25 years ago, my brother Shawn was born. I’m nearly 4 years older than him. I fell in love with his big blue eyes and rosy cheeks. He’s a big teddy bear of a tenderheart. He likes to call himself my big little brother. His preference for chocolate has always been well-vocalized, and most of the time I think of his birthday, I think of chocolate cream pie or chocolate cake. Today’s his 25th birthday. Happy Quarterlife, Shawn!
10 years ago, I was on a Ricks College Choir retreat at the Teton Lodge. I was a flirt to a fault, and the red head with the cool glasses and charming personality caught my eye. We had a blast at the retreat. We cheated on big group games to be on the same teams. By afternoon devotional, we were holding hands. And after the dance that night, we had our first kiss. 19 days later we were engaged, and 3 months later we were married. The joke about “Ring by Spring” was true in our case. This picture was when he picked me up for Ricks College Cabaret, the night we expressed that we loved each other. Although he’s not a part of my life anymore, he brought Rosie into the world, and for that I’ll always be grateful.

5 years ago, our divorce was 4 days from being final. The consequences of his actions led to the downfall our our marriage. I had a bit of a personal revolution in December 2003, mostly for the good. It was an awkward time of figuring out single parenting, jumping back into the dating market, learning to be a self-sufficient provider, and really becoming an adult.

Today, I was offered a job that I can see me sticking around at for a good, long while. From what I understand about the position, I will be able to meld my medical and administrative knowledge with my spunky creativity. Moving to Atlanta will be a new chapter in my life. I look forward to the things I’ll learn and the experiences that are waiting for me.