July 28th, 2011 marked the last day of my roaring twenties and oh what a decade it was, a time line that could easily be measured in Uhauls & Hair Color.
As I stroll into my thirties it seems like an opportune time to reflect on the past decade. It started out a little rocky, hit a hight point in the middle, and thankfully remained pretty steady.
TWENTY
(Let's say brown with blonde highlights, it's difficult to recall)
* Moved away from my home state of Arkansas to the little hippie town of Flagstaff, Arizona. (Will never forget the first time I peered upon those mountain peaks, Uhaul in tow.) I took full advantage of living out West and explored the surrounding territories of New Mexico, Utah, California, Nevada, & Colorado.
* Began a four year career as a Beauty Advisor for Lancome. Loved that gig & miss it from time to time, mainly for the all the fabulous people I was fortunate enough to work with.
TWENTY-ONE
(Rich auburn)
* Fortunately for my palette, yet unfortunately for my waistline I discovered the wonderful world of Hefeweizen. (Oak Creek Canyon Brewery remains among my all time favorite places for a cold one, but nothing beats a Francis Kaner at the Brauhaus in Hot Springs, AR.)
* Topped out on a boulder at Buffalo Park in Flag. Had the necessary accessories, the shoes, the bag, the beau, but ultimately rock climbing was not for me and neither was the bf (he was one of the good guys though and I will always wish the best for him.)
TWENTY-TWO
(Blondie)
* Enjoyed being engulfed in my Religious Studies (gained a special affinity for Buddhism) and spending lazy AZ days at Clear Creek in Winslow with my bestie Steph. Everyone should experience a sunny afternoon lounging by a river that's meandering around a canyon.
* Began a love affair with Ryan Adams. The music in real life, the man only in fantasy land (before either of us were married of course).
TWENTY-THREE
(Brunette & Auburn, the darker side of moi)
* The third time truly was a charm when I declared my major to be in Religious Studies (after an eye opening introductory course) and graduated from Northern Arizona University with my BA, but was not ready to part with my life in Flagstaff so I hung around another year.
* Pitched my first tent while Camping at Canyon de Chelly, quite the magical locale and slept under the *stars* sans tent in Mexico. Apparently I really started feeling the nature vibe.
* Had the 'First Noble Truth' of Buddhism inked onto my back in Sanskrit. Told you I had an affinity for Buddhism. Wasn't quite ready to take up enough space for all '4 Noble Truths', lest we forget the 4th contains the '8 fold path' as well.
TWENTY-FOUR
(What can only be described as an horrendous shade of Beauty School Jet Black complete with random, nonsensical highlights)
* Packed up yet another Uhaul and headed to Nashville, TN where I completed 750 hours of Aesthetic training and attained my life long dream of becoming an Aesthetician. I Met some truly amazing women through my aesthetic course, one incredible chica who I considered a dear friend to this day.
* After 12 years without eating red meat I added white meat to the list & became a full Pescatarian but could never imagine a world without cheese so clearly Veganism is not in my future.
* Attended initial live music festival with bestie, Pris. Austin City Limits 2005 introduced me to a world I had never experienced and needless to say I fell head over heels or in this case Chacos. Also, purchased my first piece of art, a painting of Ryan Adams by Lamar Sorrento. (Pris spotted it at ACL, she has an excellent eye.)
* Later this year I paid for gas with change that was buried under my passenger seat...Hey, I'd say I had my priorities straight! (I was in my twenties so you are welcome to not pass any judgement.)
TWENTY-FIVE
(Brunette & Blonde combo year)
* Traveled to the Dominican Republic with Matty & Prissy for the most phenomenal vacation ever!
* Came full circle & returned to my home town of Hot Springs, Arkansas where I reconnected with a high school buddy who you may know as the hubs.
* Tied the knot with the love of my life, barefoot on the beach of Magen's Bay in St. Thomas surrounded by family, friends, sun, sand, & tiger lillies. Along with finding sheer bliss in the beauty of having a fabulous Mom in law!
* Teamed up with my beautiful Mommma Jane to expand her Yoga Studio into Nurture Day Spa & Yoga Studio and an entrepreneurial spirit began to bloom.
