25 years of Life.

The year 1986 was a good one, Reagan was president and gas was .89 cents a gallon. The Oprah Winfrey show made its television debut and Michael Jackson's "We are the World" was named song of the year. It also happens to be the year I was born.

This Saturday is my 25th birthday. I can't believe I've already lived 25 years of life. How is that even possible?

Just ten years ago I was a freshman in high school. My braces were finally off and I was feeling moderately confident about myself. I was about to start dating the star of the football team, the guy that would eventually become my husband. I hated math class. My obsessions were tanning, celebrity gossip, and basketball. I spent the summer working my first "real" job at the local bank. I drove my first car, a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner, all over the country-side while jamming out to Sheryl Crow and Jewel. I couldn't wait to move away from my home town, a super small farming community, for the big city.

Five years ago I was just starting college and a woman on a mission. I wanted to finish my degree in two years, which I did accomplish thanks to all the college courses I took during high school and summer breaks. I taught exercise classes at the campus gym and was obsessed with bubble tea. I loved my internship working with juvenile offenders and found a passion for politics and government.  I wasn't sure what to do post-college, but I wanted a career helping people in need. I was interested in human rights and my big dream was to one day travel to Africa. I was still dating the same guy from high school and completely ready to get married. I didn't care about being young, I knew he was the one and I was anxiously awaiting a proposal.

Fast forward to 2011. The Lord has blessed me with the most perfect baby boy ever and now I'm a MOM. It is the best thing in the entire world. I can't believe how much love I have in my life.  I married my high school sweetheart, who is now a detective. I fulfilled my dream by volunteering in Uganda, an experience that sparked a new passion for supporting the education of girls and women in developing countries, which is why I'm now a researcher for She's the First. I'm studying for my masters while working part time in orthodontics, which is great because I get to spend most of my time with my sweet boy.

Life is pretty grand at twenty five. I've never been happier.

I wonder what I'll be writing in 2021.