25 favorite moments

Over the past couple weeks, I've been compiling my favorite memories of 25. This was such a fun, and honestly sort of heart-warming, exercise, and made for great nostalgic conversation at my birthday dinner.

At 25-going-on-26, I spend so much time looking forward and trying to figure out what's next that it's refreshing to take a look back and remember all the good that's happened on my way here. So here goes:

Bottling gin for an unconventional but fantastic 25th birthday party.

Pacing the French Quarter to get in my steps on my new Fitbit.

Going for an evening walk as the sun set on the Chelan apple orchards (again, #diditallforthefitbit).

Gazing up at the Washington night sky with my college friends and feeling like no time at all had passed since we were together in Vermont.

Sitting in the yard with Austin, drinking wine on a weeknight after playing kickball, in our magical new backyard.

Walking home from the Tunis office and listening to the Serial podcast while dodging traffic.

Observing three elections and realizing that the hard work of democracy, and the hard work of booking flights for 50+ people, all pays off.

Getting loopy in the call center at three in the morning with my organization's senior leadership a room away.

Realizing "hey, I know what I'm doing and I'm good at this" during the third election.

Getting told "you are good at this" over celebratory post-election drinks. 

Watching the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean driving to an early morning Bar Method class with my sister.

Buying my first real Christmas tree (and making Austin haul it home in the rain).

Seeing wood and ink transformed into words and print.

Entering our giant Victorian rowhouse airbnb in Richmond, the snow gently falling outside, and feeling like we'd just been handed the keys to a haunted house (but in a good way).

Yelling at the TV with my girlfriends during Bachelor fantasy football.

Making it through the St. Michaels 10k feeling stronger than I thought I could.

Eating at the restaurant where my college friend is a sous-chef and realizing she has made her dreams come true.

Talking to diplomats from around the world on a Nouakchott rooftop and thinking "huh, my dreams have come true too." 

Representing my organization to Mauritanian political parties in my halting French.

Jumping into the Caribbean to swim with manatees (even if I ripped my bathing suit bottom open on the way down).

Walking into a dark jungle full of T-rex sounds (aka howler monkeys) and Mayan ruins.

Sonia Sotomayor telling me that I clearly had a desire to do good in the world (even if I'm not a lawyer). 

Falling in love with art journaling over mugs of tea on quiet winter evenings.

Learning I can be creative every day.

Every time the question was "do you want tacos and margaritas for dinner?" and the answer was "obviously." 

Now I want to go back and do this for as many past years as I can remember. I can also tell I work in international development and spend a lot of time doing reporting and monitoring & evaluation because for a moment there I was worried about double-counting the memories that fell in 2014, which has already been well-documented here.

Inspired by.