Susanne has challenged people to reflect on a specific year in our lives. The year I was given is 2000. This is going to be a long post, I remember a LOT from that year, and in fact, I have a really good memory and can remember every year from the time I was 2 1/2, of course, the older the year, there's less details I can recall. Whenever I hear a story from a certain date, I reflect back to that time in my life and where I was around that time. I don't know if that's weird or not. I reflected on the year 2000 and then went and hunted several scrapbook layouts I'd done of that year that I plan to post.


Y2K!!!!
Remember Y2K? I feel I must post about that as the kick-off point to 2000. I'll start with New Year's Eve 1999. My good friend Jen and I spent the evening at her house, our husbands were both deputies and were working. There was a whole bunch of hubaloo regarding Y2K, and all the deputies had to work and were warned they may have to work more than the standard overtime. Chad was scheduled to get off at 11:00 and Jeff was scheduled a little while after that. We spouses were alerted that the department had rented the armory and had caterers on stand-by in the event of an emergency arising from the Y2K problem, they wanted to herd us all in there like cattle as our spouses would have to be available 24/7. Well, true to my nature, I didn't bother stocking up on everything, I didn't think it was a big deal. I did fill a bunch of empty milk cartons with water on NYE, but I figured the food I had would suffice. I mean, I could always heat up meals on the BBQ, right? Anyway, I went to the grocery store to get some snacks for that evening and OMG!!! People were pigs! There were hundreds of people pulling boxes of food off the shelves and leaving the store in shambles. Wow. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Fast forward to the evening. Jen and I put the kids down to bed and then did each other's hair. We'd been drinking, and boy does Jen make some pretty potent drinks. Word of caution: Do NOT do or have your hair done when you're plastered. Jen's hair turned out nice (pat on the back), mine, however, what a nightmare the next morning. Turns out Chad got off at 11, and he came and toasted in the New Year with us. Jeff came home shortly after and we played drinking games and then stayed over. On New Years, I made a trip (in tears) to the Dollar Tree and bought some butterfly clips to help hide my awful haircut.
Click on pictures to enlarge
Jen and I had decided to split rent on a station at a hair salon just a couple of blocks from my house. I had been a SAHM for 4 years, so this was a big adjustment, but I was feeling very couped up, and I felt the kids needed some time away from me. We each worked 2-3 days a week and watched each other kids on our off days if the hubbies were working. It was a hard area to build a clientele, but I did okay, I was able to feed my creative side while bringing in some extra money. The owner Kay was such a sweetie and so accommodating.

We decided to take a week vacation in March to go visit my parents in Colorado. March is still an iffy time of year to drive over the mtn. passes. Outside of Susanville, CA, Chad did a 360° turn on the mtn. pass in the dark. Thank the Lord there was no one coming in the opposite direction, and we didn't slide off the embankment, it was a cliff. Outside of SLC, we had some slippage problems (I was driving this time), but nothing where I lost control, it just took us a long time. We arrived in Durango on my birthday at about 2 AM. It was my 30th birthday!!!!!! OMG, I had such a hard time with that one. I felt so old, like I was really an adult now.
We are never ones to just sit and visit. If we're going to travel a long ways, we want to have a little bit of fun, and it is no different when visiting my parents. This visit we went to the Pagosa hot springs (near my Uncle Steve's place) and we went further into the mountains and let the kids play in the snow. We all took a few days and went to Canyonlands, Mesa Verde and my favorite: Arches National Park. We did a lot of hiking, which is hard on two little ones, ages 2 and almost 5. Dad was irritated a lot of the time, but IMO, the kids were really good for all that we put them through.

Click on pictures to enlarge
Derek turned 5 in April, and we had a Tarzan themed party. He'd fallen in love with Tarzan after meeting him in Disneyland the previous fall.
Click on picture to enlarge
Derek had his pre-school graduation in May, and then shortly after, in June, we took a long weekend getaway at the Coast. We stayed in Brookings and they wound up having record high temps of over 100° there, but 15 miles down the road it was only in the 50's and 60's. Brookings is known as the "banana belt" of the Oregon Coast. We went to the aquarium in Crescent City, CA where the kids got to pet the sharks, and we also toured the Wildlife park in Bandon, OR. I had been there myself when I was only 5, so I had fond memories of the place. It looked much the same as I remembered, dirty, but with fun animals. They still let you buy feed in ice cream cones that you feed to the goats.
Click on pictures to enlarge
In July we spend a couple days camping at Lost Creek Lake. While hiking along the Lake trails, Derek disturbed a hornets nest and got stung on the lip. I was trying to help him while he was screaming and got stung on my foot right through my water sock. This was my first bee sting ever, at the age of 30. I got my second bee sting on my foot at home, just a month later. Go figure.
Click on picture to enlarge
Derek started kindergarten that fall. Now, I know some moms talk about how sad they are and how much they cried. Ha ha. My experience couldn't have been more different. I was whooping up tears of joy! He also was so excited to attend, and really enjoyed his K-year. I helped out every Tuesday and was allowed to bring Micki and Zach with me. I did art with the kids and it was so fun. We also signed Derek up for Campfire kids, and guess who got recruited to be the leader? Moi! It was either me or no one. I made Chad sign up too. We only did it for the one year, I wasn't in a mood to do it again without an assistant.
Click on picture to enlarge
October rolled around, and I went to my church's women's retreat at the coast for a second time. I had a great time, and was able to go with a close friend of mine. It's nice to just get away from everyone for a few days. Later that month we made a trip to Bend to visit family. Derek's school had a really neat Harvest Festival that I was involved with helping to set up, as I'd involved myself with the PTO, and somehow I'd also managed to volunteer to sew all the choir's vests, and I volunteered free hair services for the Silent auction.
Click on picture to enlarge
On November 4th, Micki turned 3. We were in Bend that day for a wedding of a really good friend. We had a family birthday get together earlier in the day along with a few close friends at my in-laws. Later that week we had a full blown party with friends at our house in Medford.
Click on picture to enlarge
For Thanksgiving, my brother and his family came for our 3rd annual T-day together. On Christmas, Chad's parents were planning on coming, and then at the last minute my parents decided to come from Colorado, so we wound up with both sets of parents, Chad's grandma, and his cousins who lived nearby and popped in for family time.

Click on pictures to enlarge

That's Y2K for ya!!!