28: Ramblings from a Birthday Girl

I have always had this nagging desire to be remembered by everyone I meet. I am not sure where that stems from. Maybe it's because I am named after my Dad's sister, who died at a young age. Maybe it's because I think if people remember you, you have made an impact. I don't know...but it's been there as long as I can remember.

At 8 years old, I was full of life with a big bubbly (nice way to say WILD) personality. I always wanted to be a doctor. I had this urge to be something GREAT! (My little brother wanted to be the trash man...)

When I turned 18 and was about to graduate from High School, I was ready to take on the world. I could not get out of DeQueen fast enough and sometimes, Fayetteville didn't seem like it was going to be far enough away. I had big dreams. I was ready to take on the world. My dreams were big...HUGE. I was determined to make my mark, to never be forgotten.

I always had different "plans" for life. I was going to move to NYC and live it up just like on "Sex and the City". (Nevermind the fact that I would need 8 jobs to afford Carrie's shoe collection and Charlotte's house). I was going to move to Cali, learn to surf and just fly by the seat of my pants. I was going to travel the world and be somewhere different every week. (Of course with each "plan", I had a wardrobe fit for a queen.)

Only those BIG things were going to make me happy. GREAT dreams were the only dreams that were significant...and I HAD to be significant.

Never once in all those dreams, did I think, "I am going to live in Arkansas as a business professional and raise three kids with my high school sweetheart." In fact, at one point, I would have laughed if someone said that was their "plan".

Now, at age 28, I am living my dream. I'm not in a big city wearing a new pair of Manolo's every day. I am not catching waves in Cali and living on beach front property. I am certainly not jet setting to a different fabulous location each week. (I mean...going to Houston, TX every couple of months is not QUITE what I had in mind back then.)

Little did I know that all my "ruined" plans would lead me to where I am today.


I am living MY life and believe it or not, this is so much better than anything I ever dreamed. I am married to a man that is an amazing Daddy and loves me to the moon. I have three healthy, happy little girls. I have the best, most supportive family around and friends that would give me the shirt off their back.

While I may not be known around the world, they miss me while they are at school.

I am certainly not changing the world one modular expansion at at time, but my hugs impact their lives monumentally.

I may not be anything great to everyone, but to three little munchkins, I am the greatest thing ever.

So, I am 28 now and I am the happiest I have been in my entire life. THAT makes me significant. Plans fall apart. Most of the time, when they do, they fall into something even better than we could have ever dreamed.

I pray my girls dream big and realize even the smallest things can make their lives greater than they ever imagined!