the 2000s - whatta decade!

On December 31, 1999, none of us were sure what the decade ahead would bring. Ten years later we are on the brink of yet another decade filled with possibility. What will it be like? I'm excited to find out!

From 1/1/00 to 12/31/09 we've had many experiences - from births to deaths, from weddings to trips, and even a career change for both of us. Throughout the 2000s, we became avid scrapbookers and because of that, we've been able chronicle our lives. I'm so thankful that I picked up this hobby that helps me to appreciate all that life has to offer!

I'm a little embarrassed to admit how much time I've spent compiling everything for this blogpost. After the better part of three days, I keep telling myself how useful this will be to me in years to come! It was a pretty special decade, and I figure it deserved some remembering. So, dear blog readers, let's strap ourselves into the time machine and explore the 2000s!

2000

In the news: Hanging chads  #1 Song: Breathe by Faith Hill  Best Picture: Gladiator  On TV: Survivor  premieres  What we're reading: Before I Say Good-bye by Mary Higgins Clark

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• Beth is teaching at Carrol High School in Fort Wayne, IN, and Susan is teaching at Woodburn Lutheran School in Woodburn, IN.
• Beth has a new car - a yellow Beetle!
  
• Both of us are coaching cheerleading at our schools, and Beth is named Coach of the Year by her peers.
• The Michigan State Spartans are NCAA champs, and we watch it in Indy with friends Wendy and Mary.
• We head to Missouri for Spring Break and do a little American literature tour visiting Mark Twain's birthplace and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on Rocky Ridge where she wrote her books.
• With Mom & Dad, we road trip to El Paso, TX, for our cousin's wedding. While there, we jaunt into Juarez, Mexico.
• Detroit lures us to Comerica Park for a game in its inaugural year, and we share the Tiger love with friends Wendy, Jessica, and Mike.
• Susan takes a class entirely about John Milton at IPFW. Ick.
  
• Our adorable nephew Jonathan Caleb Opel is born on December 13th in California.
  

2001

In the news: September 11th terrorist attacks  #1 Song: Fallin' by Alicia Keys  Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind  On TV: Boston Public  What we're reading: A Painted House by John Grisham

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• We're in Los Angeles when George W. Bush is inaugurated to participate in our godson's dedication. We also visit San Diego while in California.
• The Carroll Chargers make it to the final four in March's Hoosier Hysteria, and we're in Lafayette, IN, to cheer them on.
• Susan institutes Fashion & Beauty Week with her girls' art class at WLS.
• Spring Break in Minnesota? Yup! Mall of America, baby! And Kid Rock blaring on our road trip.
• Susan's Meijer Quest takes her to 157 Meijer stores this year in 5 states.
  
• While in DC with the WLS 8th graders, Susan tours the White House.
• Getting together to sing karaoke at the Latch String with CHS faculty is dubbed "Carroll-oke."
• At Germanfest in Fort Wayne, we meet our favorite meteorologist, Betsy Kling.
• Beth skydives with her friend Joe, and then comes down with mono which puts her in the hospital -- in Tennessee while we are on vacation.
• The Grissom Family Reunion includes a trip to the Grand Old Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Aunt Judy vows to never canoe again!

2002

In the news: Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City  #1 Song: How You Remind Me by Nickelback  Best Picture: Chicago  On TV: American Idol premieres  What we're reading: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• Beth gets picked up by a modeling agency.
• We host an Oscars party replete with a red carpet!
• Las Vegas is our destination for Spring Break, and Kurt & Anna meet us there with our nephews! We loved seeing The Rat Pack is Back at the Sahara.
• IU is in the NCAA finals, and we watch the game in Downtown Las Vegas with Kurt!
• Mom begins her Picture of the Day emails and brings the family together.
• Our home church celebrates its 150th anniversary with much fanfare.
• At the Michigan District LWML convention, we serve as song leaders for hundreds of Lutheran ladies.
• Shortly before school starts, we road trip to Toronto and stay at an awesome B&B. While there we check out Casa Loma, The Bata Shoe Museum, and The Hockey Hall of Fame, among other things.
• Mom and Dad spend some quality time in Indiana, and we show them Sechler's Pickle Factory, James Dean's grave and museum, and Indianapolis.
• I buy a new car after the previous one dies. (I still have that Chevy Cavalier!)
• We celebrate Kelly Clarkson's Idol victory with friends.
• We're really getting into scrapbooking, so we attend the Chicago Scrapbook Expo with our friend, Gabriella.
• At the beginning of Christmas Break, we head to Chicago with CHS friends and soak in the Windy City at Christmas.
  

