Things I Don't Regret

Every year before the holidays I get all deep and pensive and reflective. I blame it on being a complete sap, but I suppose a little bit of introspection never hurt a writer, you know?

My life has changed dramatically and wonderfully in the past two years, but it took a lot of years and a lot of events, both good and bad, to get to this point. And do you know what? I wouldn’t change a whole lot.

Here are a few things that I don’t regret:

 -Those rowdy nights in college. I’m not telling the world to go out and act a fool, but please live your life. Have some (legal) fun. Kiss a random boy or two, if the moment strikes. You will not get that time back and I promise you’ll look back on it fondly.

-Getting out of a damaged relationship. During the fall of 2009, it seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. “All my friends are married! How can I start over at the elderly age of 24!?” But I’m glad I followed through. I had one of the best fall seasons and reconnected with a side of myself that had been lost during the years of that relationship. I had fun. I learned that changing yourself to fit the standards of another is for the birds. I danced. I laughed. I literally threw confetti into the air on my 25^th birthday with a group of rowdy friends at Brewski’s. I prayed. I traveled. I prayed some more.

And less than a year later, I met my husband.

-Eating that delicious frosted cookie last weekend. And then eating another.

-Spending too much money on those Badgley Mischka wedding shoes. Worth every penny.

-Moving to Northwest Arkansas on a whim and without employment, (other than a non-paying internship.) My gut instincts told me to do so. And they proved themselves correct.

-Deciding to go blonde at the age of 14 when I had my first highlight, (a rite of passage for a southern girl – ha!) Thank you momma for showing me the ways of hair color.

-Skipping the house cleaning in favor of piling up on the couch to watch funny YouTube videos with Stephen. I promise if I died tomorrow, I would not regret that the baseboards were dusty. But those laughs shared with my husband? Yeah.

-Joining the Methodist church. Stephen was raised Catholic, I was raised Baptist and we knew that we wanted a common denomination in which to worship as a couple. I didn’t personally feel it was fair to ask him to convert for me, and vice versa, out of respect for our families and each other’s upbringing. The Methodist church was a beautiful blend of the two churches and we are so happy we met halfway. It really was never an issue for us at all; honestly, it was a no brainer. We joined Central United Methodist in April 2011 and were married there months later, which was the perfect way to symbolize our new journey. Not saying it’s the right solution for everyone, but for couples from very different faith backgrounds, it was a great path.

-I don’t regret the $3.99 I spent on these velvet-covered pencils from Target. There’s something about an updated version of an ancient writing utensil that makes my writer self very happy.

-I don’t regret growing my hair out, but I’ve regretted the majority of haircuts I’ve gotten, save for the normal trim.

-I don’t regret any money we’ve spent on travel. I know that Stephen and I will always have those memories and I want to get as much in as we can before kiddos come along.

Example: One of my fondest memories of my life is being stuck on the interstate in Illinois during a blizzard with Stephen. We took a trip to Chicago four months after we started dating and got trapped on the interstate for 12 hours. During that time, we talked. And talked. And fell in love. And fell in love. And fell in love some more.

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What don't you regret? 

Be blessed, lovelies-