2000 - I got the job at the company I wanted to work for ever since I moved to the Burgh (Marconi aka FORE). Jen graduated law school and later that year passed the PA bar exam. Bill traveled to Dublin, Ottawa and Seattle.
2001 - Memorable trips to Denmark, Toronto Mystic CT and the Finger Lakes in New York. We were young DINKs and traveled before we planned to start a family.
2002 - Abbie was born. The Tech Wave bubble burst and I was laid off from Marconi. Less than two months later I started working for a small company called Vocollect.
2003 – Bill started Grad school. We went house hunting after confirming second pregnancy. Bill was promoted to Manager at Vocollect.
2004 - We sold our first house. The house that we poured so much of our sweat and tears into and we purchased the house that we agreed would be the house that we would grow and raise our family in. Jen switched to a new law firm (SGK). Allie was born.
2005 - Allie had tubes put in her ears. Bill received Masters Degree. Abbie started pre-school. Trips to Chicago and London.
2006 - Jen was doing great at the firm. The girls were 4 and 2 and we started grooving as a family. Family vacation to Tampa. Things were really falling into place quiet nicely. Trips to Arizona, Vegas and London.
2007 - We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. Five years at Vocollect. Great family vacation at LBI. Abbie started kindergarten. Allie started preschool. Jen was promoted to Sr. Associate. Things were really going well. Trips to Chicago, London and Morocco. Then the end of summer Jen started noticing some issues with her sight. Jen was later diagnosed with not one but two different tumors in her head. Jen had a biopsy done of the tumor in the center region of her brain.
2008 – Abbie started first grade. The girls started playing soccer. We got to know UPMC-Presbyterian hospital and the Hillman Cancer Center very well.
2009 - We made our first and only family trip to Disney Land. Jen’s health took a drastic turn for the worst. My Soul Mate passed away in August. Allie started kindergarten. Bill was promoted to Sr. Manager. I'm attempting to pick up the pieces and move on as a widower and single parent...
First, let me say that I am so terribly sorry about your wife's passing. You are an incredibly strong person to be able to hold it together while raising two beautiful little girls. I also wanted to add that one of my friends on facebook liked your page on there, so I figured I'd check it out. When I saw you mention Kennywood, I was surprised because I'm from Pittsburgh and that was the first time that I saw anyone mention Kennywood in a blog (I'm an avid blog reader). I wanted to know more of your story, so I started going through the archives. This entry kind of stopped me in my tracks because my husband works at Vocollect. It is a very small world. Thank you for your words and thoughts on everything going on in your life. Like I said, you are incredibly strong. I'm sure your story will help someone out there. I'm going to hold my family closer tonight. Thank you. Stay strong and keep writing. I'm sure it is very therapeutic.
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