The Decade of Discovery

A few months ago, I saw a Buzzfeed posts about “The Definitive Ranking of Years in your 20s.” It was a mildly entertaining read, but for me, they got it all wrong.

 Since I just exited my own decade of 20sness 10 days ago, I consider myself a consummate expert on the topic. So here it is: My own list of how my 20s went!

 #10: 26
 I think 26 was the only year of my 20s that I can say I actively disliked. Even my 26th birthday occurred on a busy day at my internship where everything was in chaos (I worked in a school district, and within the past few days 3 kids had died! Ouch!) While I appreciated my time in graduate school, I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it, and 26 was the only year of my life in which I spent the entire time being a grad student. Also, while being in graduate school, I was trying to manage being in a long-distance relationship, and frequently worried about what the next step was and how we were going to become not-long-distance. Too much stress, too little companionship, 26 was my least favorite.

#9: 22
It’s not that 22 was a bad year, but in terms of the years in this awesome decade, it happens to rank near the bottom. I was still at OSU, which I dearly loved, but the newness of it had worn off, and I was, as are most 22 year olds, struggling to figure out my place in the world and what I was going to do with my life. Also, I was 22 when my grandfather passed away. 

#8: 24
24 was another year of growing and figuring myself out. Though I got my first post-college full-time job when I was 23 (with Child Welfare) I was 24 before I started getting cases and really doing the work. While this was exciting, it was stressful as I figured out a difficult system working with vulnerable people, and as I figured out how to do a job with very real and urgent responsibility. Also, the Beavs had a great season but the Civil War was the biggest heartbreak ever.

  

#7: 20
The first part of this year was not that great. I was in community college at Chemeketa, and involved in a close friendship that was becoming unhealthy. However, the summer of 20 was lots of fun, involved lots of local adventures with friends (including one infamous camp-out in the back yard, and for those who were there all I really have to say is “steamrolling”). Then, at the end of the summer, I started a wonderful adventure at OSU and likely a life-long love affair with the city of Corvallis. I also met the best friends I would make in my 20s when I was 20.

#6: 25
The year began with me finding my stride in my work as a caseworker (though it was still extremely stressful to the point of being painful at times, which is why this year isn’t ranked higher), and then I fulfilled an important life goal by being accepted to the MSW program at Portland State. I had a memorable trip to Las Vegas with two great friends, began school, and visited Peoria for the first time! 

#5: 27
27 was a mixture of things. It was slogging through my last few months of being a graduate student, but it was also getting my MSW! It was having Zach move to the Portland area, then having to move 3 hours away for a new job, but getting to live ON THE BEACH for a couple of months…in the summer! It was going back to Child Welfare, and that was very stressful (talk about sleepless nights…) but it was also where I gained confidence in my own skill, competency, and work ethic. I also got my very first (and only) place to myself!

#4: 28 

When I was 28, I got hired at my current job, which currently holds the title of the best job I’ve ever had. I visited my youngest brother for the first time in his first post-college environment, and we went on the most grueling hike I’ve ever been on. It was only a month later that I got engaged! My now-in-laws came to visit Oregon for the first time ever, and we were able to treat them to a beautiful, sunny day at the Oregon coast (because when does that happen?) and introduced them to my parents, with whom they hit it off
famously.

#3: 21
It seems cliché that 21 would be so far up on my list, but it truly was a fantastic year! My birthday fell during my first year at OSU, and a ton of friend old and new were there in Corvallis to help me celebrate. It was this great intersection of youth and freedom coupled with a lot of growth and overcoming. That summer, I went to Germany and the Netherlands with my brother, cousin, and a friend of ours, and in the fall I moved into my first true renting (and not on-campus living) situation with some awesome friends.

 

#2: 23
 Oh man. It started when my roommates woke me up at midnight, popped open a bottle of bubbly, and gave me a new rolling pin and bread pan! (I baked a lot of bread as a coping skill in college.) (I still have my rolling pin and it’s my only one.) It continued as follows: I graduated from OSU, I got my first job in the social work field (woohoo Farm Home!), I moved into a frat with my friend Erin as a budgetary thing (it was cheap, Farm Home had low census and couldn’t offer me many hours), and Erin and I basically partied like very poor rock stars all summer long. (“What are you doing today?” “Nothing.” “Wanna lay out then float the river again?” “Yup.”) I then got my first full-time post-graduating job with Child Welfare, and that whole adventure began! (Oh, and the Beavs won the College World Series for the second year in a row!)

 

 #1: 29
What can I say? I think I hit my stride at 29. I started the year as an engaged woman, got thrown an awesome bachelorette party and bridal shower during the summer, and got married in the fall with an awesome honeymoon to Vegas following. And, I got to solidify that I get to spend all the living years of one of us with the love of my life!