While waiting for a video file to export at work, I started writing what would be my final blog post in the “Goodbye My Twenties” series. I pulled it out of my notebook when it was time to go home and intended on finishing it and posting it. However, I started thinking about everything I had written on the drive home and came to realize it was pretty damn negative. It seemed more like a list of complaints than an actual life blog post. I mean, to my credit, life blogging CAN be a lot of complaining…but I like to have a healthy balance, to not just speak about the negative and the challenges but about the good things in life and how to handle the bad. So I scrapped it. I’m starting fresh.

My 30th birthday is just a few days away. I thought I would be doing something big and exciting for the “3-0”, but expenses and responsibilities have gotten in the way. My husband and I decided to adopt a second dog recently, and having him around means more time put into pet care and a harder time finding someone to take care of the pets while we’re gone. We were considering a weekend trip, maybe to that awesome arcade in New Hampshire, or back to the Teddy Bear Museum in Vermont. I’m a little sad we aren’t able to do it, but I’m grateful for the things we have been able to do – the tree removal, the pellet stove installation, getting our second dog, and getting a lot of important things done by taking some time off of work. Yeah, there are more fun ways to spend your PTO than doctors visits, dental evaluations and renewing your license – but as you get older, you appreciate the time to do those necessary things more and more.

Life’s been pretty busy lately. House projects, pets, extra hours at work, finding time for family, two writing workshops a month, the video game project picking up lately…I feel bad that I haven’t been able to keep up with my once a week target for this blog, especially now that it’s coming to an end. And yes, I can always keep blogging. That isn’t going away. But this series, it’s come to a close. It’s been a rocky path as I’ve been writing it…so many ups and downs, life changes, both negative and positive. It hasn’t been a long running series, but it has been a journey, one that I’m reluctant to let go.

So I guess the best way to wrap it up is with a bit of reflection, like how they do in TV shows, showing flashbacks of their most impactful moments. So, here it is, a collection of memories from my twenties:

Getting my first 100% on a college paper. Graduating college Magna Cum Laude. Starting my first full time job. Moving out of my mom’s place. Starting my job at Travelers and meeting my future husband. Getting Callie, my dog/vacuum cleaner. Hurting my knee. Having my first-ever surgery. Crying myself to sleep many nights. Anger that made me want to hurt others. Finding the strength to move on. Beginning a new relationship. Being unsure, but wanting it to be the one. Stolen kisses in the dark. More surgeries. A new place. The big surgery. The greatest pain I’ve ever felt. Sadness, frustration. Buying our own place. Determination. Facing a harsh reality. Leaving Travelers and starting a new job. Getting engaged…for a third time. Planning a wedding. Stress. Getting the house to ourselves. Losing my job. Betrayal. Anger. Depression. Getting married. My first trip to Disney. Facing unemployment. Hope in the form of a new job. Anxiety. Then relief. Getting a second dog. A family escape room experience. Sitting here, saying “Goodbye my twenties…it’s been quite the journey.”