moving to Stewartville in March 2016.  I'm often asked how we like being in Stewartville and I always have a positive answer!  We love the schools, our neighborhood and neighbors, the conveniences, and our home. 
• We would lose so many loved ones: Brent's Grandma Velma, my Grandpa Beckmann, my Uncle Glen, Brent's cousin's son Casi, our high school friend Matt, my Grandma Green, and three more pregnancies. 

We're truly blessed to be entering another new decade and I've enjoyed reminiscing on many of the big transitions the past decade included.  I also realized, in the process of writing this post, that I started this blog in 2010 as well!  I may not post as often as I once did, but I love to process life through writing (errr...typing) and I love to have the blog to look back on our life as a family.


Blessings on your decade ahead!!!

Then

Now