29.

It was twenty-nine years ago that I, in all my messy glory, emerged from my mother's birth canal. What a glorious day it was! My poor mother had not only been laborously walking the halls for 24 hours, I also decided to stay in my cozy little sack for two extra weeks. No thank you. (To my future children, that will not be happening. Don't get too overly comfy in there...that is if I'm still able to bare children at the ripe old age of 65 when I'll probably, finally get married.)

I was thinking about this birthday. The last year in my 20's...Honestly, I thought I would be married with at least two kids by now. I was feeling depressed about the fact that the one goal I have has not been reached. Instead of sitting around and wallowing in things that I cannot change, I decided to think about the things that I have done in my 20's. So here it is folks...In no particular order, 29 things from my 20's!!

1.) I spent my 20th birthday on a flight over to France. It was the shortest birthday EVER, but quite possibly the coolest.
2.) I graduated college.
3.) I went on a trip to Africa.
4.) I got a tatoo.
5.) I had my first serious relationship.
6.) I took a trip to Italy with my grandma.
7.) I moved into Portland.
8.) I paid off $13,500 in debt in a year.
9.) I bought a car.
10.)I went to Paris with my best friend Erica and my parents.
11.)I became a young life leader.
12.)I lost friendships.
13.)I became a little obsessed with clothes, specifically boots.
14.)I fell in love with art.
15.)I bought a dog, had a bit of an anxiety attack and sold it two days later.
16.)I began my job as a nanny.
17.)I went to Italy with the family I nanny for.
18.)I became an auntie...three times.
19.)I gained some life changing friendships.
20.)I went to Slovenia on a mission trip.
21.)I got my heart broken.
22.)I became addicted to coffee.
23.)I was in nine weddings.
24.)I had my first drink.
25.)I went to Prague.
26.)My type-A, ocd kicked into full force.
27.)I fell in love with NYC.
28.)I fell in love.
29.)I learned that no matter what I do, God still desires to have a relationship with me. He loves me, unabashedly. He waits for me. He pursues me, relentlessly. I learned that I am broken, but God still chooses to use me. He is the only one who has always been there and always will be. He is the one who has saved me, the one I boast in, the one I live for. And most definitely the one I love.

I think that 30 will come too soon. I have a pretty good feeling that despite my dreams of being married and having a family by the time I'm 30 won't happen. (Well, technically the dream was for it to happen by 25...Not so much.) I'm really going to try to be okay with that. God has blessed me in so many ways and I need to focus on that. So that's my new goal, count the blessings, not the frustrations. Here's to 29!