Oh, how life changes...

Four years ago, we were plotting our "early retirement". I was feeling seriously burned out from my Teach For America work, and M was sick of his 50 mile daily commute on the Phoenix freeways. We weren't happy. It occurred to us that we could simply purge our lives of anything that didn't make us happy. I told my principal I wouldn't be coming back the following year and started selling our stuff on Craigslist. We planned a summer cross country road trip and started writing this blog.

Three years ago, we were getting ready to head to Georgia to start hiking north. It was an exciting, but scary time. I didn't know if I had it in me to actually do a thru-hike. I was feeling a little scared about sleeping in the woods every night.

Two years ago, we had recently moved into our apartment in Bloomfield. I was in the best shape of my life, having just finished the AT a few months before. I had (what I thought was going to be) a great special ed job. I still took deep pleasure in daily hot showers and electric lights.

One year ago, we didn't yet know I was pregnant. We had recently bought our house, and Pete and Meg and Lucy were living with us. We were planning a wine-tasting trip to Niagara Falls for M's birthday. My Grandma was sick. I had no idea how much vomiting I would do in the coming year. Or the indescribable joy that would arrive with Laurel.

At any point in the last four years, it would have been really difficult for me to predict where I would be a year from then. I don't know why I'm thinking about this right now. Maybe because Laurel is starting to try and scoot around on her tummy, and I imagine I'll be spending a lot of time chasing after her at this time next year. I'm looking forward to seeing her personality emerge.

So does life get more predictable once you have kids? Or less?