Dear 23 year old me,

Dear 23 year old me,

I found this picture as I was cleaning up my desktop this morning, and I just had to stop and write you a note.  (Because, you see, this morning I'm in the middle of an experiment...and it turns out, I suck at monotasking.  Focus on one thing?  Haven't had much practice with that in the past decade.  But, I'm working on it...)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know just how blessed you are.  13 years later, you still love your Boy with all your heart and then some.  You won't understand this, but you love him even more every day.  It turns out that you're still best friends--only now you've learned how to put his friendship first, and that has made all the difference.  You've got amazing kids, and you'll have no idea how they got to be that way.  Just give the glory to God, because trust me, it can't be you--you screw up all the time.  :)  But, you love them and you try...and sometimes, that's all that matters.

I know you're busy right now making plans for the future.  I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're not going to strike it rich by the time you're 35.  There's no big house, you haven't traveled the world, and you still shop at Target and Old Navy.  You don't know it yet, but other things will be more important to you.  You're lucky, you know, that the older you doesn't have any regrets.  But if I could just tell you a few things, here's what I'd say:

-in this picture, you're 10 pounds heavier than you were when you got engaged.  DON'T gain another pound.  It *won't* be easy to lose it, and every pound you gain will bring a friend or two.  So, stop the madness now.

-you know how you spend so much time working out?  Don't ever let work or life get in the way of that.  As you get older, you'll be glad for your strength.

-just between you and me, you know how you like to be right about everything?  Get over that.  Like Lynn says (now Lynn, not then Lynn...she's learned a lot, too):  you can choose to be right, or you can choose to be happy.  Choose to be happy.

-don't sweat the small stuff.  Sounds silly, but it'll save you lots of heartache.

-put people first, not things.

-don't try to keep up with the Jones.  Don't even try to BE the Jones.  Just BE.

-if you don't have the cash to buy it, don't buy it.  Debt isn't wealth.  It's not even money--it's just a pain later.

-"...give to God what is God's, and to Caesar what is Caesar's."  Jesus said that, and it's probably the best financial advice you won't listen to until you learn the hard way.

-live in each moment...they are fleeting.

-spend more time listening to your Dad's stories.  You'll miss that someday.

There's so much more I could tell you, but we both know you won't listen.  I wonder what you'd tell me if you could?

Anyway, I've used up my "blog break" time.  Back to the grind.  Who'd have thought it would be so hard to just accomplish one thing at a time?

:) me