Four Year Meme

I have been tagged by my good friend Sheryl over at Peanut Butter and Jelly Boats. It is a four year meme that made me sit down and think hard over a few things. Thanks Sheryl!!

Four new things I have learned or experienced in the past four years:
1. I married my soul mate four years ago in a gorgeous tropical island getaway. We had dated and lived together for 10 years prior to that and I honestly didn't think that it would change our relationship much. It did though. It was like our already solid bond became that much more meaningful and it felt very satisfyingly right.
2. We became homeowners for the first time three years ago. Along with that terrifying responsibility of a mortgage, we have also had to take the leap of learning how to be handy and resourceful when it comes to fixing breakdowns within the house. I learned that my mom and sister were right about me and that I am neurotic when it comes to cleaning my house. Heck ... I have a rotation schedule for washing my walls .....
3. I became a Mommy to two precious children in the past 2 1/2 years. Being a Mommy has fulfilled my life more than I ever thought would be possible. It has given me drive and an incredible amount of energy to reach out and strive for dreams. I have also learned that children inspire you to do this, but they also leave you so extremely vulnerable because they own your heart. You take the joy in their happiness, the sorrow in their hurt and would move heaven and earth to ensure that they are protected and loved.
4. I have learned or should I say am working on how to be patient. It has never been one of my greatest virtues and is truly something that I have to consciously work on when I am in the heat of the moment. In the past, it has been so easy to just step in and correct the situation or push others to take action if they happen to be procrastinating. I am learning that people will do things in their own time and more often than not, would much rather have the support than the given direction.

Four things that I want to try to do in the next four years:
Mine are in random order:
1. Run a marathon. I have always wanted to do it, but I am determined to buckle down and achieve this dream.
2. Learn how to write. Whether it is to take a formal course, or to self research on how to do it, it is something that I greatly enjoy. I think that I have a lot to share with the world and would love to be able to inspire by written words.
3. Go back to school and upgrade my schooling. Knowing that I have to go back into the work force by February of 2008, I want to expand my work skills by learning more about the finance world. I figure that if I can add this knowledge into my portfolio, that I can find a nice job that will allow me to work specific days and hours or even independently to allow me to focus on my real passion: being a mommy.
4. Go on a family vacation. I mean pack the suitcases, jump on a plane and fly down south somewhere. Just take off for two weeks to a place that we can all just kick back and enjoy. Places like Florida, Phoenix, Palm Springs, Hawaii and the Dominican Republic. To achieve this, I have to work on the hubby to make him realize that travelling with the kids really isn't that hard and strenuous and that it can actually be very enjoyable. He has unfortunately heard too many horror stories and takes them at par (meaning that he isn't reading between the lines and finding the humor in the embellished sarcasm).

I tag the following four people:
1. Ellen over at Goofballsworld
2. Christie over at My Life As I Know It
3. Jenn over at My Life in a Nutshell
4. Deborah over at Pipecleaner Dreams