I thought what better way to start of my birthday than to also start a blog. I have had the thought cross my mind a few times, but ultimately I think this morning I woke up realizing that it’s not often enough that I take the time to reflect on life. So, what actually happens throughout the course of a year in someone’s life? Today I turned 23, but what occurs in a 22 year olds life is not the same across the board. Each experience we come across varies by person, certainly this last year has given me lots to be grateful for. Most of all however, I like to reflect on all that I have learned so that moving forward I become wiser with each year. Can you truly be appreciative of life if you never learn anything? My opinion is…No. Throughout the course of one year here’s all that I did;

1. Celebrated the seasons and Holidays with family
2. Went on an amazing snowboarding trip in Colorado with my then boyfriend and got engaged.
3. Gave up everything (my job, my apartment, my family, etc.) and moved to Washington as well as got an apartment together.
4. Decided we wanted a puppy so we purchased our first true dog that we were responsible for.
5. Combined finances, changed names.
6. I completed my associates degree and directly enrolled into a BA program.
7. Got married
8. Went on an unforgettable honeymoon in Mexico.

8 huge milestones I never thought I would be completing by 22 nonetheless in the same year. But while I point out all the huge accomplishments and milestones I think as people we tend to forget about all the little moments in between that truly amount to just as much as the big moments; I call these defining moments. Why defining? Because all the small moments in between are where we made the decisions to do something big. Certainly, deciding to get married was a big decision but what was the small moment in between? Can I commit to combining, sharing and respecting my significant other for the rest of my life? Am I ever going to stop being so stubborn where I refuse to back down from some argument just to prove a point? Can I allow somebody else other than myself provide for and take care of me? Truthfully, I have learned so much more about myself in all the small and insignificant moments than the big ones, moments I forget about and forget to be thankful for. We can never grow or accelerate if we don’t acknowledge how we came to be where we are. With this blog, I decided it’s important to start acknowledging all my struggles and realities in my life to substantially learn more and get to all the places I hope to be as I grow older.