Goodbye 2008!

Well, this is it- the last entry of 2008.

Its been a year filled with ups and downs, and I for one am excited for the new year. The year started off in a weird way, with me fighting a bit of post-partum depression and trying to figure out our new roles as parents. I started looking for a job at the beginning of the summer and it was a long, arduous and humbling process. Financially things were fine, but it felt like being a retired senior- I had a large fixed amount of money, with no idea how long it would have to last. I've always kept my finances private and I'm fortunate to have a husband who can respect my cultural quirks. So I can only imagine how tense a time it must have been for him watching me continue to send our son to daycare week after week, pay the bills (he's got the mortgage and car insurance payments) and wondering when the well would go dry.
Our relationship got strained over the summer for a brief period. I couldn't find a job and my self-esteem really took a hit because of it. I've always been great at what I do, and have a pretty great resume but that just didn't seem to matter. (Later I found that the few positions that I had really wanted were filled by much senior people...I mean, that had like 20-30 years of experience against my 10!)
We took a trip over the summer back east and stayed in New Jersey with my mother-in-law. Timing-wise, it couldn't have been worse: I'd just done a 3rd interview at a hospital that was the most promising lead I had so far, and right as we arrived my new HP 910 totally crapped out one me. I spent just about every day waiting impatiently for my mother-in-law's PC to boot up so I could check my email. And the trip took a serious toll on Seth's sleeping habit- he wouldn't sleep for a full night again until about October!
I have to admit that things turned around when my mother and aunt came to visit for Seth's birthday. It was the first time my mother was able to make the trip over from Africa (she actually had just returned from Cuba and got right back on a plane!) since Seth was born. I went for an interview while she was here and ended up getting an offer as soon as I got home! Dean and I were able to take some time to ourselves and have some actual evening dates and celebrate the great news. So, I've been working hard at a job that's fun to be at, and pretty shielded so far from the harsh economic realities. As someone who thrives on independence, there is nothing as gratifying as going to work each morning, having my own set of friends to meet up with after hours, and spending quality time with my husband and kid.
Techwise, I'm ending the year with some great new additions- My HTC Fuze, HP Mini 1000, Evernote, Twitter, and of course, my Mobigasmic move from Live Spaces to Blogger which is the best thing that ever happened to my blog!
I'm so happy to have such fantastic readers. Thank you for all of your comments, tips, gripes, IM chats, tweets, and everything else that lets me know that you care about what I have to say. This has become a much more interactive space, and I hope to make it even more so in the next year!
Lets ring in 2009 and may it bring more greatness with it!

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