twenty-six on my twenty-sixth

in honor of my twenty-sixth birthday (which is tomorrow, friends!), i decided to copy my lovely friend mandy and do twenty six thoughts and reflections of the 26 years that i have been blessed to live thus far. enjoy!

1. i was born on easter sunday, 1984… easter hasn’t been on my birthday ever since. i keep waiting for it  though! next year it is on april 24th… close, but no cigar.
2. my momma is one of my best friends and i love her to death.
3. one time, my mom prayed for my hamster to die and he did. he had a tumor the size of a golf ball on his leg and it was so big that he couldn’t get in the door of his little hamster house. so, my momma prayed for god to take him out of his misery and he did. basically, this translates to my mom killed my hamster. RIP skippy. or jiffy. dangit, i can’t remember what his name was.
4. i had the same best friend from from age 6 to 19. all of my favorite childhood memories involve her and she was such a source of joy for the majority of my life. i am blessed to still talk to/see her on a semi-regular basis.
5. growing up, i just wanted to fit in. i wore chucks and vans because i thought they made me cool, dyed my hair pink, pierced my ears all up and got a ridiculous regret of a tattoo all because i wanted to be accepted. i like myself a whole lot better now that i am content with just being me.
6. i had wonderful parents and a wonderful childhood, but still seemed to be plagued by fear, anxiety, anger, and finding my worth in boys for the majority of my growing up years. praise jesus for saving me from the miry pit.
7. college was the best time of my life. friends at your fingertips 24/7, no responsibility, hang out all day every day. college is where i met jesus and learned about community. thank you lord, for giving me amy, mary, and mackenzie and for pursuing me through them.
8. in college, i was part of a club called the no-girls allowed club. we were pretty amazing and did everything together the last two years of college.
9. i met the love of my life when i was twenty. his first impression of me was that i was a quiet girl with a lot of problems. we became friends, and then he proceeded to de-friend me without my knowledge. i thought we were friends, but alas, we were not. we were not off to a good start, to say the least.
10. i went to china for a month when i was twenty one. i have no interest in going back. and ps. they do not have orange chicken or sesame chicken or any of the “normal” chinese food we are used to in china. what the heck?! but they did have the best broccoli i have ever eaten in my life! and lemon ritz! and also cow intestines. see me gagging on them in exhibit a below:
11. i married my hot husband on march 10, 2007. he has been the greatest gift and joy of my life here on earth. he is the greatest man i know and his unconditional love, grace, forgiveness, and kindness never fail to point me to christ. he is the most fun one and my favorite,  most best friend. and he’s handsome too, which is a plus.
12. dj planned our entire honeymoon and revealed the destination twelve hours before we left! best surprise ever. we stayed at the el dorado royale in riviera maya, mexico. it was wonderful and i think everyone should go there.
13. the lord has blessed our three years together. from an easy marriage thus far, to financial provision, to an abundance of answered prayers, he has bestowed gift after gift upon us. the lord is good.
14. dj and i went to zambia in 2008 and it was the single most hardest season of my life. when we left, i swore up and down that i would never return to that continent… but the lord was faithful and used the following six months to teach and mold my heart and now i cannot wait to go back. and maybe even live there, but someone convince dj because he’s not on board.
15. dj and i both had life-changing prophetic words spoken over us in september of 2008. seriously. our lives were changed. but enough said, i don’t want to freak you guys out.
16. me and dj both love family cuddle time
17. i love to cook and i love to eat. my favorite food in the world is potatoes. and then bread. and then meat. really anything that is high-starch and high-carb. mmm.
18. i love glitter eyeshadow and blue mascara… these two products are my beauty trademarks.
19. dj and i bought our first home last year. it is a gift from the lord.
20. my favorite things to do are try new recipes, go out for fancy brunches and dinners, and lay in bed and watch friends.
21. dj and i are starting a home group in june! it’s gonna be us, the almost yens, and the almost mckees. we call ourselves the mchofyens because we’re cool like that. i seriously cannot wait. yay for good friends and good community.
22. grocery shopping and cleaning are sadly one of my most favorite things to do. what can i say, i love wifey things!
23. my first favorite day of the week is thursdays because it’s date night and then since we have fridays off, we always get to sleep in the next morning. dj and i love date night. my top three dates that i want to go on this next year are horseback riding, painting with a twist, and a cooking class at sur la table.
24. my second favorite day of the week is saturdays because it’s our sabbath! breakfast with mal and josh and then home for a nap always makes for a good day. our favorite brunch spot thus far is taverna. eggs benedict and two dollor mimosas!
25. dj and i are leading a trip to kenya in september. i absolutely cannot wait. we will be serving alongside the mendonsas and helping at the IDP camp, naomi’s village, and comfort the children. dj went last year and i am so excited to join him this year. i am emailing all of the applicants tonight and will start setting up interviews to form our team. bring it!
26. my birthday is the best day of the year! i love love love it.

happy birthday, friends!

Advertisement