Friday, January 27, 2012

Farewell to my twenties!

On January 3rd I celebrated my 30th birthday. I've had a few weeks for it to really sink in and I must say that it isn't all that bad, especially considering that I got to celebrate my big day in Jamaica! I honestly haven't given it much thought and I don't think it will really hit me until someone asks my age. I would certainly prefer to say that I'm 29 but I welcome this new chapter in my life with open arms.



My twenties were really great years. There are times where I wish I could go back and relive some of those moments. The four years I spent at NC State were some of the greatest years and I will always cherish the memories I made there. I managed to make the most of my time at NC State while graduating right on time!

One of my best friends, Sarah, and I pledged the same sorority our freshman year and we were inseparable from that moment forward. We even shared the same big sister! We lived in the sorority house our sophomore year in a room the size of a shoe box. How the two of us managed to live in that room with all our belongings is still beyond me. Our junior year we thought it would be a good idea to move to Brent Road. At the time Brent Road was a party street.....a filthy, loud, rundown street. But heck, at the time that was right up our alley. Our senior year we decided to move into an apartment, just the two of us, and discovered how to go out every single night of the week and still manage to get our work done. The memories I have of those years and the friendships I made will stay with me forever.

Over the course of those four years we also burned up the highway between Raleigh and Wilmington to visit Kim. Kim managed to spend most of the fall and winter weekends in Raleigh for football games and fraternity parties, and we managed to spend most our of spring in Wilmington soaking up rays and enjoying all the beach bars. Those were the days where our biggest concern was what we were going to wear out each night. Boy have the times changed. Practically every single memory I have from college involves Sarah and Kim. I couldn't ask for two better friends and even though many miles have separated us over the past seven years nothing has come between our friendship.






After I graduated from college I packed my bags and moved back to Charlotte and tried to put off getting a real job for as long as possible. I pulled it off until the end of the summer in 2004 at which point my Dad told me enough was enough. He had even gone to the lengths of finding me a job. It was September 2004 when I first stepped into the campaign office of Congressman Robin Hayes and little did I know that my life would never be the same from that moment forward.


I knew nothing about politics at the time and I don't believe I had even taken one political science class while at NC State. I quickly became immersed in the campaign world. I volunteered for three days and was then offered a full time position on the campaign. As folks made their way to town I constantly heard stories of their days in DC and they all seemed like such great friends so I began to wonder what the working world of Capitol Hill would be like. Little did I know that the backbone of all these politician's offices were folks in their twenties and thirties. I'm not sure you could find a better place to work coming right out of college!

Those were great days. That was the first time I met Chris and many people that are now some of my dearest friends. At the time I started my job I had no clue who Robin Hayes was and little did I know how close we would become. I admire Robin more than words can express and there isn't a single day that doesn't go by that I don't wish I still worked for him.

After Robin's re-election in 2004 I was convinced to move to DC to be his staff assistant. I packed my bags and made the move in January 2005. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and was scared to death, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made. After about a year in his office I took over as scheduler. I basically ran Robin's day to day life and I miss those days dearly. We were a very close office and always knew how to have fun. The day that Robin lost his re-election in 2008 was one of the toughest days because I knew nothing would ever be the same.












Robin lead me to DC and most importantly introduced me to Chris. It wasn't long after I moved to DC that Chris and I started dating. We were engaged in March of 2007 and married on May 17, 2008. If my Dad hadn't pushed me to volunteer on Robin's campaign seven years ago who knows where I would be right now.




My late twenties were filled with plenty of ups and downs. I worked for a very difficult Member of Congress in 2009 and thought I may not make it out alive. Somehow I survived and made it to where I sit today as Chairman David Dreier's scheduler. We faced deaths in our families and were fortunate enough to welcome additions to our families too. We celebrated graduations, weddings and milestone birthdays. Chris changed jobs. We bought our first home. We both bought new cars. I grew up considerably.



















 







It's impossible to capture everything that happened between turning 20 and 30. They were unbelievable years and I'm so grateful for every single one of them. As much change as I faced over the course of those years, I realize that my twenties will have nothing on my thirties. Chris and I are extremely blessed to be expecting our first child this year. The little one is due on July 5th and I know that we're in for a life changing event this summer!

We have nephews, nieces, and friends with children that we love dearly but there is nothing like having a child of your own. There are times where I still can't believe that it's really happening. I can't imagine a more important, rewarding and difficult job than being a parent. It has been a roller coaster ride so far and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

We're currently counting down to February 13th. That is when we'll find out if we're having a boy or girl. That day can't get here soon enough. My Mom always told me not to wish my life away, but I think she would be in agreement that she can't wait for that day to get here either. I look forward to being a parent, to see my parent's as grandparents and my brother's as uncles. Our lives are all about to change drastically and it's all because of one of God's greatest little blessings!



So closing the chapter on my twenties is a little bittersweet. I'll miss those carefree days when there were no worries but I gladly await my thirties and what they have in store.