The last 8 days...

Saturday 7/28
Baby Shower at which I knew the three hostesses and the mama-to-be.  I was one of, what I assume to be, just 2 single ladies there.  There were 6, yes SIX pregnant ladies there.
From there, I went to a wedding.
I knew the people who hosted the wedding at their home, one bridesmaid, and the bride.
To say the least, Saturday was ROUGH.

Tuesday 7/31
One of my very closest friends became and Mama.

Wednesday 8/1
A very dear friend of mine got engaged.

Thursday 8/2
One of my very best friends got the call that she got the job that she interviewed for, and will even be making more money than she anticipated.
A dear friend of mine came down from Sonora and I finally got to meet her sweet little Iz.  At that BBQ, I was surrounded by people that I went to school with.  This is how the breakdown went:
Emily and her baby (her husband couldn't make it), Jeremiah and Shannon and their baby, Kelly and Kevin and their two kids, Denise with the sweet baby girl in her belly, and Pat and his fiance.  The cheese stood alone.


All this to say, in a matter of just six days, I managed to be thrown into the reality of what it is like to be 27.  This is the stage of life that I am in.  Engagement Parties, Bridal Showers, Bachelorette Parties, Weddings, Baby Showers, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I am HONORED to be included in all of these celebrations.  I wouldn't miss the parties, showers, and weddings for anything.  I am blessed to have a wide net of friends all over the place and am even more blessed that those friends continuously invite me to be part of the big things in their lives.

That being said, it still isn't easy.  With every engagement announcement, I am reminded that I am REAL single.  Whenever I get a wedding invitation that doesn't give me a plus one, it stings.  On the other hand, when I do get a plus one but don't have a guy special enough to be a "plus one" it stings in a whole different way.

On the other hand... I am SO SO SO thankful that I have had my 20's to figure out who I am, without having to consider another person's feelings or expectations.  I will never forget sitting on my bed in my dorm room in Hill Dorm at SPU talking to my sweet Young Life leader, Lydia.  She said to me, "Amanda, your college years and 20's are all about figuring out who you are."  This is pretty much the LAST thing that I wanted to hear at that point (I mean, I was 18 and TOTALLY ready to be married, DUH...).  Now that 9 years have passed since that conversation, I get it!  Lydia was right.

My college years and 20's have been incredible!

I have been able to do and see and experience SO MUCH, so much more than I ever could have imagined...
I have worked at camps near and far.
I have moved from state to state and city to city.
I have gone to more concerts and sporting events than most could even dream of.
I have been on the Ellen Show and Let's Make A Deal, winning great things.
I have traveled with my friend Chelsea to Colorado, Seattle, Vegas, Utah, and The Bahamas.
I have worked for companies that have allowed me the ability to see this country.
I have made friends that live all over this country and the world and continue to keep in touch.
I have started jobs and left jobs as I saw fit for my life.
I have spent COUNTLESS hours on a Therapy couch talking through wounds.
I have worked hard to see that the wounds weren't left open but turned to scars.
I have learned to stand up for myself even when it is the hardest and scariest thing in the world.
I have tried and succeeded.
I have tried and failed.
I have put myself out there.
I learned to love and believe in myself.
I wouldn't trade my 20's for the world... the highs and lows and everything in between... none of it.

Last night I had dinner with a friend of mine and we were talking about this very subject and she told me about this post that she read.  I couldn't have said it better myself.

If you are in your 20's... I beg of you, ENJOY IT!  Live. Breathe. Feel. ENJOY!