Twenties

My twenties have flown by. Okay, let me rephrase, my twenties are flying by. I woke up the other day and it just suddenly hit me that I had a birthday in August. A birthday that had me turn 27. I'm no longer in my early twenties, not even my mid-twenties. I'm in my LATE twenties. I guess I should inform you that it doesn't bother me at all that I am only, gulp, three years from thirty. In fact, I find what they say true, life gets better with age.

As I look back at my twenties I feel a little sad. I didn't have the normal twenties experiences. Twenty to twenty-two were normal years I suppose. Trying to figure out who I was, bouncing from one place to another and struggling to make ends meet (I use the word struggling loosely..thanks mom and dad for not letting me drown in debt). I dated a little but I met Billy at 22 so my dating life was short in my twenties. Then came 23. Oh, 23, you were a year I would never forget.

I was diagnosed with cancer at 23. The life Billy and I were living of concerts, bars, friends and every other social event we could get our hands on came to an abrupt stop. Our lives were forever changed and our relationships with the people we considered friends changed too. It seemed like at 23 it was us against the world. I was fighting for my life (although my prognosis was always good) and Billy was silently hoping that things would end up okay. It was the hardest year of our lives. Twenty-three came and went in a blink of an eye, the longest blink ever.

The past three years have changed my life completely. I always thought the biggest event in my twenties would be cancer. Boy was I wrong! At 24 I got married to my biggest fan, amazing support system and best friend. Nine days later Billy and I found out we'd be welcoming our first child into our lives. Want to talk about shock?! I am pretty sure that I had the same amount of shock when I found out I had cancer and when I found out I was pregnant. Eight and a half months later we welcomed Addison Grace Folkerts into the world.

My twenties have been full of moves too. I started my twenties in Duluth and have (at this point) ended them in Iowa. Wait, Iowa. Yep, Iowa. Here we are in Northwood, IA with now two little girls! Evelyn has been welcomed and seems to have been the missing link in our family. Our move to Iowa was very hard for me and I can now say I was depressed. The moment Evie entered our lives the depression was gone and I felt happy again. I am truly, honestly elated with life. I feel full of joy.

My twenties haven't been like anyone else I know. No bar-hopping in the city. No late night parties at friends. No traveling to Mexico, Las Vegas or overseas. It used to bother me that I missed out on all of those things. I used to feel like I missed out, like I was deprived that right of passage. But today, if you were to ask me if I were to trade my experiences for bar-hopping or trips to Mexico I'd tell you no. I feel so blessed that I was granted two beautiful little girls, a husband who thinks I'm amazing (got him fooled) and a support system of true friends and family.

My twenties have been a roller coaster ride but I guess that's what keeps things interesting.