The decade of my twenties has been great. I would be willing to say that it has been the best decade of my life thus far. I don’t remember much of my first ten, the teen years were hard, so it’s easy to see why it currently rates at the top.
Looking back at my 20 year old self versus my now 30 year old self, I have a lot of the same traits and hobbies. I still get nervous around new people and in large groups, I still love coffee, enjoy taking cat naps in the sun, prefer watching movies at home with homemade popcorn, I get anxious before traveling, and like reading a good book curled up in a warm blanket.
At 20, though, I was in a much different place in life. I was in my sophomore year in college at Iowa State. I spent much of my time studying as an engineering student and hanging out with my boyfriend at the time.
Fast forward through a major break up, a crazy semester traveling and studying in Europe, moving back from Europe to an internship at a corn plant in southern Iowa (I wish I could erase this one from memory), finally getting plugged in with a college ministry, making some of the best friends I have ever had, another move and internship in Boston designing aircraft engines, graduating from college, moving back to Minnesota, starting my 6 year career at Cummins, meeting Eric, becoming an aunt, getting married, watching Eric graduate from college with his PhD, moving to Columbus for Eric’s job, traveling and making new friends, and giving birth to our first child. And, those are just some of the highlights!
There have been so many things in the past ten years that have caused me to age, grow in maturity, and hopefully gain a little wisdom. I don’t have any regrets, even though I made plenty of things I might be tempted to call mistakes. God has used all of those experiences to mold me into the person that I am today.
I am a little sad to leave my twenties. Mainly because they were so great, but also because now people gasp when I tell them how old I am. Not because I am old, but because people think that I look younger than I am. I blame it on my round Irish cheeks.
But I accomplished so much in my twenties, and God has me in a place in life that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I love my family. I love being a mother and a wife. It makes it easy to jump forward with no regrets.
I am excited to see what the thirties bring. I eagerly expect them to look a lot different than my 20’s, but I pray that God will use them to mold me even more into the woman he wants me to be.
-Anna
Did I mention that my awesome husband threw me a surprise party for my birthday? He's pretty great! <3
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| Eric and Edmund bought me nice presents. |
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| New Coldplay and Feist CDs, chocolates, dvd set, and a sweater! |
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| At the surprise party. I love this man! |
