12 And 13 Years.......

I was just thinking about the fact that it is already February 1st...and I just cannot believe that!! :) That led me to think about two things signifigant things that have happened in my life during this month in the past. :)

The first was that I started my career at Dell back on Feb 11, 1999. I cannot believe that I will have been working at Dell for 12 years next week. WHAT? Did I just say 12 years? That seriously blows me away b.c I never thought that when I sat in New Hire Orientation all those years ago that I would still be working there 12 years later. I thought only older folks from a different generation worked places for that many years. HA! :) I have had a lot of different jobs and numerous experiences during my career, and while things at Dell have changed tremendously over the years, I am still grateful to them for giving me a chance at a Human Resources gig pretty much straight out of college. :) I have the most fond memories of my first 6 years at Dell, how much I learned, the different opportunities that I had, and the fact that I got to live in Austin, Nashville, and Dallas during that short time. :)

The second thing that happened 13 years ago in Feb of 1998 was that I asked my sweet hubby (who I had just met in the fall of 1997) out on a date. HA! :) I did not know Chris well but I took the plunge and asked him to my sorority formal in Houston coming up that March. :) He very sweetly agreed to go, and we ended up having a super fun time together. Who knew that one day about 9 years later we would dance again like that in a tux and a formal dress at our wedding. :) I love the way that date turned out! HA! :) I also love that Chris and I had 7 years from our date to become the best of friends, and to enjoy incredible lives as single people before we started dating. I love that we had another year and a 1/2 to date before we tied the knot...and then another 2 years before we had Mr. Braden. :) I often tease Chris about the fact that if we would have realized back in 1998 that we were supposed to be together then we would have probably been raising kids in our late twenties/early thirties vs. our early thirties/mid thirties. :) We chuckle and then remind ourselves that while we might not have the same energy today that we had in our 20's....God had a perfect plan for us, and we are thrilled to be living it now. :)

So February was a signifigant month for me 12 and 13 years ago...and I think back to those years with much fondness. :)