2003

In the news: Disappearance of Laci Peterson  #1 Song: In Da Club by 50 Cent  Best Picture: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King  On TV: What Not to Wear and Trading Spaces  What we're reading: The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• We mourn the sudden loss of our cousin Terrie. We still miss her.
• At the Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show, we meet Doug Wilson of Trading Spaces.
• For Spring Break, we drag Mom across the country to California to visit Kurt's family. Best part of the trip? Seeing Monica Lewinsky while shopping in LA!
• Instead of taking the 8th graders to DC, we head south to Atlanta. I loved seeing the house where Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind, but the kids loved The Coca-Cola museum best.
• We volunteer with our friend Jennifer at the Mad Anthony Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament in Fort Wayne, IN. What fun to meet Shelly Long, Hans Howes, Steve Kroft, Austin Carr, David Naughton, and David Anspaugh.
• Beth wins an honorable mention in an essay contest for Creating Keepsakes magazine.
• Gabriella comes to Fort Wayne for a week, and the three of us take classes at Luv2Scrapbook. We meet one of our favorite people in the world that week, store owner Karen Monroe.
• Another family reunion takes place in Tennessee, and we spend an idyllic week in the wild with no phone service at Fall Creek Falls State Park.
  
• We attend the weddings of friends Steve & Tanya and Chris & Sherry and cousins Sharon (to Brian) and Karen (to Paul).

 2004

In the news: Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction  #1 Song: Yeah by Usher  Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby  On TV: Sex & the City and Friends finales and Lost premieres  What we're reading: The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• Beth becomes the newest member of the Luv2 Scrapbook Design Team.
• Simple Scrapbooks magazine informs Beth that they'd like to publish one of her layouts!
• Susan is offered a job to teach at Carroll High School and finishes her 9 years at WLS.
• Our cousin Andrew comes home from Iraq!
• We take one of the greatest road trips ever with Mom & Dad - Fort Wayne to LA and back. We visited OKC, Albuquerque, Rodeo Drive, Legoland, Ronald Reagan's final resting place, and even rode horses in the Hollywood Hills. Our trip through Zion National Park in Utah and the Slot Canyons in Arizona were highlights of the return trip.
• Fall Break found us visiting Paul in Syracuse. Susan attended her first college football game at the Carrier Dome, Paul took us on an awesome tour of the Finger Lakes wine country, and we got to see the Mike Estep Band in person for the very first time.
• For something different, we celebrate Thanksgiving in Tennessee with family.
  

2005

In the news: Hurricane Katrina  #1 Song: We Belong Together by Mariah Carey  Best Picture: Crash  On TV: The Office premieres  What we're reading: Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• Our friend Yvonne needed a scrapbook room overhaul, so we did it on the sly with her husband's help.
  
• After slaving away on her entry, Beth (a relative unknown in the scrapbooking world) is chosen as a Creating Keepsakes Hall of Famer.
• We see Josh Groban in concert!
• What an amazing trip we have to New Orleans for Spring Break! Dancing on Bourbon Street, watching alligators in the Bayou, touring a plantation, eating at Emeril's, riding a street car, nibbling beignets, exploring the southernmost parishes -- we did it all before Katrina devastated this lovely city later that year.
• We're in the mood to travel some more, so we fly to Miami with our friend Karen and drive to Key West. Sun, relaxation, The Southernmost Point, bloody marys at Blue Heaven, dolphin watching in the Gulf, and a night out at Hog's Breath Saloon. Key West is amazing!
• We attend our first CHA in Chicago. So fun to meet some of scrapbooking idols!
• It's Aunt Judy's 60th birthday, but we call it Judypalooza. Fun times ensue in Tennessee.
• U of M vs Penn State at the Big House with our cousin Sharon. Tailgating and a last second Wolverine win!
• Susan gets her first layout picked up for publication in Simple Scrapbooks!
• As if we haven't traveled enough, we head to Paul's house in NY for Thanksgiving.
• Friends and family gather with us at our favorite martini bar in Fort Wayne for a Club Soda Christmas. We fully embraced a kitschy retro Christmas theme with ballroom dancing lessons and a crooner for entertainment.
  

