2005

As I was driving home from class tonight I was having flashbacks to 7 years ago.  I had the sunroof open, I was driving the same highway home I did from classes back then, the smell of a bonfire from somewhere and I was reminiscing about those days. Here is what I remember most vividly:

Living in an awful apartment in a not so safe neighborhood with my cat, but it was my apartment,
The husband and I hadn't really been dating that long,
Still reeling from the shock that my dad had only been deceased a few months,
Having a job I absolutely loved and still miss,
I really love my school and the people I met through my program,
Traveling as a solo person to see friends all over,
Amazing fun times at my moms lakehouse,
I loved, no LOVED my 2004 Isuzu Rodeo..I still miss that piece of junk,
I had no idea where life was taking me.

I am not saying any of it was better than life now, just very different.  Life now - was 2 screaming 2 year olds for 6 hours yesterday and I am so happy to have my monkey and dino, trying to find time to write research papers, and finally cleaning out the old house as we close and it is no longer ours as of next Friday.
Sometimes all it takes is that smell and you are in a different time and a different place in your life for just a few moments.  I enjoyed it.  Now back to my current reality.  Who knows what will be a flashback 7 years from now.