Dear Readers

Ok, so quite a few of the bloggers whose blogs I frequent have done this....and i refuse to call it a meme since I really hate meme's:) I liked it so much that i've decided to do it too. So here follows the last decade of my life:)

1998
I was in Grade 10 and madly in love with Mr Mysterious. Or wait, not really in love, just enchanted. He was tall, dark, handsome, mysterious, 2 years older than us and the object of every right minded girl in the school's fantacy. And out of all the girls in the school he chose me....i was ecstatic. We only dated for about a month......and we spent most of the time fighting...he was an absolute asshole! Not exactly ideal boyfriend material...my dad used to say :"Julle baklei meer as wat julle vry". But I was the envy of every single girl in school and at the time that was important. When I broke up with him he tried to beat me up.......my loyal friend Izak happened to be at the right place at the right time and Mr Mysterious didn't come to school for 2 days...nuff said! I won a gold at the National Science Expo for my project on Nuclear power.....yes yes, so i'm a bit of a geek, get over it! We won the youth drama festival, and I realised once again that I really wish it had been feasible to join a High School for fine arts, but this being South Africa I would have been poorer than poor had I done that.

1999
Won gold at the National Science expo for my project on Space Exploration. I decided to join CAM after school.........but my dad managed to talk me out of it, stating that after I completed my degree I could still go if I wanted to. It's a group for Christian Artists and Musicians. Got involved with a couple of guys, but nothing serious. It was a pretty uneventful year, as years go. I did however go to our provincial youth choir auditions for the fun of it at the end of this year, and to my absolute surprise and delight I was chosen. I spent the first week of my December holidays at a choir camp and met some of the most terrific and horrific people. I also met the guy I later dated...he was part of a set of identical twins.

2000
Matric!!!! My best school year ever. I missed most friday classes as I was always on my way to some or other concert, camp or practise. We receive a standing ovation at the National Youth choir festival, the only choir to receive this honour. We perform alongside the Drakensberg boys choir and I continued to meet all kinds of fabulous people along the way. A very good friend of mine looses her mom to cancer and my most favourite uncle in the world dies. I had a really hard time dealing with this as he was a very important part of my life. I dated the identical twin from the youth choir for a couple of months, but it was never very serious and as the year drew near to it's end we decided to call it quits. I had been registered to go and study to be a doctor, and at the end of October in my last year of school I woke up one morning and decided that I'd rather be a chartered accountant. My dad almost had a heart attack, the chances of being accepted for a totally different course at a totally different uni this time of year was impossible, but by the grace of God I was accepted at both the uni and the Res without any trouble.....and i Haven't looked back since. And then there was JG. Even after all these years i have to admit that he remains in a very special place in my heart. He had been in my class all through my high school years. Oh, and for the record, as I come from a very small town, i was also in a very small high school....I pretty much knew everybody from grade 8 through to 12. He was handsome as hell, brilliant academically, cricket star, rugby star....everybody's blue eyed boy. On the day that we were due to start our final exams he told me out of the blue that he loved me...I was both surprised and elated...but alas it wasn't meant to be. He was leaving to join Scas and I was leaving for Uni...we decided to let it go....but we never really did. I passed my matric with flying colours and 7 A's despite having missed so much school and study time and I obtain the dux highest academic honour award. (This just shouts nerd doesn't it??) oh, and I won a beauty pageant...which I swear I didn't enter voluntarily!

2001
I start my life as a student......awesome! I also meet my best and life long friend. We shared a room for 2 years, and together we suffered through initiation, RAG and party after party. I love you my chamber, still do! I'm invited to join Golden Key and to enjoy all the benefits related to it. I break my nose late one evening in an effort to help my bestest friend with her graphic design project...very very painful! It was the first and only year that I shared university life with my brother and I loved it. I truly have the best big brother any girl could ask for. This is also the year I meet Tiefie, who becomes the guy I will try and measure every other guy I ever meet against. We never dated, but we were and still are great friends....he's a bit of a famous musician at the moment:) JG visited my parents while I was at uni and left me little letters all over the house....this man really knows how to turn my heart to mush!

2002
This year consisted mostly of parties, parties and more parties. I organised two large rock shows, with great success I might add!, and met lots of famous musicians. I joined an acapella group and met Mr Chemist. These days he's a musician, but at the time he was studying to be a chemist. Blondie and I learnt how to go out with a total of R20 between us and how to return home, tired and full of drinks with our R20 in tact. My friends and I travel to PTA one evening for a party, and I ended up snogging a famous afrikaans artist...one that's kinda good looking mind you....because i lost a bet. Come to think of it........this wasn't a very eventful year. I worked as a promo girl for both SAB and USN, this meant lots of free stuff and lots of money...good times;)

2003
JG pitches up on Valentines day, with a big bunch of flowers, chocolates and a reservation at an expensive restaurant. He was studying at a varsity on the other side of the country at the time and I was completely taken by surprise. Seriously mushy, I know! Later in the year Mr Chemist and I dated and his ex-gf decided to "teach me a lesson". Lucky for me Mr Chemist noticed her following me into the ladies on the evening the whole uni was out and about celebrating the new Student council.....he was elected, yay!......and he ran in and saved the day. For the record, she was quite a bit bigger than me....i didn't stand a chance in a cat fight. It did however make me think about what I was getting myself into, and I opted for the safe route.....bye bye Mr Chemist! I organised a formal ball and invited JG to join me. He flew up from Uni.....such a gentleman. Travelled to Namibia with my Acapella music group and had tons and tons of fun! Cried crocodile tears when my brother left to go and work as a missionary in the UK....he ended up being there for 4 years. I became extremely sick and somewhere inbetween all the tests the doctor found out that among other things, apparently I can't get drunk. As soon as i got better I tested this little theory and managed to drink 8 shots of Straw rum before the guy I was drinking them with passed out. I was the most sober person at the club and took everyone home. I passed my degree with flying colours and was accepted to complete my CA honours degree, also known as CTA.

