My 25th Birthday

My 25th birthday has come and gone. I anticipated it feeling weird and being scary. Friends told me stories of their emotional 25 birthdays.

Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed mine. I went out with some friends for Mexican food and margaritas which is a birthday tradition in my family, especially when your brother was born on Cinco De Mayo. I enjoyed who I spent my birthday with and was happy to be in the presence of friends. Of course, I missed my family but I get to see them at Christmas.

Instead of my birthday being scary or weird it encouraged me reflect on what I've done in the past 25 years. I am happy and thankful for what I've done . I am not focused on what I haven't accomplished yet.

I've done some ridiculous, fun, amazing, and tough things. I am proud of what I've done and so thankful for the people who've supported me and made all my adventures and achievements possible. Specifically, my mom and dad! Thanks.

I've been inside a giant tortoise shell in the Galapagos Islands.

I've been so thrifty, or would you call it cheap, that I wore half my luggage through the airport to avoid ridiculously unreasonable baggage fees while backpacking Europe.

I scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef. Are you kidding me?

Graduated college from UGA with a degree in Early Childhood Education.
I became a teacher and I've taught for almost two years now. This was my first classroom.

Had my first grown up, all by myself, apartment and LOVED it!

Got to see my brother graduate from the University of Tennessee.


Worked at a summer camp in North Dakota then decided it would be sane to move there for 13 months.


Just to name a few.....

The Great "White" North

The Great White North.... what a lie, so far. It's only snowed a handful of times since I moved here but nothing has stuck yet. This is apparently very unusual. It's not uncommon for kid's to trick or treat in their snowsuits. Not this year. I'm not sure what this lack of snow means for the rest of winter but I'm scared for when it decides to hit hard! Here's what I've done to get ready for the brutal temperatures and wind of a North Dakota winter.....

Bought an ice scraper.
There's no using a card from my wallet anymore for the occasional windshield frost. Up here it's common knowledge that you need to let your car warm up for 10 minutes or so before driving.

Went shopping for snow pants, a serious jacket, and some long johns. It was a very overwhelming experience at Scheels. Never seen so many jackets, pants, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves in my whole life. I mean the display was literally from floor to ceiling.

You kind of figure this out when someone comes to visit but there really aren't that many sights to see in Fargo, North Dakota. One of the most exciting things might be the ferris wheel in Scheels. Yup, ferris wheel in Scheels. It's on my bucket list now.


I am so hot in this picture (get it?).... turns out it's easy to break a sweat while trying on winter gear.

This is my assistant and I at recess one day. Turns out kids here get just as excited about snow as kids in Georgia. Surprising to me. Not only have they seen it once, they've seen it for months but they are still just as thrilled.

Got some all weather tires put on my car.
I got the fluids checked. They're good down to -34 degrees.
I bought some de-icer windshield wiper fluid.
They got this foreign stuff up here called insulation. Not necessary to keep your faucets dripping and your cabinets open to prevent the pipes from freezing when it's below 32 degrees. The fact that southerners have to do that at all is a laughing matter up here.