25.

hey, girl, hey...25, it's nice to meet you.

It's late, late for me, at least. But tonight, being up late is what my 25 looks like. Up late folding laundry, picking up toys scattered across our bedroom floor, sleeping with extra blankets for the tiny ones who cuddle in our big bed. It's crazy to think of the little girl who once thought the woman of 25 was so far away, but she's here now, tonight.

Tonight, I'm grateful. It's not often my birthday falls on Thanksgiving week, but when it does, it gives my holiday a nice, firm, kick-start. There's lots to be thankful for and much to be appreciated and cherished. And tonight, as fancy as 25 may seem to the little girl within me, the lovely quarter-century year has really put things in perspective and has met me exactly where I'm at. Tonight, I can taste, I can see, I can hear, I can smell, I can reason, I can touch, I can feel, and I can love and be loved. Regardless, if 25 looks as accomplished as I thought it would when I was a little girl staring out the window, dreaming of what would someday be, today, it doesn't really matter. Because when all is said and done, if the world ends at the end of this year like some interesting predictions claim (not that I believe it will), it won't matter if my 25 looks like I thought it would or if my hair's as long as I imagined it to be. All that really matters is that I'm here, tonight. It doesn't matter how clean my house is, or how organized or accomplished I am, because life is best lived with an abundance of love...and tonight, at 25, with a husband whose support and encouragement gets me through the toughest of days, two little ones who teach me every single day what life is all about, and incredible family and friends who've made this life as special as it is, I feel pretty darn loved.

Thank you for all the birthday love, texts, calls, FB posts. I pray your Thanksgiving is every bit blessed.

25, let's rock it out. This one's for you.

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