Rachel, Day by Day
Me throughout the years.
All this time I thought I was going to dread turning 30, but I’m not worried about it at the moment. I mean, so many things happened in my 20s and I thought it would be difficult to close that chapter in my life… graduated college, first real job, first legal alcoholic drink, first car, first apartment on my own, first real relationship, first time I fell in love (or thought it was at the time), first time I actually fell in love, first house, first smartphone, first (and only) marriage, first kid, and so on. A lot can happen in 10 years.
Me throughout the years.
It’s really strange looking back. There are certain parts of my 20s I won’t miss. The bad dates and relationships in my early 20s, a horrible relationship that hurt me badly and I thought had scarred me for life, losing loved ones, being apart from my husband for a little while, struggling through every-day stresses and drama of being a young adult, and so on. The first week living on my own, I was almost robbed in the middle of the night and now I’m kind of afraid to leave windows open. I went through my 20s without my dad and somehow made it through. I lost a lot of close family members in this decade (Grandma, Uncle Pat, Aunt Carol, Grandpa) and I miss them every day.
Me throughout the years.
While there were some bad times, I’m getting somewhat sentimental remembering the good times. I was able to live with some amazing friends during college and I’m glad I live closer to them today! It’s crazy thinking how we used to stay out until 3 a.m. many nights; I don’t think I could do that now! We had some awesome and silly times together. I met some great friends at my first real job, and sadly we are all scattered in different places now. I stayed in touch with some high school friends, which has been great. I went on a lot of awesome trips with my mom, Ray, and other family members, and had many fun nights with them in general. I met the love of my life during college and later married him. I got some great in-laws out of this, too! Our child recently came into this world and it’s been wonderful getting to know him and having him in my life. I went on some great trips with friends and family, including Mexico, Michigan, Las Vegas, a road trip to California, Cedar Point, a cruise, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Paris, Miami Beach, Punta Cana, Ireland, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and so on! I swam with dolphins, met the Stanley Cup, found a Corner Bakery not on a corner, went to numerous Cubs games, met Jonathan Toews numerous times, saw friends and family members get married, went parasailing, climbed up the steps of Notre Dame Cathedral, saw the Grand Canyon, got engaged, got married, had a child, and much more.
Me throughout the years.
Even with the bad times, I know I’ll be able to look back on my 20s and smile. They are definitely a time for learning and growing. I don’t regret the bad relationships and I don’t feel stupid about them anymore. In fact, I came out of them a stronger and more confident person (I could still work on the confidence part just a little bit). I used to be so naïve in my early 20s, and feel like I’m out of that phase now. But, I’m still the silly, weird, caring, worrisome, funny, loving, sensitive girl from birth. Just a little bit older. So this decade made me part of who I am today.
What do I look forward to in my 30s? Definitely watching my son grow and taking him to new places. Spending time with family and friends. Spending time with my wonderful and amazing husband. Going to Cuba (which would be absolutely amazing). And watching the Cubs win the World Series. The Blackhawks could win another Stanley Cup, too.
I can’t believe most of my high school friends are getting married and having kids. I’ve known Anne since 1997; I met her when we were young middle schoolers. We had homeroom together one year, which brought us closer. We were friends all through middle and high school, and even went to U of I together! We stayed close in college by going out and working at the Daily Illini together. I miss those days a bit since I got to see her more often! We’ve definitely grown up since our middle and high school days. Scott and I sat at a table with Andrea and Warren, too. I’ve known Andrea since 3rd grade and she was my maid of honor at our wedding. It was great catching up with her! Her kids are growing up so fast; I really can’t believe it. Here’s a photo of the four of us:
There was a DJ on the boat and he was awesome. I actually felt like I was at a wedding reception most of the time. He announced that it was our anniversary and there were flower petals on our table for the occasion. We even got a complimentary piece of chocolate cake to share for our anniversary! It was yummy. After dinner, we walked around the boat and danced the night away. I had a lot of fun dancing! They even played our first dance song from our wedding (Can’t Help Falling in Love). I got a little emotional at that for some reason. We danced to some other fun songs, including The Cupid Shuffle. A couple actually got engaged on the cruise, too! Here’s a beautiful view from the top of the boat.
Isn’t Chicago beautiful?? I love this place! After the cruise, we took a cab back to our hotel and tried our wedding cake from a year ago. We also had our anniversary wine we received from Stacie (thank you!). She gave us a bottle of wine to share on our wedding night and another bottle to share on our first anniversary. Here’s a photo for you of the wine and cake.
Randomosity 