If someone had told me 5 years ago...............

[Mirage]

I have been feeling pretty down in the dumps & discontented recently & have spent rather to much time envying other people & thinking 'if only'.Tonight whilst picking up the dd's toys I began to think about how much my life has changed in the past 5 years,nearly all for the better.

5 years ago,we had no children & were told that there was virtually no chance we would have.I worked in an office job which I hated,dh had a well paid job but worked all hours & hated that too.We lived in a small town,surrounded by other houses & dreamed of moving to the countryside.

5 years on,we have 2 beautiful,healthy dd's,dh has a job he absolutely loves.I retrained & got qualified in a career which I love & am self employed now.We moved to an idyllic village (albeit to a wreck of a house).I've also gone back to college to do an additional course so I can increase my income & work smarter rather than harder.

If someone had predicted this to me 5 years ago I would have laughed in their faces & said that it was all totally impossible.I'm tempted to stick a note of all these changes somewhere prominent,both as a reminder to count my blessings & also,as an example of how quickly & unexpectedly thinngs can change.

So,anyone else find that life has changed beyond all recognition,for good or bad,in the past few years?

2 years ago I was in a relationship where I didn't go out (my ex wouldn't), I couldn't eat what I wanted (he'd say "I'm not having that sh*t in the house"), I didn't dare speak my mind - I was scared of him because he used to throw tantrums and smash things up. He was always shouting at me for something. He wouldn't let me drink alcohol in the house because he didn't want to so he didn't think I should either. In 12 years living together he never, and I mean never, did a scrap of housework despite us both working full-time - I used to do all the cooking, cleaning, washing, decorating, gardening and everything else. He used to go round the house looking for dust and when he found some (either behind a bed or a cupboard) he'd have a real go at me. I used to wait on him hand and foot - if he wanted a drink/something to eat/bath I'd have to do it for him - sometimes in the middle of the night. I didn't dare say no because I didn't want to wind him up and make him shout at me

I finally found the strength to leave him nearly 2 years ago

I'm now with someone who takes me out, never shouts at me, helps around the house, loves and cares for me, makes a fuss of me, and really appreciates all the things I do for him - and his daughter when she comes to stay

Can't believe what I done in the last two years, here goes:

Learnt to drive in order to leave crazy control freak husband.
Left crazy control freak husband.
Met love of my life again after 20 odd years.
Moved to other side of country to be with him.
His ex wife died, so instead of me, him and my two, we are now a family of 7.
DD1 had liver transplant.
Control freak husband followed me across country.
Nasty divorce but got there eventually and moved away again. By this time he got hooked up with someone off the internet and stayed put this time!
Am now living happily by the sea and we are planning our wedding in March.
Phew!

Mine isn't too radical but here goes.....

If someone had told me 5 years ago.....

• by the time I was 30 I would have one DD and another one on the way
• moved back to Scotland
• DP would have moved out of retail, retrained and be in a job he actually enjoyed
• DP and I would still be together (went through v rough patch 5 years ago)
• I would be a SAHM be very happy about it and not at all unhappy that I have put my career on hold

err thats about it really

For me it's 10 years...
At 20 I was living at home in Canada, wasn't going to leave my home town, was never going to marry was NEVER EVER going to have kids...
then I:
-met the love of my life
-moved away to another city (and moved in with love after only 8 months!)
-got my degree
-moved to Scotland
-bought house
-got married
-and just had ds in Sept.
Now I'm 30, looking back I couldn't have foreseen it, but wouldn't change it for anything!!

mine is a little over 5 years but I remember looking forward to working and travelling and enjoying living life in the UK when I moved from Aus to the UK in mid 2000.

2000 - 2001
travelled a little and met and married dh, pregnant with dd1

2002 - had dd2 and saw her through two lots of open heart surgery

2003 returned to teaching
2004 pregnant and had dd2, moved back to Australia
dh found a fab job he loves

2005 - watching dds grow up, dd1 walking

sahm with no desire to return to teaching - career of my dreams or life for as long as I could remember

We have had some tough times - I can honestly say that since mid 2000 I have experienced the most amazing times - both good and bad - but do not regret a moment of it.

have a fab life back in Aus - my girls are thriving, dh has a job he loves and I am enjoying being at home with the girls.

these are all so positive I am relucant to write mine... wonder if it will be a cleansing, theraputic exercise?

five years ago I had just had a second baby I'd never dreamed i'd have and was very happily married...

however if someone had told me in the next five years both my parents (at the time 49 and 53) would be dead and my marriage would be over I would not have believed it... still can't believe it.

ill try and make mine short,
5 yrs ago i was living in a council house in the worst area i had an abusive boyfriend, my dd1 was 1 and i had PND and took an overdose i thought that was how my life would be forever but 5yrs on i've live in a nice place with the most caring supportive lovable dp in the world, dd1 is thriving as is dd2 who is 4mths old and im just about to start my own business so all in all very very happy and im sure the next 5 yrs will bring even more happiness!