27.

This birthday seems very big to me. Am I still considered to be in my mid-twenties or have I crossed over into the late-twenties category? I'm going to go ahead and say that ages 20-23 are early twenties, 24-27 are mid-twenties, and 28-29 are late twenties. Sound good? Great. Mid-twenties it is! Moving on...

Out-take photo by Teale Photography

How is it possible that this birthday is here? I remember being an age, not so long ago, when 27 sounded old. Very old. Now that is has arrived, I certainly do not feel old but I do realize that the saying "old enough to know better, too young to care" probably no longer applies to me. And maybe it hasn't for the past couple of years, but I like to think that it did.

I have enjoyed my twenties so much and I hate that they are starting to wind down, but I hear being in your thirties can be pretty fabulous as well. You spend lots of time in your twenties really figuring out who you are, how you want to live your life, the people you want to share your life with and what it really means to grow up. Luckily, it also means trying new things and making lots of mistakes. The important thing is that we learn and grow from those mistakes so we're not still making them when we leave this exciting decade.

The older I get, the sappier I am on my birthday. It used to be about the presents and everyone making a fuss over me, (which is still nice, don't get me wrong) but now its so much more than that. Life really is fleeting (Psalm 144:4) and its so important to focus on what matters. For me, that means making time for the relationships in my life. I have been so blessed with a caring family and an amazing group of friends that I don't ever want to take them for granted. It also means using the talents I've been given to not only make a living but to help others while doing it. It's easy for me to get caught up in material things and the next big purchase I'm going to make, but those types of things don't matter. Helping people does.

Thank you so much to those of you who have sent me text messages, emails, posted on my Facebook wall or tweeted me! You sure know how to make a gal feel special! :) To say thank you to y'all, I've created this 8 x 10 wall print you can download for free (click image below). Aiming to be gracious is always on my self-improvement list as I'm sure it is for many of you as well. Thanks again! Enjoy! :)

Labels: My Life