mizarchivist

It's been 14 years since

quiet_elegance and I decided to make an official go of it. This year he's gotten me a renewed, slightly used, but nicely broken in Commander in Chief. This is really preferable over a new one, because I don't like the OS that goes with Mittens.

Some snapshots from anniversaries past, courtesy of Live Journal:

2003- QE's grandmother dies and Amy (bff from back home) tells me she's pregnant. Sydney will be born the following May
2004- Another building job evaporated mere weeks before the anniversary, my then toddler niece was dealing with histocytosis, which robbed her of much of her hearing (she's doing just fine now).
2005- 7years! Celebration in the North End with lack-luster food and excellent cannoli. Serenity has just come out and my expression of fannishness expressed with silkscreened shirts. Some of you still have yours, I think. Mine's retired due to it being worn to death.
2006- A voting day, mid-term elections and a good season for Ohio and Deval Patrick elected governor here. (Bye, Mittens!!) Overall, a quiet season. I was in the midst of a health kick. Mother-in-law in the process of selling the family farm property in Ohio.
2007- The year of the writer's strike, I'd been living in Massachusetts for 10 years now. I'm crafting enough to post things on Etsy. Dec. 6, 2007 is when

quiet_elegance was hit by a goddamn Miata, and really, this is the origin of most of his current health problems that are as yet unresolved. He had joined the union that May. I still think it's the best career move he's made, ever. But watch out for Miatas, nonetheless :(
2008- Barack Hussein Obama trounces the grumpiest of old men and Conservative Freak Barbie. QE and I jump on a plane and head down to Cancun for our 10 year anniversary/honeymoon. Best vacation ever, and riding high on election win. I've really hit my stride for crafting and have figured out my dragon design, which I still think is sort of not yet been beat in quality.
2009- QE is a 3rd year apprentice and working reasonably steadily. Steampunk is fresh and shiny and having a fun influence on my art-making. I joined a gym the previous year, and at this stage quite dedicated to going on a regular basis.
2010- QE,

purple_terror, Robin, and I go to Italy for a week in October- Now Cancun has some competition for amazing vacations, although a totally different type of international travel involving much more DOING and SEEING. I'll not know it at the time of my anniversary, but I'll be pregnant before Christmas. The next 12 months will be wholly pregnancy-centric.
2011- We moved this year, and we met our amazing kidlet, Crime Figher. Also, the 2012 campaigning starts becoming A Thing. (Short summary, but sort of really- those things are a lot)

2012- It's been an intense year of growth and challenge. Again, there's this kid. He's great and amazing and a lot of work.
My work has shifted remarkably over the past 12 months. I have a great part time office mate/colleague whom I adore. We have a development director, a new admin, and a new cataloger. The new outnumber the established and our activity is just spinning up and up and up. We have a lot to fix, though. So much growth so quickly, and we just don't have the infrastructure to deal a lot of the time. But I hope we'll get caught up and be even better for it.
And omg, Election Fatigue. I know all elections can be pretty exhausting, but this one felt extra vitriolic. I don't want to say the worst ever, because that seems unlikely. I'm hugely relieved that the president has been re-elected. I realize he's not perfect, but he will at least support (most) of the social issues that Mittens almost certainly would actively trash or allow his cronies to trash.

quiet_elegance has had a rough year. We realized in April that it was most realistic for him to stay home and be the full time kid-care. He's also found that too many years of working in the field and deferring health maintenance has lead to a lot of catch up. BTW: cortizone shots happen on 11/20. Hopefully this will be the tipping point for him.

There's, of course, SO much more than just what I've said, but it's a snapshot.
LOVE to my dear life partner (in crime). LOVE to everyone who voted yesterday and to our POTUS who'll be around for a few more years. LOVE to my friends and family who remind me that the world is full of wonderful people. People who like me!