29 Years.

22 minutes. In 22 minutes I will be 29 years old. Can you believe that?? I know, to some of you reading this, 29 seems young. And I realize that when I hear 20 years old rant about how old they are getting I say to myself, "This little baby has no idea! Spring chicken!"

But it's hard to believe when you are here. When you are sitting on your bed at 11:38pm watching a Marilyn Monroe movie and all of the sudden you are 29. Where did the time go? It has FLOWN BY. Just yesterday I was 16...and 22...and 25. Today I am 29. Next year I will be 30. Just typing it out makes me nervous. 

And everywhere I turn someone is telling me: "you better hurry and get married! You are running out of time." Or, "when are you going back to school to get your Masters degree?" or, "why don't you put an offer on a house?" "Are you saving for retirement?" "You know you really can't wear _________ anymore at your age (fill in the blank - graphic tees…colored jeans…bows...)." Life is filled with people who think they know more than you do…people who believe I should be in a different place at this age.

But here's the thing: It doesn't matter what people say. What matters is that I am living my story. The story my Savior is writing for just me. 

I'm 29 years old. I live in a little blue rent house where spiders invade the porch no matter what I do and where the kitchen sink only drains when it feels like it. I have a rather large, rather rambunctious family who call me too often and who I would rather spend time with than anyone in the world. I have a boyfriend who has a Star Wars tattoo. Who loves me when I don't deserve it and makes me laugh every single day. I have a job that I love. I have a degree in English, and I work at a camp. I have no children. No pets. No will power when chocolate is involved. I sleep too much. I am usually upset before 10:00am. I wear jeans too often. I can't curl my hair. I bite my nails. 

And I'm happy. I'm so happy. I am healthy & have need of nothing. I am surrounded by love and laughter and scented candles. Life is beautiful. 

29 for me probably looks different than it does for many people. But that's just it. This life doesn't belong to anyone else. It's mine. It's my beautiful, wonderful, silly, colorful life and I love it oh so very much. 

Happy Birthday to me! Here's to many more.