Cheers to 30 years!!

So I made it!  It’s been 30 years!  Instead of feeling dread of another decade I am overwhelmingly thankful and hopeful for the years I’ve had and the years I have to come.  I thought I’d take some time and reflect on the things I’ve learned in my 20’s.  Sort of like a “what I would have told myself 10 years ago.”  Here goes!

1. Beer is an acquired taste.  And man does it taste amazing after a rough day.
2. Your family and closest friends are absolutely amazing.  They should ALWAYS be your number one priority.  In the next 10 years you’ll learn who’s real, who’s always going to care about the wrong things and who will be there for you for the rest of your life.  By the time you’re 30 you will have the most caring, loving, genuine people around you; they will make you who you are today.
3. This world is SO much bigger than you.  Your problems and complaints are nothing in the grand scheme of things.  Count your blessings, not what you don’t have in this life.
4. You sometimes have to go through something truly tragic to learn what matters most in life.  Losing your dad will be something you never get over.  But every year you’ll come into your own more and more.  You feel his presence in you day after day and his memory will ALWAYS be there.  Without losing him you may have never found yourself.
5. You’re a little more country than originally planned, haha.  Some of us go through life trying to be different.  Maybe its rebellion, maybe some of us have a ton of phases, maybe everything you do, everything you’ve been has made you well rounded.  But you are and will always be your daddy’s little country girl at heart J
6. Your mom, is the most amazing person ever made.  She will be your solid rock through every ‘skinned knee’ of your 20’s.  “Because I said so” is the MOST frustrating reason for anything, but it makes sense now.  Hopefully when I have babies I can piss them off just enough so they love me to pieces for it later.
7. Moonshine is the real deal.
8. That whole ‘Don’t drink the water in Mexico’ thing doesn’t matter, why? Because no one drinks water there anyway. 
9. It IS possible to wake up at 7:00am on a Sunday be completely hammered at 10:30am.  I love tailgating!
10. You’ll learn the beauty in people who have gone through hell and back.  Going to New Orleans and helping the people who survived hurricane Katrina 5 years after a the storm where people lost their families, homes, memories, neighborhoods; everything they knew, will teach you more than you know.  People can be still filled with so much love, so much hope, and so much gratefulness for what they still have.  You go somewhere expecting to be a blessing to someone, and you come home receiving more than you ever imagined.  New Orleans you will FOREVER be in my heart. 
11. To piggyback off of #10, loving others heals the soul.  Be the change you wish to see in the world.
12. If the majority of your conversation is via text message, if he is only able to meet up with you after 8 or 9 or he isn’t willing to hang out with you and you family or friends, you already know the deal, no matter how many excuses you can think of for him.
13. Just because you know at heart he’s a good person, doesn’t always mean he’s a good boyfriend or potential husband.
14. No matter what you do or how hard you try you can NOT change who YOU are or who HE is.  You should never have to alter your personality or behavior.
15. There are so many people out there that don’t realize the advantages they have.  Some because they’re ignorant to them and others because they don’t want to acknowledge that their circumstances put them in a ‘better’ place then their neighbor.  You will learn to never judge someone based on what your perception of them may be.  It’s still a work in progress, I used to be one of those people who though my views were the only view to have.  You’re small in the scheme of things.  Your situation is not the same as ANYONE’S situation.  What you view to be weird, or what you look down on, is more than likely something you know absolutely NOTHING about.  Open your mind.
16. Stewart’s Orange Cream Soda and Chocolate will get you through anything and if it’s really tough, grab a bottle of Sangria.
17. You’ll go from being a sucker for a bad boy with a bad attitude to being a sucker for those real genuine good hearted southern boys.
18. There’s more to life than VIP in a club, booty shorts, and party rockin’ every single weekend.  And thank you Lawd for that!
19. Your friends will grow up and get married and have beautiful babies and you will love them like they’re yours.  Love on them and laugh with them, you treat your friends like sisters why not treat their babies like your nieces and nephews.
20. You can NOT please everyone.
21. If you don’t feel like going out, it’s okay to say no.  You’re not going to miss anything.  Promise.
22. CHASE YOUR DREAMS.  It’s never too late to make a different ending.  You’ll work well into your 70’s so don’t settle for what you’re doing professionally in your 20’s if it’s not what you love.
23. Find the highest thing you can and dance on it.  The view is always much better, lol.
24. Always have a girl’s night with your closest friends.  You’ll all become busy sooner or later but dinner and drinks with the people you enjoy the most always makes a busy week/month more tolerable.
25. LISTEN.  People want a friend who slows down and really listens.  Don’t be that person who is just waiting to tell their own story.  
26. Reading books is not torture, it’ll will help you gain insight on the past, present and future.  You’ll end up loving to learn once you’re out of school and not forced to learn certain things.
27. Your plans mean nothing.  You may have a certain idea of how your life is going to be, who you’re going to marry, what you’re going to do on a big weekend trip, but there may be an entirely different plan waiting.  You just have to be open to embracing it and enjoying it, no matter what it is.  Do not be expectant.
28. Learn something from everyone you meet.  No matter how long or short your relationship lasts.  No matter how good or bad the relationship is.  Everyone you cross paths with has something to teach you about life or yourself.
29. You’re never too old to do a keg stand, play flip cup, or laugh until you pee a little bit.
30. Enjoy every single second of your life.  People will come and go, some will be taken too soon, others will leave unexpectedly.  Never take anyone or anything for granted.  Call that person you’ve been meaning to call.  Go to your parent’s house on a random Tuesday night for dinner and silly sitcoms.  Visit your grandparents.  Tell your brother you love him.  Hand write a letter and mail it to an out of town friend.  Laugh at everything, smile through the rain, and somehow you’ll always get stronger when you’re on your second drink.