10 years?

It's the eve of my 28th birthday and I'm pretty excited about it! I decided to ditch the whole 27 thing with the old year and have been claiming 28 for four months, that's how exciting I think this year is going to be.

While driving in my car today I got to thinking about all that has happened in the past ten years. Most of this was due to me pulling out the 1998 WOW CD - you know, one of those Christian mix CD's that started back in the day. I know all the words to all the songs (except that creepy one by Carmen that I always skip). It definitely brought me back - especially the Newsboys song that Leslie, Carrie and I learned every single word to while watching their hour long promo movie over and over again.

Here are just a few of my favorite memories from the past 10 years (has it really been that long since high school? How crazy!)

• On my 18th birthday I got shrunk wrapped by my AP physics teacher - gotta love Mr. Pretz! My mom was hiding in the closet the whole time waiting to give me a balloon bouquet!
• I've made tons of different friends during different phases of my life. I've lost touch (with the exception of Facebook) of my friends from high school, I never really talked to friends from community college since graduation. My Benedictine friends will always be dear but for the most part we aren't so near anymore. It's my Wichita friends that I think will be the ones to stick forever and always - they are family.
• I've been teaching for 5 years - 5! I got an email from one of my "girls" today - she's graduating from college in a few weeks - COLLEGE! One of our other teachers was giving me a hard time the other day for my newbie status. When I reminded him I'd been at this for five years he was a bit shocked!
• I've gotten much closer to my Wichita family - aunt, uncle, cousins. I know their mannerisms and quirks - that's something I've never had w/ extended family before and I quite like it!
• I've moved much more in the past 5 years than I ever did as an "Army brat." I have to say, I love my duplex but I miss living off of the Central and Tyler intersection!
• One of my ed classes sang Happy Birthday to me one year while we were seranaded with the piano.
• I have gone through all the motions of buying a house (with the exception of the actual purchasing of said house).
• I met my first love.
• I went through my first big break up and can still call my ex one of my closest friends.
• I've accomplished some things I've always wanted to:
• I've gone to Italy
• I got to see the Pope (JPII) twice!
• I got to live in my very own Catholic version of the Real World (aka our Daisy House)
• I got to go to Seattle and spend the day with my best friend - then make a trip to Whidbey Island and eat some amazing seafood and loose a bunch of Saylor's stuff! - not in that order and definitely not all good (although the "Fresh Strawberry Shortcake" made for some great conversation!)
• Keeks and I went on a crazy fun sporadic road trip
• Kimmy and Keeks and I drove all the way to Dallas and paid for a hotel room just so we could see Therese on opening weekend.
• I've become less attached to the TV and more attached to my friends
• I got to take part in one of the most meaningful weddings I will ever be a part of (at least till mine!) Take her out to the ballgame, Andrew!
• I had a date to prom for the first time ever and it was a blast!
• I have gotten the blessing to be the godmother of two of the most adorable babies ever!
• I have gotten to know who "Lisa" is as I make my way through this grown up world called Life.
• I started really writing my first novel!

I've been doing a lot of soul searching over the past few weeks. I'm not really sure why, exactly. Maybe it's that for the first time this year it feels as though I have time to breathe! This school year has been tough. You'd think I'd have it down by now but much seemed to get in the way. Life changed last year when Kimmy and Jose and Kathy left town. Then semester scheduling was crazy. Then Katie left town too and I actually started talking to other people outside of my little cluster and thing started to get better.

It's weird. I thought most of the transitioning would have occurred last year. I wouldn't have thought that I'd still feel like this after having moved out of the house 2 years ago. At prom the other night though, I had this sense of "I can do this, I am doing this." I am a single woman (very single - might I add) that is finding contentment and purpose in this single life of mine. I don't know if I ever thought it would happen. I'm just at peace with where I am and where I am supposed to be. I don't understand it all the time but even in my, "Jesus, I don't understand why I'm still single conversations," I don't feel the fear that I used to feel. It's still hard to hear my married friends talking about their married things but instead of jealousy, mostly I have a feeling of thanksgiving that I don't have to deal with that quite yet.

Let's just say - 28th year, I have a feeling you are going to be great!