October 8th marked my fourteen year anniversary with the company I work for.

Let me say that again.

Fourteen (14) year anniversary.

I never in a million years thought that I’d work at a place this long, much less still feel as passionate about it and challenged today as I did fourteen years ago.

Let’s have a look at me a few months after I very first started:

I look so innocent. And slightly crazed. As I had a just-learned-to-walk one year old running around at the time, I guess that’s hardly surprising. And yes, those are brown contacts. Don’t ask.

Speaking of whom, here was the Kid right around when I started working here. This is the afore-mentioned “learning to walk” part.

And here’s my favorite work-related picture, ever. Not.

Yep. That’s the one and only picture they ever took for my employee badge. Every new badge I get, there’s that same picture. I’ve asked to get it taken again but everyone just says no, this one is fine. I feel like I look high.

When I started working here, I was a sunny early-twenties chick, married to the Kid’s dad, and the Kid was a wee 11 months old. I started as a lowly special projects analyst in our contracting department.

Now, I’m a sunny not-early-twenties chick, living down the street from the Kid’s dad, engaged to a wonderful guy, with Pee-Pants, Tubblesworth and let’s not forget the Kid, who is now not just walking fine but will also start driving soon. I work in our IT department as a senior product manager, and it’s been fantastic. Mostly.

This, by the way, is my adorably handsome boy in his very first suit for his very first Homecoming dance. I am like, the luckiest mom ever. I am 100% convinced that he was the sharpest looking one in the whole place.

And now, fourteen years after I started working here, this is me with some of my work peeps. This was back in March actually, but close enough.

Unfortunately, no I’m not the gorgeous slim blonde, I’m the one with all the tattoos. Whatever! I think I clean up pretty well!

Anyway. It’s been an amazing fourteen years. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by and how much I still love working here, even though I get frustrated sometimes. I wouldn’t have it any other way.