2006

In the news: Amish school massacre  #1 Song: Bad Day by Daniel Powter  Best Picture: The Departed  On TV: Ugly Betty premieres  What we're reading: Beach Road by James Patterson

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• We're off to Las Vegas for Winter CHA with Karen.
  
• Beth teaches scrapbooking classes for an event in Plymouth, IN, and we hang out with fellow teacher and scrapbook cutie Hanni Baumgartner.
• Instead of traveling for Spring Break, we remodel the kitchen, guest room, and bathroom.
• We road trip to Birmingham, AL, for an awesome scrapbook event, and take classes with Carrie Colbert (one week away from Batt), Elsie Flannigan, Heidi Swapp, and Cathy Zielske. We leave so inspired, we start this blog!
• Luv2Scrapbook turns 5 years old and almost all of the DT is there to celebrate. Julia and Carolyn stay with us that weekend, and the four of us make many memories. Sadly, Karen sold Luv2 later that year.
  
• Our cousin Julie asks us to photograph her wedding. Wow! It's not an easy task, but we did our best!
• We spend our summer working on our 20 layout entries for Creating Keepsakes's Scrapbooker of the Year contest.
  
• Beth travels to Portland, OR, for an Assessment for Learning workshop.
• What an honor! Beth is notified that she is one of ten finalists in the Scrapbooker of the Year contest. We fly to Las Vegas for the festivities and are there when CD Muckosky is announced as the winner! It's amazing to meet Tracy White, Lisa Bearnson, Becky Higgins, and the 9 other finalists. And staying in the Venetian isn't too bad, either! Mom, Dad, and the Kurt Opel family spend time with us while we are there as well.
• Susan gets her first cell phone as a Christmas gift.
  

2007

In the news: Sky-high gas prices  #1 Song: Irreplaceable by Beyonce  Best Picture: No Country for Old Men  On TV: The Sopranos finale  What we're reading: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• The Colts win the Super Bowl, and we're in Indy when it happens!
  
• Chicago is our Spring Break destination. We take a boat tour on the Chicago River, get facials, hang out with the Biancofiores and the Lavoratos, take in the Art Museum, and laugh at Second City.
• We spend much of the spring creating projects for the DVD that we film in Utah for Creating Keepsakes. While in Utah, we meet the CK peeps, check out the Mormon Tabernacle choir, and Park City.
• Our nephews spend much of the summer in the Midwest with us! So much fun to have them with us. We do the zoo and VBS and the pickle factory and the Three Rivers Festival and take 3.5 trillion pictures!
• Susan celebrates 20 years with the VLHS class of 1987. Even though it's in a garage, she wears an LBD and heels anyway!
• A quick trip to Buffalo, NY, for Susan means time with a treasured friend -- Carolyn McAfee.
• We sit ultra close to the field at Comerica Park and the Tigs pull off a win!
• Kurt and his family move to Istanbul, and we say goodbye (for now).
• Toronto is our choice for a destination Christmas with the parents and Paul. The highlight is seeing the Canadian Brass in concert!
• Our friend Gabriella gives birth to triplets Aidan, Sabrina, and Katelyn.
  

2008

In the news: Barack Obama becomes 1st African American US President  #1 Song: Low by Flo Rida  featuring T. Pain  Best Picture: Slumdog Millionare  On TV: Mad Men premieres  What we're reading: Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell

Life with the Opel Sisters:

• We have a little flood in our house, and it messes up our lives for a bit. But we later find out it's all good!
  
