Bittersweet Twenty.

[Photo is taken from Flickr]

Das righ'. My birthday is cruisin' around the corner faster than you can say "candlestick" fifteen times over. Try it. I dare you. I shall post the festivities of the night once the weekend is over. Before the welcoming of my twenty first year, I have decided to list the most magnificent of things that have occurred over the past twenty years of my life.

1. My birth (I mean, really, that was a pivotal moment.)
2. My 16th birthday. It was like an MTV's "My Super Sweet 16". Except, in my living room, with Chik-Fil-A or'dourves. Oh, and one really great rendition of Gwen Stefani's song "Crash". I know. Ballin'.
3. Finding God at age 18 (comparable to birth).
4. Discovering that the act of changing someone, because I think it is necessary, is ever so impractical. It is their own push and their own willingness that will produce true change.
5. I have received the greatest of friends just this past year. They accept me through my smack talk, my poop talk, my breakdowns, my laugh attacks and just my all around madness. For the first time in my life, I can say that I have genuine friends.
6. I had a boyfriend who gave me a true outline to what a Christian relationship is. Although it did not work out, due to distance and my inability to comprehend how much he was trying to show me, I will never forget him and that experience. That relationship alone helped in the shaping of my relationship with God.
7. Becoming acutely aware that I am in love with Sushi. A big thanks to Kazu's Sushi. You ma boy.
8. I cannot forget one of the greatest moments: Going out to feed the homeless in the streets of downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa. I've never seen God move so much in one day. I could go on for forever about this.
9. Being able to be apart of For the Girls International: AWAKEN Conference. I was given the opportunity to talk about how God is moving in my life in regards to impacting the community around me and my family.
10. Worship in the Woods that turned into Worship in church but with blanket forts and college kids.
11. I may be turning into a hippy. I'll check back around my 22nd birthday to give an update.
12. Actually, number 12 happened this morning. I got to work and I was on the phone, when the door opened and in walked the little girl who had spine surgery some months ago. I constantly ask her grandparents about her after work. I always see her getting off the bus in her wheelchair every day at 4PM and to see her walking today was so emotional for me. She and her sister brought me a Hostess cupcake with a candle in the middle. Talk about the best morning ever.
13. Last but not least, my becoming a youth leader at Reformation Youth Ministries, the high school ministry at my church. I never knew I could love the kids there so much. It has, figuratively, given me a new heart.

All in all, it has been a bittersweet twenty years.

Okay, now I must prepare myself for Sunday and all of its outrageous-ness (there may be rollercoasters in my near future). "Prepare" means: Get back to work at work, attend small group, make everyone eat Mexican dinner at small group -  they let a Mexican pick what dinner we should have - and then head on over to Orlando with the ladies. Have a great weekend, loves!