Farewell my dear twenties...you have been so good to me!

Well today is my last official day of being twenty something. It is a strange feeling thinking I will be 30 tomorrow! Part of me thinks that it sounds so old, but the rest of me realizes I am not that old anyways! And what does it matter how old you are? I thought I should take some time to reflect on my twenties. Man they were a good decade to me! :) So here is my top 20 favorite things about my 20's...in no particular order!

1. COLLEGE! My mom told me they would be the best years of my life and man were they! Sleep late, stay up late, having nothing to do but spend endless hours with my friends...aaahhhh the life!
2. Friends: I have huge list of new friendships that were formed in my twenties. I won't go into a listing or anything but I will say that some of those friendships have carried me through so much and for that I will always be grateful!
3. Old friends: my mom also told me that it is hard to stay in touch with those childhood friends. It is hard, but I am so thankful to still have my anna and my cindy in my life. Though the miles separate us our hearts are always together!
4. Greg: I started dating Greg 9 years ago this October! I did not want to date him at first. I thought he was too nice. I liked the "bad" boys I guess! I finally caved and we started dating right after I turned 21 and have been together ever since. We didn't even take a "break" ever!
5. Our wedding day: Marrying Greg was one of the best days of my life. I will never forget a single moment of how perfect that entire day was. From the flowers, to the friends, to rain and thunder, to the tears on my sweet husband's face, to the laughter when I almost fell on my face, to that sweet first kiss as husband and wife, it was all just perfect. Absolutely perfect.
6. Greg's 21st birthday: You remember that one? Ummmmm....I will reflect on a few things for those of you that were there.....popcorn on the floor, Katie making drinks, rides home by sweet Eugene, turning at street lights....that was a good night wasn't it?
7. SS Willow #79: This is the name of our ghetto college apartment. We will never disclose what the SS stood for. That is top secret. Our rent was only $150 a month! I had so many good memories will all my roomies there. Times in the Willow are priceless!
8. Greg's truck prank: Good memory too isn't it? We put feminine products all over Greg's truck one night. He was SO mad! He and Brad tried to find out who did it for years. They even tracked footprints in the mud! We told him it was us a few years later. He was mad again!
9. Riley: back when I loved her. We went to pick her out of a trailer full of dachshunds and she ran up to me and rolled over. I fell in love with her in an instant. She was my sanity when we went through hard times. She never left my side. Maybe I should be nicer to her these days..
10. My 25th birthday: for some reason I remember this one the most. We were going to have a party at my house then I decided we should go out. We went to archibald's and had so much fun. Jen was mad because she wasn't 21 yet. The party went back to the barn and lasted forever. Fun times!
11. Europe trips: I spent 3 summers in a row in Europe on mission trips. Each brought such change to my life. I will forever cherish the impact we had there and the things I learned.
12. The barn: many of you have good memories of our barn! It was the place Greg and I started our lives together and I will always be thankful of where we chose to start it. We had so many good parties with friends, wonderful landlords that adopted us, and just a perfect place to live! The day we left Greg and I went back in when it was completely empty and I cried so hard! It was like I was leaving the beginning behind. It only got better...
13. Buying our first house! We moved in around Christmas and I felt like such a grown up! We had our own house! There are faults with our perfect new house but I wouldn't change moving here!
14. Living in a compound with the Prosser's: We did not plan it this way, believe it or not! We found this house and I think it was my 26th birthday (maybe 27th) Chad and Jen came over and we told them where we found a house. Jen looked at me and said, "oh my gosh, Chad has been looking for a lot in Middleground!" It went from there to them buying the lot next door and the rest is history. It is SO wonderful being next door to your best friends!
15. Our struggles to have babies: It might sound weird that this is in my top 20 but I wouldn't be who I am today had I not gone through all that I did. It gave me an insight that not everyone has. I will always be thankful for that.
16. Finding out I was pregnant with both Kennedy and Whit. With Kennedy I had just had my appendix out the week before where they told me they were sorry but I was definitely not pregnant. Man was I surprised to find out I was! Then with Whit I thought maybe I am pregnant......tested....OH MY GOSH! I was!
17. The day I became a mom! The minute I held my sweet Kennedy my life changed forever. It was like I realized now what life was about. She forever changed me and for that I am so thankful!
18: The day I held my son for the first time: I was so worried I couldn't love another baby the way I loved Kennedy. The moment the Dr. placed him on my chest I knew I could. He is such a blessing!
19. Las Vegas! My friends will agree....that is place to have a good time! :) We had fun going this year and I look forward to a return visit.
20. Each and every day! Not every day was happy, but each had a reason. I learned a lot in my 20's. I grew up from a kid in college, to a fiance, to a wife, then to a mom. That is a lot of change for a decade! I have realized life flies by when you are older. I can't slow it down, but I can enjoy the roller coaster. As I step into my 30's tomorrow I hope that they can be as full and meaningful as my 20's have been. If that happens I will truly be blessed. Thanks to all of you who have taken the ride with me! It's been fun hasn't it? We need to make our 30's just as good! There are a LOT of you right at my heals on this 30 thing....don't forget that!