Birthday Approaching

On Friday, I will be celebrating my 28th birthday, which means several things, mainly that I am getting really close to being 30, my high school reunion is this summer, and the past seems further away than it did even a year ago. In an email to a friend this morning, I mentioned that it felt like I have lived two, maybe even three, lifetimes in the past ten years. So, here are some of my highlights of my life in the past ten years:

• Graduated high school.
• Attended the University of Washington for 2 and a half years.
• Dropped out of college to be in a rock band playing bass.
• Had the opportunity to go to Israel and Jordan for two weeks, seeing everything from Jerusalem, Petra, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, and Tel-Aviv.
• Became a Christian after 14 years of walking away from God.
• Went to art school and eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in Media Arts and Animation.
• Interned in a video department being able to work alongside a good friend.
• Ran a video/design department for a couple of years before burning out.
• Got to hear and meet some amazing songwriters, speakers, pastors and artists in my time running the video/design department.
• Traveled to Mexico and videotaped a mission trip for one week.
  
• Got married in 2004.
  
• Started my own design/photography/video business.

Well, it may not seem like much when reading that list, but it has been a life-changing journey for me, and it continues going in a direction that I never imagined.

As I write this, I am remembering what I wrote in the senior edition of the school paper ten years ago about what I would be doing today: "I will be making $80,000 a year working at Microsoft and playing racquetball with Bill Gates." While I didn't even come close to either of those things, I am truly grateful that my life is far richer and deeper than I ever imagined it would be.

Have a Merry Christmas!