The day I turned 21, I decided every birthday thereafter would be the anniversary of my 21st birthday. I wasn’t really all that enticed with the notion of getting old, paying bills and thinking that I would have to conform to the idea of what an “adult” does and does not do. Today, I turn 25 and boy am I glad to say it! All I prayed for on this great holiday is that God allow me more years without wrinkles. #PraiseHim the day has come and I have no wrinkles! But seriously, getting older hasn’t been as bad as I once thought and I wanted to take this time and reflect on the 25 years of life that I have graced this Earth with!

                        
I have the worst memory. Ever. Luckily for me, my parents LOVED to take pictures and document my younger years! , I was the IT child too. I was happy, never cried and everybody wanted to be around me. Not surprising, much hasn’t changed. HA I had a dog named Anja, who was a loyal companion until she died when I was in 6th grade and my baby sister, Elizabeth. I call her my baby sister but, she’s only 17 months younger than me. School came easy to me until high school, I had switched school districts and began focusing more on sports than on my academics. Plus, I hated anything academic that I had to do that I didn’t think would benefit my life in the long run i.e. Calculus, Chemistry. Really, when am I gonna use that crap? It was in high school that I experienced and learned a lot of new things both good and bad. Although I got to travel to Germany at 16 and participate in sports, I was not spoiled whatsoever. My parents taught me early on the value of hard work and the difference between necessity and privilege.

Then came Old Dominion University. Oh, how I love my Alma Mater. High school helped me grow into the woman who Old Dominion University made me become. My high school Government teacher, Mr. Rubenstein, suggested I check it out and on my visit, I instantly fell in love. My decision to go to school there was based on three things: it was just far enough away from home but still in state, it was close to a beach and the university was getting a football team. I studied Sports Management and graduated in 4 years, I worked for the Athletic Department, participated, planned and volunteered at events, I attended Obama’s speech inside the Ted Constant Convocation Center, I made memories with friends I will have for the rest of my life but, I’ll gush about my love for Old Dominion University in another post. Just know, OLD DOMINION HAIL!

As much as I loved college, post-graduate life has been THE BOMB. Only because that is what I set out for it to be. I’m a Sagittarius. We are free-spirited and adventure loving and that is what I set out for every day. I hate routine work and crave new experiences regularly. I moved to Atlanta, Georgia, three days after graduating. Moved into an apartment in Kennesaw and was a Public Relations intern for a non-profit sports organization. It was an amazing experience, good, bad and ugly and I didn’t realize my strength until I spent that time away from everyone that kept me sane. By far the biggest lesson though, I learned to work with people I didn’t necessarily get along with. Until that internship, I had loved all my jobs prior, including the people I worked with. That was the greatest lesson because Lord knows it prepared me for the next few positions I had once I returned to the DMV  area (DC, MD, VA for those who aren’t hip.) I will say I was blessed to get a job right after I finished my internship and I will never complain about having a steady flow of income but, MAN corporate life can be a rough maze to navigate. The gray hairs were trying to creep in and in my early 20s?! Not. I. Said. The. Kat.

I have graduated college, volunteered my time, traveled to foreign countries, laughed so hard it hurt, cried so hard it hurt, walked in fashion shows, learned that quality is better than quantity when it comes to things and people and made lifelong friendships. I didn’t want to turn 25 because I didn’t think I had accomplished all that much but now, I’m just as excited for the next 25 years because it can only get better from here 🙂