the day before the birthday

Well, in a half hour it will be my 27th birthday.
not sure if that means i'm supposed to feel old now - only 3 years away from being 30.

It's funny how different my life is than how I imagined it would be when I was younger. I thought by 27 that I'd be married with a career - maybe even children. Instead I'm a student again, in crazy debt, living with my boyfriend, with a career path - but no job. Interesting... it' amazing the path life you can find yourself on.

Life so far has had its ups and downs, but the older I get the more I've learned to appreciate both. I've had my heart broken by boys and lost opportunities, I've been crazy in love and had the person love me right back, I have made amazing friends and lost some too - sometimes my fault, sometimes theirs, sometimes nobody's fault at all. I've experienced both success and failure, and have had to learn to let go of some dreams that weren't meant to be more than just dreams. I'd like to think that I've learned the lessons I was supposed to learn along the way - at least the important ones.

I'm thinking about making a list of things to do before I turn 30 - kinda like the 101 lists that some people I know are doing. I'd like to:
1. find a permanent teaching job
2. travel to somewhere tropical
3. buy each of my nephews an extravagent (and unnecessary) present
4. get married
5. become a Big Sister, or participate in a major charity event
6. read some classic books
7. finally drop the 20 pounds I've been meaning to lose
8. spend more time with my family - cousins, aunts, grandparents

i'm sure the list will get longer

good night world... thanks for the ride so far.