Was the first day of your first job out of college one of the greatest days ever? For me, not so much….it wasn’t that much fun at all since I spent a lot of it doing paperwork (though the anticipation of the day was a lot of fun).
My 20′s proved to have many moments that I think will continue to be some of the highlights of my life (though I look forward to having many more awesome moments). Here’s a look at my Top 10 moments in my 20′s (and a list of some honorable mentions).
10. Stepping onto Kyle Field at Texas A&M and realizing “this is my job”.
OK, so I was 25, and working in the athletic department as a marketing coordinator at Texas A&M. I’ll never forget the moment but one Saturday we had a home football game at Kyle Field and I got to walk out onto the field and see over 82,000 fans in the stands…and I just thought, “wow, I have an awesome job.”
9. Climbing The Great Wall of China
This is memorable because it is one of the wonders of the world…but also because I rode on the ”sketchy” slide on the way down. After the slide took off, I thought to myself, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. I made it to the bottom but I was a little freaked out on the way down.
8. Running a 1/2 marathon
This was a big personal accomplishment for me…13.1 miles is tough. I did it in style at the Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon. My favorite part – standing at the starting line with over 10,000 people jumping up and down to U2′s Beautiful Day. I’ll never forget it….(I also ran it again the next year).
7. Honeymoon at resort in Cancun, Mexico
Lots of great memories here…enough said.
6. Watching my brother graduate from Army Basic Training
I’ve never been more proud of my brother…it was very emotional for me. My father is a veteran as well so that added to the moment for me.
5. Buying my first home
Exhilarating…such a big accomplishment. I thought we’d never get out of the lawyer’s office though…so many paper’s to sign.
4. MBA – Business School Graduation
This was a goal of mine since I started undergraduate school and deciding on my career. This was a great day that I spent with my wife, parents, and in-laws. Oh…my degree was handed to me by the President of Texas A&M – Robert Gates – now our country’s Secretary of Defense.
3. College Graduation
Neither my father or mother had a bachelor’s degree and they pushed me hard throughout my school years to go to college. I was happy to get this completed for both myself and them. Going to school at Newberry College was a great decision.
2. Getting Married
Marrying my wife Kristen was one of the greatest days of my life. She is the perfect life partner for me…I love her dearly. I will never forget this day (nor the many many moments leading up to this day).
1. Having my daughter
Up until this point in my life, I never felt so many emotions in a split second as I did at the exact moment that our first daughter was born. Admittedly, prior to the actual birth, I was scared to death of being a father, but that magical moment Kristen and I shared when we had Mary Grace was incredible and erased any fear I had and filled me with a father’s love. It was truly magical.
So those are my top 10 moments of my twenties. Here’s a quick list of some of the honorable mentions: Bachelor Party, 1st Job, Surprise going away party at Texas A&M, Getting an Unsung Hero Award at Lowe’s, Riding a corporate jet, camping in the snow….to name a few.
What are some of your top moments in your 20′s? I’d love to hear them.
Photo Credit: Francisco Diez
