Goodbye, 20s…

Well, I officially only have a few hours left as a twenty-something, and while age (feeling old or young) hasn’t ever really bothered me, it gives one pause and provides time to reflect on the past decade of my life.  I don’t know about you, but my 20s have been very action-packed, and a whirlwind time in my life.  There was simply so much going on!  Here’s a sampling of life events to take place in the last ten years:

• Met the Lovely Miss H through a friend of a friend just after I turned 20.  That means I’ve known her for a third of my life now.  Wow!
• Moved away from home and went away to college.  I enjoyed the small, liberal-arts atmosphere, and met some great people there.
• Worked for a politician who is now a United States Congressman.
• Became an uncle.
• Graduated college.
• Experienced the death of my grandmother to cancer, and the untimely death of my childhood best friend to a car accident.
• Moved to San Diego for a job on campus where I wanted to go to graduate school.  I was accepted & attended a year later.
• Traveled the world:  Mexico, Canada, Korea & Japan.
• Studied abroad in grad school for 10 weeks in Western Europe.
• Married the Lovely Miss H in a hot but beautiful lakeside mountain resort with 200 of our closest friends & family in attendance.
• Honeymooned on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.
• Bought a house and moved from California to Texas.  Picked up 3 dogs, great new friends, and countless memories in the process.
• Finished grad school and am still trying to figure out this whole career thing

To me it has seemed so action-packed.  A lot of moving, new friendships, loads of travel, numerous smiles, a few tears, and ever-increasing responsibility with each year!

Hello, 30s!

A new decade of my life makes me take a step back and ponder where my life has been and where it is going.  I do value all those experiences and events in my life listed above.  I value all the friendships I’ve developed, all the advice I’ve received, and all the opportunities to give back. 

Regrets? Nah.  My twenties were a wonderful adventure.  But to use some bowling terminology, there’s certainly been some strikes & gutters, ups & downs.

Strikes

Personally, I really hit the jackpot with the Lovely Miss H.  I could go on for days about it, but just know that she’s everything I could’ve hoped for in a wife, and more.

Financially, I’m pleased that the personal finance bug has bitten me.  We went from wandering in the wilderness to pretty much on the same page together with a plan to pay off our debts and build wealth.

Gutters

Personally & Professionally, I’d say my biggest gutterball is not figuring out what I want to do when I grow up   I have many interests and skills, but have yet to find my niche I guess.  For one that has always thrived on stability, it sure has been an unstable development of a career path for me.  Funny how life teaches you those lessons, eh?  I am looking forward to the continued adventure, however — and now I’ll get to write about it for the world to see!

What about you??

Have you taken the opportunity to reflect personally or financially lately?  What are your “strikes & gutters”?

Photo by clairity & tsschuel

Personal Finance birthday, career, The Big Picture