* Encountered the marvelous M's, my gails Marci & Melissa, two of the most fabulous friends a smalltownista could ask for in life.
TWENTY-SIX
(Sassy Brunette)
* Also known as 'the Summer of Judy's Yellow Boat' Good times with the Gails on Lake Hamilton that could never be duplicated.
* Premiere venture to Lollapalooza with the Hubs. HOT HOT HOT & LOVE LOVE LOVE!
* The hubs opened Grampa's Catfish House in Hot Springs, so proud of his successful endeavor. Adjusting to married life in a home of two business owners was admittedly tough, not to mention we entered into a life together as two more than fairly independent souls, but we made our way through and became a stronger couple for it. I wouldn't change a minute!
TWENTY-SEVEN
(Enter the Blonde Years)
* The Quarter Life Crisis ensues, but on the plus side my personal style was at it's peak.
* Smalltownista begins! Perhaps as an outlet to process said Quarter Life Crisis, hmmm...
TWENTY-EIGHT
(Darker shade of Blonde)
* Attended our Ten Year High School Reunion & was more than pleasantly surprised by the number of us that have remained friends. Shortly after, loaded up yet another Uhaul (okay, Penske) and headed to the hubs' old stomping grounds of Chicago! Welcome to the
Windy City .
* Zip lined through the Jungle along with many more amazing adventures in Costa Rica .
* An entrepreneurial spirit soared when I became the owner of Pelle Sana Salon .
TWENTY-NINE
(Lighter shade of blonde)
* The Cab Incident, post with more details forthcoming.
* Two very dear friends transformed into stunning brides & said 'I Do' to two very lucky guys!
* Savored a romantic vacay with the hubs in Barbados. I highly recommend this destination,
absolutely breathtaking.
* Continue to meet the most fantastic women & men every day through Pelle Sana Salon.
IN A NUTSHELL
* Lived in 4 states & visited/traveled through 23, halfway to seeing them all.
* Dated a handful of good guys, a whole lotta doozies, & married the BEST one.
* Dreams have been dashed & Dreams have flourished, but never ceased to dream.
* Burned, built, flooded, & rebuilt bridges along the way.
* Lifted people up & let people down.
* Suffered from a bruised heart, a bruised ego, & a few bruised ribs. All of which recovered quite nicely. (1)
* Lost myself, my senses, my sanity, & loved ones that were dear to me.
* Found myself, my senses, my sanity (from time to time), & kindred spirits that are dear to me.
* Had times when "the good times were killing me" and was lucky when the bad times didn't literally kill me. But mostly relished the Good Times...still do.
* Not sure if they have more fun, but tend to make better decisions as a blonde so maybe I'll stick with it for a minute.
* Held a grudge with a vengeance & let pride guide the sails.
* Spit that poison out & embraced forgiveness. Made for much smoother sailing.
* Made good choices, bad choices, smart choices, & dumbass choices, but they were all the right choices.
* Loathed & loved myself, usually simultaneously. It didn't hurt to learn some self worth along the way.
* Feared, anticipated, lived, & soaked up the moment. (Continually fighting the ever pervasive battle to be present.)
* Learned invaluable life lessons. The highest being that life is worthless without our connection to each other.
Well, I have hit the high points here and needless to say there were surely some low points and a number of untold adventures to boot.(2) We all know that regrets are a waste of time so there's no need to dwell on what could have been done differently and if I told my entire life story what would I possibly have left to blog about.
All in all, my soul is filled with nothing but gratitude for the years I have spent on this painfully lovely earth. There is no way to know what lies ahead, but I sure am stoked to find out! Toodles to my Roaring Twenties, I don't have to grow up but I can't stay here!
What made your twenties rock?
Toodles from this thirty & loving it Smalltownista!
(1) For the purposes of this post I did not delve into this relationship, but in no way, shape, or form do I take domestic violence lightly. If you find yourself in an abusive relationship please seek help.
(2) It feels selfish to leave out so many wonderful personal, professional, & spiritual accomplishments of those close to me as I would not be any one or any where without my loved ones, but self-reflection is just that I guess. If you are one of the incredible people in my life, just know I didn't forget about you and none of the positive bits would never have been possible without you.
No comments:
Post a Comment