Personal | On Being 25

Well, another year has officially come and gone, and as of Friday, April 8th, I am now officially older. As in...25 years, altogether. Quarter of a century. 75 years from being 100....etc.

This is certainly one of life's milestone ages, and a pretty happy one at that. I'm not thinking about the fact that I'm only 5 years away from being 30, or that I'm "getting old". On the contrary, I feel like more of a legitimate adult and pretty much in the prime of life. Though it's still weird to look at the number and mentally connect it to how old I am. But, that's normal. I still feel 16, inwardly, and not old enough to be married, owning my own business...let alone even thinking about being a PARENT in the next couple of years. Time goes by quickly, and it's crazy to see how far I've come and to even TRY to understand how I've gotten to where I am today. But that's what's awesome about living one day at a time - it eventually all adds up to this crazy cool journey that you may not be able to track on a daily basis, but when looking back over a year or several years, you see the incredible path that God was paving for you, one step at a time. And how living it out really DOES take you places, in the long run.

I can't wait to see where the next 5...10...and 25+ years will take me! But before I get too far ahead of myself with all that, let me tell you about the perfectly wonderful ways I was able to celebrate turning 25 this past weekend.

I'm a girl who gets the most pleasure in life out of small, thoughtful gestures. Things that show me I was on your mind while you were planning your surprise, or thoughtfully writing a note, or intently hand-crafting a random silly item because we once talked and laughed about it. Sure, I love getting gifts, but not as much as quality time with a loved one or a sentimental note from a friend. And my darling husband knows me so perfectly that he couldn't have blessed me more wonderfully or made me feel more special and blessed on my birthday.

The day began with Aaron getting up early to "go to the gym" - which he HAS done a time or two, though generally he goes in the evenings - so I said goodbye half-asleep and rolled back over to continue enjoying my slumber. About an hour later (when he would normally be waking up) I heard the bedroom door open again and in my still half-asleep state I rolled over and saw him walking towards me with a vase of beautiful white, yellow and purple Springy flowers. I instantly woke all the way up and was trying to recover from the sweet surprise when he asked me what kind of tea he could make me, what kind of bagel I'd like and that he'd momentarily return with breakfast in bed for me. I sat there stunned and giddy, and knew that even if nothing else wonderful happened the entire day, that my birthday was made perfect by those sweet surprises. (He proceeded to sit and eat breakfast with me for a while until he had to head to work - which was the best I could have asked for. Surprises + quality time = major win in my book. :)

My beeeautiful flowers:

My rather delicious breakfast (that also was lunch, because I couldn't eat it all in one sitting)

The rest of my morning was spent being wonderfully bombarded with phone call after phone call from my family members and in-laws. It was so lovely to hear all of their voices and know I was being thought of. And for good measure I painted my nails a favorite color that afternoon before I went and got my free Starbucks drink, bought a few soon-to-be-crafted items from Michael's and some plates from Pier One to add to my wall/plate collection (which you'll see in a soon-to-come post!). On top of those fun things, I couldn't help but notice and appreciate how I got an amazing parking spot every place that I went AND how traffic magically cleared up each time I was at a long or tricky intersection. It's like God chose to give me a few extra little blessings that only added to making my day beautiful in all ways.

In addition to the perfect day, my husband ALSO pulled together a little surprise party for me Saturday evening! It included that much more happiness, fellowship, favorite food & drinks and laughter. What more could I ask for? I have a husband, family and friends I truly don't deserve, but am blessed by continually!

Thank you to EVERYONE who added something - whether in person, on the phone, via text, Facebook or Twitter - to my special day. You were each treasured as I pondered how I could possibly be as blessed as I am. :)

Here's to being 25! (This is what it looks like on me... ;)