• Susan is notified that she's a finalist in Simple Scrapbooks's Funnest Scrapbooker Ever for 2007 contest.
• We get new jobs and get ready to move to Utah! Lots of packing, house selling, and good-byeing. Oh, and one fantastic garage sale!
• Another trip with Karen, this time to Nashville for a scrapbooking event and Susan's 39th birthday.
• After graduation at CHS, we head west in two separate cars ready to start our new lives in Utah!
• We start our new jobs at CK Media!
• For the first time, we attend CHA (this time in Chicago) as magazine employees.
• Jonathan and David spend several days with us in Utah. We love them so much!
• We realize that making cards is kind of fun.
• Our new obsession becomes Facebook... for real...
• We film At Home with the Opel Sisters at our house for TN Marketing, chronicling our scrapbooking history and giving a tour of our scrapbook room.
• Back in Michigan, we witness our parents' renewal of vows for their 50th anniversary and throw them one heck of a party!
• In an effort to slim down, we join Jenny Craig and find great success!
• Susan travels to Salem, OR, to teach card classes for World Card Making Day.
• Mom & Dad travel cross country via train to Utah. We especially enjoy visiting Golden Spike National Park and checking out Pocatello, ID!
• We host one rockin' Halloween party at our new home.
• For Thanksgiving, we take off for Las Vegas, and totally enjoy seeing Tony Bennett in concert!
  

2009

In the news: Michael Jackson dies suddenly  #1 Song: Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas  On TV: ER finale  What we're reading: The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

Life with the Opel Sisters (which we covered pretty recently):

• Susan attends CHA in Anaheim and Orlando.
• Susan joins the band Natural Causes as the lead singer.
  
• Susan sees Celine Dion in SLC, and we both see Pat Benatar in Wendover.
• Susan teaches classes at CKCs in Louisville, KY, Manchester, NH, Valley Forge, PA, and Nashville.
• Susan turns 40, and Beth turns 50.
• We drive 13 hours to San Francisco for Susan's birthday - Golden Gate, Chinatown, Muir Woods, Sacramento, Napa Valley, Reno.
• Beth teaches CKU Nashville and visits a friend in Jacksonville.
• Susan road trips to Arches National Park and later visits friends in Cincinnati.
• We explore the Bonneville Salt Flats.
• We sing for our cousin Andrew's wedding in Michigan.
• Our brother Paul comes for a visit, and we totally enjoy dining at Sundance Resort and traveling to Flaming Gorge Recreational Area.
• Beth loses one job and gains another.
  
• Susan orchestrates two karaoke outings with high school friends and a mini-reunion with college friends while in Michigan.
• Kurt and Anna and David and Jonathan return to the states, and the whole family gets together for Christmas. Great rejoicing!!!!

Quite a decade, indeed. I'm definitely sensing a theme: family, travel (Wow - we went a LOT of places), and scrapbooking. Hmmm, three of my favorite things. I certainly can't complain... Thanks for sticking with me through this longggg post. Whew!

Susan

         

Comments

[Mom]

Phew! that was a long read, but I enjoyed every word of it! What an amazing job of compiling the last 10 years into one blog. You really had some awesome times and I feel blessed that I was part of it with you. You are fantastic daughters and very loved by your parents and family.

[Jen Barkdull]

What an amazing compilation of the past decade! (Still have a hard time believing a whole decade has gone by! It sure went quickly!)

[Amy Lemke]

Loved it!!

[Steph]

This is really amazing, and must have been so fun to compile!

[Loretta Artful Yogi]

Beth:
I really like your Breakfast at Beth's layout in CK. Where do you post your layouts?
Loretta, Artful yogi

[Loretta Artful Yogi]

Oops. I just notied the link to your layouts on the left .

[Mom]

Will there ever be a new blog posted?

[Evana]

I loved seeing all this and I was thinking....oh I should be more motivated and do this, but nothing could top all the glorious colour and achievements here....you girls rock!

Huge hugs
e