Happy Birthday, Dad

Today would have been my father's 51st birthday. I still can't believe he's already been gone for 2 1/2 years. In some ways it feels like it wasn't long ago at all, but in other ways it feels like it's been ten years...because what has happened since then should take about 10 years for the average person.

I was still living at home with him when he died. Afterward, I was on my own by default. Sure, I could have moved in with my mom, and it was tempting at times, but I had a life up here; although I was still living at home I had a full-time job, had my own circle of friends, and still had a place to live. If I had moved in with my mom, things would have turned out very different; as it was, let's take a look at what all did happen:

• Had a roommate move in, which didn't work out since she never paid me anything. Four, five months maybe, and I never saw a dime.
• I met J in June of 2006, only four months after my dad passed. Three weeks later, we were engaged. Quick, I know, but I think it's turned out all right :)
• August of 2006, kicked the roommate out.
• October of 2006, we got knocked up, which forced us to move our wedding date from May to March, giving us two months less time.
• March of 2007, we got married.
• Four months later our first son was born.
  
• I returned to work eight weeks later, in September; only to go from full-time to part-time, and eventually deciding to quit in November because...
• We moved to Lincoln that same month, deciding we couldn't afford to live up there anymore; I would be working solely to pay for childcare, whereas my mom could watch the baby while I worked.
  
• I changed into a totally different field of work, which I ended up loving for awhile, until some certain things happened.
• June 2008, and I'm officially knocked up again.
• I ended up quitting my job in mid-July due to some work-related issues, serious enough that I did not feel good about working there.
  
• We decided that it was in our best interest to move back up to the Peoria area, with Jason going to school and the exceedingly high price of gas, not to mention our exceedingly high energy bill at the house we were living in.
• So here we are, moving tomorrow.

Okay, now that might not seem like a lot; for some people that's probably nothing. Before my dad died, though (which really seems to be the first major turning point in my life), my life was, well, slow. I used to think life was so complicated then, whether I was having "guy troubles" or didn't know what I wanted to do with my life or even who I was. If only I knew then what I know now.

Of course, if I had known then, maybe I wouldn't feel as lucky as I do now. I think I've turned out all right.