With the big 3-0 tomorrow I sit here on the beach reflecting and talking with the group about my 20's. I honestly have to say I do not regret anything, don't think I missed out on anything, and really think I lived life to the fullest for the last 10 years. My 20's were amazing, they were the best decade yet, but I have a feeling each decade just gets better than the one before.
10 years ago I was attending school at the greatest place on earth Virgina Tech!! I made sooo many great friends there and just had the best time. From football games, to the greek life, to TOTS, to intramural sports, to best friends, and times I will never remember with the people I will never forget, I can't imagine anywhere else I would have rather been then living in the Chase in Blacksburg. During college I learned responsibility, no only with my studies and living on my own, but Jill and I decided we needed a dog which soon became mine. Callie quickly turned into my world, I had never loved anything so much. My little princess and I have since moved and lived in so many different places. My first big accomplishment in my 20's was Caring for and being completely responsible for another life, good thing she liked to sleep and drink beer!! Soon after graduation from greatest University to ever exist ranks among my top accomplishments in my 20's, sad to leave but so happy to have had the experiences I did.
After graduation Jill and I and some of our other college friends moved down to the outer banks. This was one of the best summers, you really can't beat living at the beach!! Any day at the beach is better than any day anywhere else in my opinion!! While living at the beach I learned soooo much and had an amazing time while doing it. This was the first time I was really responsible for my entire life. I was cut off my parents insurance just days after graduation, I could no longer just call my parents and let them know a bill was waiting for them, and I made money which was awesome, but then I had to learn to manage it!! We worked at Webb's Crab Shack and this was the first "real" job I had ever had, unless we were going to count life guarding. I had to be there when I was scheduled to work regardless of the festivities from the night before, my bills were still coming in.
After that summer I returned home to live with my parents for almost a year. I got my first office job at DLT solutions. While the pay sucked and my job was pretty much worthless, it was a great transition into the real world. Within a year I found myself a job at Lockheed Martin where I began my recruiting career at the Regional Recruiting Center. This was a great job for a young 20 something that wanted to be in a cool atmosphere and still enjoy happy hours. Quickly after I started this job Jill graduated from Tech (was a year behind me) and her and I got a very dinky apartment in Arlington. In less than a year after that move we moved into 3713 North Glebe Road where I spent the majority of my single 20's after college and had an absolute blast!! 4 girls rotated in and out of 3713 but the way of life never changed. I lived with some of my best friends, we partied...a LOT, joined kickball teams, made roomate dinners, spent a LOT of time with bottles of wine on the deck, had some amazing parties in our backyard which was conveniently surrounded by bamboo, and spent the great amounts of our weekends at Porters!! I lived in this house for like 3 years I think, fantabulous times and memories that will last forever.
During my time at 3713 I re-aquainted with Eric multiple times, but one time really stuck. We started dating, did the long distance thing for a few months, and then he joined us living in 3713. We got another dog, enter Rocco. We moved in together into a townhouse in Herndon, we moved out of our townhouse in Herndon and both separately back to Arlington where I lived at Sheffield University with lil Monica!! At some point during all of this I left Lockheed again and went to work at AAC where I am now!
On Valentines day 2007, Eric popped the question, we were engaged!! 9 months later we were married on the best day of my life so far!!! We bought a house, we have made a ton of new friends, and a million memories together. We have traveled the world, mostly following VT Football, talk about something working out, thank goodness we are both obsessed with the same school. Regardless of what we do, we always have a blast and laugh the whole way through.
At AAC I started as the recruiter, was promoted to the recruiting manager, and this past January was promoted to the HR/Recruiting manager. I have learned a ton at AAC in the past year, like HR in general, how manage and motivate others, etc etc.