2004
I move out of Res and into a commune with my bestest friend, which we shared with6 guys. We had a blast. I tore all the ligaments in my right ankle in my first week back at uni and spent the first couple of weeks on crutches. The town in which my uni was situated was placed under quarentine due to an outbreak of menengitis. Some of our friends contracted it and died. It was a scary time for us and our families, as we weren't allowed to leave town, we weren't allowed to go to class and most of the town just kinda shut down for a while. Without realising it I became a good friend of yet another famous south african artist....I'm an idiot I know! I didn't recognize the dude until he actually told me he had to work and climbed on stage...i'ts a funny story:) I was made to be "the other woman" without my knowledge or consent, and if anybody wants to judge me for this, just go read this post first. I had my first ever stalker. I managed to juggle academics and my crazy social life and passed my CTA at the top of my class. I travelled back to Namibia, and this time I dragged the Parentals along.....I have truly fallen in love with the place and will gladly move there if the oppertunity arises:)

2005
I move to Jozi and start my first real job. Life as an audit clerk sucks....seriously! You work yourself to a standstill and you earn next to nothing. I lived with my aunt and uncle for 6 months and then moved into a house with some friends from church...all guys. Does anybody else see a pattern here? In the space of three days i managed to be involved in an attempted hi-jacking, break my foot and be involved in a minor car accident. I wasn't driving, my aunt was taking me to work, as I couldn't drive with my broken foot. I'm forced to deal with real life and real responsibility for the first time in my life......scary stuff I tell you. AK got married and it turned into a hell of a party, and three days later I had my car accident and lost 2 months of my life. This was probably the worst part of the last decade. I met Thieving artist for the first time, one of the only good things to come out of this.

2006
I bought a brand spanking new car! Seriously, I had the accident in September of 2005, but could only start driving again in January of 2006. My Gran turns 80 and all the family gathers together at Golden Gate for a celebration weekend, and all of us are nearly snowed in. My darling brother got engaged to a yankee girl, who turned out to be the most amazing sister I could ask for;) I met The Sorta Guy and had to say goodbye to him in the same year as he jetted off to the US for 8 months. I was almost arrested at the American Consulate......I have to tell you guys about this some time:) A building in the CBD of Jozi collapses on us, but through some kind of miracle i once again manage to escape quite unharmed, with only minor injuries as proof of my ordeal. I travel to the US of A for just over 5 weeks. Mainly to attend my brother's wedding, but as we had to spend all that money we turned it into a proper holiday. I fell in love with New York and received a job offer from a prestige firm in Manhattan.....the offer still stands.

2007
I meet and date the co-founder of a famous coffee shop chain. The relationship doesn't work out however as we don't share the same beliefs and dreams...we're still friends;) I meet DJ and realise that not everything works out the way we want it too. After 2 years and one big fight i finally decide to move out of the commune and I moved into my little house. I'm faced with a stalker for the second time in my life, but managed to deal with it...eventually. The sorta guy returns from the US only to turn back to his Drug addiction days...this nearly sent me over the edge and by the time he went to rehab voluntarily I was a nervous wreck. Blondie got married and I managed to squeeze together the money to travel to her wedding. I start blogging...yay!

2008
My article contract period finishes and my boss offers me the job as manager of his practise.....I thoroughly enjoy running his business for him;) I had my whirlwind romance with Jack.....good times;) 2 really good friends of mine try to commit suicide...being the uppity person I am, I had a really hard time coming to terms with this, as it was unexpected. My brother and Sister-in-law came to South africa for a 3 week visit and I cried my little heart out when they left. My dad unexpectedly became very ill and was rushed to hospital. I'm by nature an extremely rational person, but I was thrown onto an emotional roller coaster with this. We're a very close knit family and the very thought of possibly loosing my dad drove me insane........he made a miraculous recovery after 5 weeks of doctors not knowing what to treat him for. My third stalker appears on the horison....this one however is scary and perverted and if you are reading this you sick son of a Be-atch....I can't even begin to say what i wish on you for the future. But mostly I just wish that you'll leave me the hell alone!
My relationship with God, which has, for a very long time, been very intense and personal, was suddenly launched onto a whole new playing field and I'm enjoying the journey of discovery. AK is pregnant!!!! hurray hurray...congrats my friend:)

My goodness! This is such a long post that I really wouldn't blame anyone if they didn't want to finish reading it! I've been pretty blessed so far. My life has been pretty much picture perfect most of the time. No major emotional scarring has taken place and apart from the accident, which has a end purpose to it, it's been mostly rosy I'd say. I wish i could give you guys all the details of the last 10 years, but then this post would go on for ever and ever. I can't wait to find out what the next 10 years will hold. And in the meantime, I hope to make you all a part of it:)

Love

Ruby

P.S. By the time i finished this i was just waay to lazy and tired to run spell checker, so live with the mistakes....OK?