We’ve already played boardgames tonight (my family indulged me and we played five whole games — I loved it!), and did some Wii-playing (Extreme Challenge). We munched on numerous snacks. And now, as I type this post, Chad, C (11), and I have just settled in to watch a movie, figuring it would be a good way to stay awake until midnight and welcome the new year, the new decade.

Speaking of decade… For some reason, today has found me thinking back to ten years ago.

You remember, right? Y2K? When the whole world was going to implode, or disintegrate, or just fall into extreme chaos?

Can that really be ten years ago already?

Ten years ago.

Back when we had just one kid — C. was just a tad over one year old.

Back before I even heard the word “blog” (though I was already seriously attached the Internet for email and message boards).

Back when Chad and I were in our mid-20′s. (Yikes. It’s really been ten years since my mid-20′s? Let’s not think about that fact too much, ‘K?)

I’m not sure why, but I clearly remember what I did on December 31, 1999.

There was a party at my in-laws’ house — people everywhere. My mom babysat C for us so both Chad and I could attend the party for a while, but I came home early to relieve her in case she wanted to be home before midnight.

Then I settled in to watch TV, alternating between the Times Square celebration (for entertainment) and the news (to see if the world really was falling apart as clocks in various time zones clicked over to midnight).

Australia had seemed to weather the millennial transition without a hitch, and Europe was following in its footsteps. It looked like we’d be fine. Banks were not scrambling bank accounts wildly, computers were not banding together to confound the human race. Y2K was arriving without so much as a hiccup. (Well, perhaps the people who were partying like it was 1999 were getting some hiccups, but you know what I mean.)

This year, we’re not waiting for a new millennium, but we’re still entering a new decade. The Aughts or the ’00s or whatever you’d like to call them have come to a close. We are not threatened with an impending computerized date-related disaster, but we still face the unknown in 2010. I’m sure there will be obstacles, sorrow, times of confusion, but I also know there will be joy, and many moments to treasure.

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I’m going to wrap up this post now, because I’ve made about ten attempts to write more, but it’s all coming out rambling, random, and unfocused. I guess that’s what I get for attempting to write a blog post while watching a movie with my family.

Instead, I’ll just say:

I hope you have a very Happy New Year!

And while you’re here, I’m curious.

What were you doing ten years ago, on December 31, 1999?