Amanda 2000 vs. Amanda 2010

On May 22, 2000, my wonderfully thoughtful junior English III teacher had us all write a letter to ourselves 10 years in the future - to Amanda 2010.  During the flood clean-up, I stumbled across this letter, all soggy and muddy on the outside, but somehow, the letter survived - it must have been all of that gel ink I was so fond our back then.

 
It's full of interesting little tid-bits of information - like who I went to prom with, who I had just started dating at the time, how old my brother and sister were, my favorite classes and teachers, who my best friends were, what I did in my spare time, and how much gas was ($1.35 a gallon, for the record).

We were also supposed to write about where we thought we'd be in 10 years, and what would have happened during that time - and that's the most interesting part!  I predicted that I'd go to A&M or OU - which were the schools I ruled out first the summer after my junior year.  I wanted to be a graphic designer, so I guess I wasn't too far off there, although graphic design is the only part of web development that I stink at...  I thought I'd be married by now according to the letter, and I was smart enough to realize at the time of writing the letter that I hadn't met that person yet.  I planned on having a kid by now, but I am glad plans have changed.  We do want kids in the not too distant future, but I thank God that we don't have a child going through this experience with us.  In the biggest surprise, I wrote, "I hope I get to move back to Denison because I think it would be an awesome place to raise my kids!".  While I do think Denison was a great place to grow up, I'm not sure I can see myself living there again, and I am definitely sure Patrick would have something to say about that move!

I'm not a big believer in fate - I generally think we get where we are by our own actions, but I have to wonder about this one.  I honestly have no idea where this letter was in the house - it could have been a yearbook that was ruined and fell out as it was thrown on a trash pile, it could have been in a box of papers from college that disintegrated, or it could have been in any number of other things that the pack rat in me deemed a necessary part of my life, but it ended up in a wet, crumpled mess on my front yard.  If there was no flood, I most definitely wouldn't have read this letter anywhere near May 22, 2010.

But I did.  And I needed it.  This sounds cheesy, but I read it at the right time in my life.  It made me realize that - in spite of the flood and losing so much that Patrick and I had worked so hard for (me for the past 10 years, really), that I am very, very happy with my water-logged life.  You could not have ever made me believe in 2000 that I would end up married to an amazing guy from Tennessee who would have been able to convince this Texas girl to move here, but I love where I have ended up (especially the Patrick part).  And I would never have guessed that I haven't spoken to either of the two people who were my bestest friends in high school in well over a year, but I guess we all have different futures.  And I never would have guessed that I would be dealing with a '1000 year flood' in my living room, but I wouldn't be dealing with it if I weren't who I am now, and I truly can't imagine where I'd rather be.  And I suppose there's a reason we can't predict the future - and I am certainly glad that Amanda 2000 couldn't.

So, thank you Mrs. Terry - where ever you are - for knowing that a 27 year old might need a little perspective from the 17 year old version of them self.  (And I'm certain there's a comma splice in here - that was always my weakness...)