20 Highlights of my Twenties

(In no particular order)

1. Clemson- 2006 Game Day when we played (and beat) Georgia Tech
2. An unexpected trip to Scotland to surprise a friend at her wedding (including dancing in the street at rush hour, several all-nighters, time with my littles-who aren't so little anymore!- and ceilidh dancing. Thank you, Ross.)
3. May 2 (who am I kidding? Highlight of my life.)
4. Our subsequent May 2nds... Savannah, Vero, and Bryson City.
5. April 6 (I love that he was born first thing. The 5th was a day of pain. The 6th of great joy.)
6. A month in Berlin
7. The trip out west that led me to him
8. Overnight in NYC with the Hamiltons
9. Beach week w/ Andrew, Sara & David 
10. My 21st birthday (starring a hurricane, the Greyhound bus, an Italian restaurant, shopping, tequila and lots of dancing)
11. DCF and housechurch: Heatherwood and Main/Paloma.
12. Exploring the tunnels of Clemson (maybe this is not something I should put online...)
13. Planting a garden at midnight with my Mum
14. Starting a company with my Mum
15. Telling everyone that we were expecting... Most people we had to tell over the phone. But I was able to tell Emily face-to-face. We gave Lulah a "Lulah" necklace and Papi a mug saying "Get ready for your 5th Mouseketeer!" Deciding how to tell people was half the fun :)
16. Living behind Grammie for a year.
17. Skipbo on the mini fridge at Jittery Joe's or Presidential Election masks. Or cheese balls in my apartment with Jess and Stu. 
18. Puerto Rico!
19. Family Christmases at Waverley: Parts one and two
20. An overnight with Ali in Columbia (an escape made under the guise of "registering for Little Loy")

Even as I made this list, I realized that there were so many more high points. (This blog could be one of them!) I am blessed indeed.

Update: I just swapped one out. In doing so, I remembered 3 more. My 20s were just incredible. You've got a lot to live up to, 30! Let's get going.

29 things I Learned my 29th Year

Continuing my 29 Things series... 

(In no particular order)

1. God is faithful. Even when it seems that He has forgotten
2. A baby's smiles can clear away the worst day
3. Nursing is one of my favorite experiences
4. The pain of contractions is nothing compared to the pain of delivery (News flash to future moms: If you are going natural, get ready)
5. Love gets stronger when fed
6. Babies laugh in their sleep (and a ton of other stuff about babies)
7. It really is different when it's your kid
8. I'm more alert, awake and patient at nighttime than Brandon (we were both surprised by this)
9. The plural of accoutrement is accouterments
10. Babies prefer bouncing to rocking. At least mine does.
11. I have a lot to learn about the providence and care of our God
12. I enjoy war time novels
13. Android OS is fundamentally, drastically different than iOS (nerd alert!)
14. Why iDevices have better touch sensitivity than other touch devices
15. I like giraffes
16. How to feed a baby
17. Cloth diapers are awful because they make your tiny baby look enormous (We're giving these another shot now that August is older and fits into them better.)
18. LA is a place I never want to live (or visit again)
19. How to make pompoms
20. I have the most supportive friends and family (If you didn't look yesterday, see here.)
21. Courage and bravery will be a part of August's future
22. Midnight planting makes a garden grow
23. We (mothers/ women) are the memory keepers (Someday I'll share more of how I've been keeping.)
24. As life gets harder, the blessings of the Lord go deeper
25. It is up for debate: My favorite sound is either "mumma" or the tiny whispers as he wakes
26. The purpose of discipline is to prepare hearts for the Lord's discipline 
27. How to make homemade pizza (thanks, Sara)
28. Photography is my favorite way to count the good things
29. Sharks are quite intelligent 

Tomorrow, I will be listing the top 20 highlights of my 20s. I know you're pumped. 

29 Things I Did in my 29th Year

Continuing my 29 Things series... 

(In no particular order)

1. Made a baby
2. Birthed a baby (in water!)
3. Fed and sustained another human using only my body
4. Travelled to LA alone and pregnant for work
5. Went to North Carolina for work
6. Rung in the New Year at my in-laws watching an amazing Clemson victory over LSU (#SECwho?)
7. Craved watermelon and mojitos
8. Watched all of Friday Night Lights
9. Read the existing books in the series ASOIAF (For other reads, see this post.)
10. Thrifted
11. Cried in the first bathroom stall at HLS. A lot. (Pregnancy...)
12. Oversaw the release of an app for iOS and Android.
13. Travelled to Boston for work (and did NOT slip in the icy snow)
14. Refused to travel in my 3rd trimester for work
15. Fell in love with a baby
16. Fell in love (again) with his daddy
17. Took a picture every hour of my first mother's day
18. Threw up on an airplane.  First. Time. Ever. (Pregnancy...)
19. Returned to work after having a baby for my family. (The. Hardest. Thing.)
20. Bought an iPhone (happy 29 to me)
21. Went to two funerals of my great aunts
22. Missed a funeral of Brandon's dear uncle because I couldn't travel. (Pregnancy...)
23. Missed a wedding of a dear friend because I couldn't travel. (Pregnancy...) 
24. Missed two weddings of two good friends. (Motherhood.)
25. Was showered (4x! Read more here.)
26. Helped throw a surprise birthday scavenger hunt/ party for my dads 70th
27. Convinced my orthodontist to remove my braces 3 weeks before August was born
28. Dyed my hair brown!!! And loved it even though it rapidly faded to orange.
29. Took a picture every day of July and September

I am so thankful for this year; the Lord has given me so many blessings in the form of friends, family, gifts, experiences, favor... In search for blessing, I've found joy in what's been one of the hardest years of my life. As life gets tougher, the Lord's tailor-made-for-me blessings seem deeper and truer. This is a list of "I did" and certainly, I am proud of much of it. This should be called "I'm so thankful..." List because in truth, its been a wonderful year.

Check out the other "29 Things" posts here. More lists tomorrow...