Reflections on the past decade

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of my twenties. I feel like this decade has gone by in a flash. I've been thinking about what my life was like 10 years ago, on the eve of my 20th birthday. Jason and I had just moved to Virginia, I had just started my junior year at Virginia Tech, and we were living in a small apartment with Chloe (who was just as mean and fat as she is today). I thought then that leaving my teenage years behind meant I was getting old. I was actually quite upset about turning 20- what a fool I was!

Over the next decade I had some major life changing experiences. At 21, we added Haley cat to our family (seriously, y'all know that I love that cat way more than I should, so this was a very important event). That year we also moved into our first house, a rental, but still a big deal for us, and I started grad school. At 22, we got married on a perfect sunny day with everyone we loved in attendance. At 23, we rescued Anna, our crazy mutt, who taught us some very important lessons about patience. That spring I gave my first ever lecture and knew instantly that I would become an educator. That summer we moved to Georgia so I could start my PhD. At 24, I got my first taste of teaching in a large course, as a guest lecturer to 320 students, and the adrenalin rush lasted for hours. At 25, I taught a entire course by myself and began to realize the magnitude of that task and the impact you can have on people's lives. Years 26-28 kind of ran together. I spent a lot of time in a dark room with an amazing microscope and my iPod, certainly the best moments of my research career. I started working on biology education research and learned a lot about pedagogy. I taught graduate students and became a mentor to a few. I discovered a love of yoga which gave me an even more optimistic attitude on life (if that was even possible).

The past year has been the most transformative of all. On my 29th birthday, I was here in Laramie for the first time, interviewing for my dream job, meeting wonderful people who have since become great friends and colleagues. Two days later on the flight back home, I saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time from a little puddle jumper plane, and wept in complete awe of the majesty of it. Three weeks later, I got the best phone call of my life, standing in the hall at Coverdell, Jason standing with me, looking into my eyes with a pride I had never seen before. We ran through the halls spreading the news and hugging all our friends. That night we went out to dinner and bought the most expensive bottle of whiskey we could find, which stands now in our bookcase with an inscription we wrote that night.

Over the next few months, I worked hard to finish my research and then to write my dissertation. Some days I stayed in my PJs and wrote from breakfast to dinner (I was going to say dawn to dusk, but I think we all know that I never see dawn). I learned more during that time than I did in all 6 years of my PhD- it's a shame you only write that thing at the very end. Some days I broke down, convinced I would never finish, and Jason had to pick me back up. But finally I finished, and defended, and graduated, with all of my family watching. Three weeks later we spent our last and most bittersweet night in Georgia, surrounded by some of the best friends of my life.

And now, on the eve of 30, I am feeling grateful and happy and more than a little reflective. Except for the past 5 months, I spent the entire last decade as a college student, and now I am finally living the life that I worked for all those years. And it feels wonderful.

With love and gratitude to all who helped me make it this far,
Carly