28 days until I turn 25...

Last fall, my friend and I were in Barnes and Noble shopping for a book she found online, "20 Something, 20 Everything". We found it, she bought it. I was instantly fascinated that she was buying a book about this. I wanted to borrow her copy, but couldn't wait so found one on Half.com. Before I go any further, I hope that you are not anticipating any sort of review of this book, you won't be getting one. To continue, I anxiously awaited my copy of this book, so I looked it up online and realized the author has a blog, and I read some of it. In this weeks time, I began thinking about my approaching milestone.

25 years is appropriately, the first birthday milestone you approach after the fun ones have passed. 16 you get your license and a car (or in my case, you have to wait a year for your own car). 18 you are a legal adult, so you can go to jail (doubt it) buy cigarettes (nope), vote (it wasn't an election year) play the lottery (had to wait til September til TN got the lottery) and go into Adult bookstores (which I did, actually). 21 is that big one, the one where you say, "Bring on the drinks!" I'm an adult, I can do whatever I want. Including getting drunk in a strange bar in Clearwater and going back to your hotel with your boyfriend and passing out on the bed before he can even lock the door. At 22, the fun ages are over.

I began thinking that when I finally get to 25, I will not have accomplished any of the things I thought I would have (with the exception of being married! Hooray, got one of the goals down!) It's truly a depressing thought, honestly. I have not graduated college, I do not own a home, I do not have a super fantastic, accomplishing job, and I do not have a baby or two. How upsetting! What does that say!? I haven't done anything!

That's not true. I have done things. I have realized dreams, had some fun, committed myself to another human, held a good job, bought a car (or 2...) made decisions, stood my ground, found my faith in God and what that truly means, been walked over, realized what it means to be a grown up. Why do I still feel like there should have been a certain path I followed? I let those feelings go, and put my birthday off for awhile. In the meantime, my book had arrived, I read the first chapter and a little more... and put it down. I want to finish it, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

So, now, it's 28 days until the "big birthday" and I'm getting txts from my husband with his plans and ideas for what we can do that weekend. To him, I'm his Beautiful Birthday Girl :-), it's another special day celebrating my aging. He wants to take me out, have some fun. Why should I be feeling any different than him? I've ALWAYS been excited about birthdays. Long after my friends stopped celebrating and having parties and cake and decorations, I still make a big deal about my birthday. I still have tradition parties, sometimes even with my parents even now that I'm in my twenties. Cake, blow out candles, make a wish. 25 should be and will be no different. It's a big deal!

So...after this long-winded tangent, why is there a pull at my heart..saying...Now you're 25, what can you say for yourself? I even googled "turning 25" a few minutes ago. All the top results have the words "quarter life crisis" in them. All of them. It seems I am not the only one who feels unaccomplished in her twenties. But seriously... we should all get a birthday hat and get a cake and be happy. We should be looking towards our future. I have to tell myself that sometimes. Stop thinking about what you haven't done, and what you will do.

9.11.09 - Opryland Hotel and CKC Convention

8 years ago, the US got a wake-up call. We were not untouchable, and there were terrorists out there that were willing to do whatever it took to destroy us. NEVER FORGET THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES ON THAT DAY! 9-11-01

I waited every patiently for the day to come... the day I got to go to the CKC Scrapbooking Convention at Opryland hotel! It was so exciting! As an avid scrapbooker/photographer, I was excited to see what new techniques and supplies were out there for me to check out.

I arrived early at the hotel, so I walked around and got some breakfast. I was able to get some pictures during my walk from literally one end of the hotel to the other, and I included some of them in this post.

At 10am, the vendor fair opened and I was in heaven! Booths upon booths of scrapbook ideas and supplies... ahh... it was wonderful. I picked up some items that I am excited to use, as well as participating in a few make and take projects that certain vendors were offering.

At 1:30, my first class began. It was a fun class, showing me how to create different things with rubber/clear stamps. I was interested in this because I am a stamp collector, I have so many of them and hardly use them! Now I am already thinking of projects and layouts that I can use my new found knowledge on! I also won a prize in this class!

After this class, I walked across the hotel (again) to grab some $12 lunch (ugh) before my next class. I popped into the vendor fair again, to make sure there wasn't something I missed or couldn't live without. Then I headed to my second class, which was amazing! It taught us how to create layouts that included many pictures! This was good for me...since I take too many pictures of one thing, and then cannot use all of them in my layouts (or end up making a scrapbook about a one hour party, LOL!) I have since used the techniques I learned from this class in several pages at home!

All in all, it was so interesting and enjoyable! I cannot wait to go back next year! I'm glad that Scott and I were able to work this in to our budget, because I have the time of my life and took home so much!

Thistle

I love photographing elements of the corn field behind my apartment. In the past, I had a field day snapping shots of this dead sunflower... anyways, there is a short story behind today's post. I like thistles. They are a rough and ragged weed. They are covered in spines. But I love the blossoms! A few years ago, Scott and I were at the Nashville Zoo, and there was a single thistle blossom on the fence of the elephant exhibit. I was taking pictures of it, and when I snapped one, a butterfly had just landed on it and I caught it! It's one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken! So, a few days ago when I was leaving work, I spotted a thistle in the field next to Romano's. It reminded me about that day at the zoo, and seriously, if I had had my camera in the car, I may have pulled into a parking lot and snapped a few.

Today, as I was rounding the corner to my door, I looked up into the corn field, and I saw... thistles!!! I couldn't wait to come in and grab the camera. Here are some highlights.