Twenty.

I've lived.

Twenty long years.

I mean, when people say that life seems likes its going by so quickly, its only because they're setting it alongside forever. And, of course, there's nothing wrong with that. But another reason is because our memories fail us and we can only really recall various important events in our lives making them seem much shorter than they have been. So just take a moment, sit in silence, and think. Dig out all the memories you can muster from those dimly lit corners of your brain. Think of a day you remember and try to think of every minute that day. Yeah, you probably won't be able to accomplish this, but through this "deep thinking" you may remember moments you thought you'd forgotten forever.

I've been doing this a lot lately. Just last night I had a near three hour conversation with two great friends of mine and I got to retell some high school memories. It's like my brain comes to life when I get to tell my story. All the gears and wheels inside start spinning away and lights are flashing and all the little machine parts are just whirring away while I speak a thousand words a minute.

All this to say... I love my life. Maybe not at this very moment, but when I actually take time to think about my entire life thus far, I am overwhelmed. I have been beyond blessed. And am still being blessed. I can't believe how much growth has happened in my life in the past two or three years. So much change. Not always good change, but generally in the right direction.

So here it goes. The copy cat that lives within me (everyone has one) has decided to jump on the band wagon and follow in the steps of good ole Courtney. She listed those people who have helped mold her into who she is today. She named twenty-two, alphabetically, one for every year she has lived. Here are mine. They are in no particular order, other than the order that they came to mind and/or the order that my fingers decided to type them.

1. Marybeth is my best friend. She is short and she is kind. She is Marzypan. She is my person.

2. Courtney Stewart was a hard shell to crack but I cannot imagine not being her friend. We're friends until our dying day.

3. Alisha Stewart is glamorous and "fab", as she would say. She is courageous and incredibly strong. She made public high school a LOT more enjoyable and entertaining.

4. My first real crush was Michael Thomas. I would not even be a little bit of who I am today, if it were not for this boy. He showed me... comedy. Thank you, good sir.

5. Nikki Freeman was my first friend from my third year of life. She taught me how to ride a bike. When the tree in our front yard got cut down, she moved away. So, whenever I see tree branches being trimmed, I think of her.

6. Courtney Watson is. Braveheart. She is the realest thing I have ever come in contact with. I would not be alive if it were not for her.

7. Steffanie Jarrell is the second half to the Courtney/Steffanie combo. We once talked from when Courtney left for work and until she got off. And we didn't move once. We could probably have conversations like that every single day. :)

8. Yesena, you were my most dangerous friend. You got me into trouble, you taught me lots of cuss words, and you let me taste alcohol. I let you cheat off me on all of our homework and I lied a lot when I was friends with you. That's why I had to break up with you.. so to speak. But still, I would not be mean without our year of friendship.

9. Carly. She was much older than me when we met, but Hamby's brings the most unlikely of friends together. I had the one lonely table in the back of the classroom and she came in and shared it with me all year. She drew cool things and had fancy handwriting. She wore a scrunchy on her upper arm and knew how to serve a volleyball. I wanted to be like her.

10. Justin Thompson. He was my first boy friend. Friend that is a boy. We fought for the title of Valedictorian in 8th grade. I won. He got Salutatorian. Also, you told me about sex, unknowingly, by explaining to me the lyrics of a rap song.

11. Ralphie. Okay, so maybe he was my first friend that was a boy. But I feel like we were more enemies at the time. Nevertheless, our neighborhood would not have been the same without our watergun wars and Mcdonald's toy trading.

12. Lauren Tucker. She was my first college roommate. Also, she was the most rambunctious and difficult child I'd ever met throughout the course of my life. Her first words to me were, "Want to be my best friend?" We were five in Sunday School.

13. Nikki (Howell) Nisly. When I first saw this girl, on a pondo summer camp video, I thought she looked like the COOLEST PERSON EVER. And so I was determined to meet her. I was intimidated by her, but as we got to know each other, it was magic. Turns out, she had flaws and we had similar ones and we both spent two summers talking the crap out of them. haha

14. Nora Serino. I thank Planet Wisdom and V-shatting for our friendship. I'm not sure how to sum up..you. But just know you've molded me. In both good and bad ways. But mostly good.

15. Timmy Shilling. He taught me that there is more to life than Dashboard Confessional.

16. My grandmother. She raised me. She raised the crap out of me. Had I actually been raised by my mother....I would not. Be. Well, I may possibly be dead. So, thanks Nana!

17. My grandfather. He is the father figure in my life. He provides for me, he loves me, and he's shown me how a real man is supposed to be.

18. Liz. She is. Well, she is Liz. She is my second best friend, she drools, she's picky, she yells, and she sings. I like her.

19. Claire. I would not have survived summer school without this girl. While I was trying to save my life and my college education and not get a giant ulcer from all the stress, she managed to make me laugh. A lot.

20. Ben. Well...I liked you first. And maybe it made my Birthday last year a little awkward. But if things had been different, we wouldn't be such great friends now. I miss the old days sometimes, you helped make freshman year what it was.

Thats an extremely small portion. However, if I really get going with this, I will never stop. Next thing you know, I'll be thanking Esmerelda, the 7eleven lady who gives me discounts on nachos.