Jaar Twee, null, null, vier

Another year under our belts. Now we're into an evenly divisible year. 2003 was an odd year... mathematically and metaphorically both. It was a year of...

...Waiting... for September when we would move to Belgium.

...Turmoil... working for a start-up company that went kaput.

...Corporate espionage... when we ****[confidential material]**** because it was the right thing to do.

...Relocation... three times (between three states and one European country).

...Personal growth... too much if you ask me.

...Job-hunting... knocking on many doors and ending up in something entirely different.

...Extremes... emotional, financial and environmental.

...Technical advancement... of GreenCard Brewery's technology (which is now stored in Hubbard, Oregon).

...Liberation... from many of our earthly possessions (cars, furniture, and countless other space-mongers).

...Decision-making... not just about which beer to drink before dinner, mind you.

...Sweating... try loading a U-Haul truck to the gills in the middle of an Arizona summer and you'll see what I mean.

...Change... of locales, viewpoints, careers, vocations, minds, fields of study, and on and on and on and on.

...Broadening horizons... new languages, new cultures, new experiences, new obstacles.

...Reconnecting with roots... Europe, Scandinavian languages, family.

...Making friends and aquaintances... comes with the territory when you move around so much.

Thinking back on it, I have a hard time really grasping it. So many things happened and so many things didn't happen, but it was all good. Or it will become good in the end (when we look back from farther away). The "golden" time was the months I spent in Oregon with Kristen's family. It was great to get to know them and I'm really happy about the strong connections that were made.

While a lot of good came out of 2003, I really hope 2004 is a little less "turbulent". I know we're in for a few big decisions, at least one relocation and, as Kristen pointed out last night while we chowed down on some super-delicious pitas, another 9 months of "killing time". We've both somehow ended up in a situation where we're doing something to pass the time while we wait to be able to move on with the next "phase". But this time we're in Europe, in a cute little country and we're going to try to make the most of it. After all, we need to do this while we still can. We're fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have a relatively small amount of crippling responsibility (careers, kids, etc.). Maybe that makes us selfish, but I think we're just lucky!

Happy New Year!

-RP-