But so true! Life only gets better and better each year.
Turning 25 has really brought some serious reflection of life, my life, and myself. It is so eye-opening and pause-worthy. I just want to take a minute and marvel at my personal life. I am so happy but can't believe it has already been 25 years. 1/2 way to 50, a quarter of a century. I worry about the next 25 years of my life going by just as quick but quicker....again and again until it is my time to go home. It is terrifying but so rewarding. Time is so humbling, God designed our life that way. Time is a funny thing. You can't get more, you can't go back, you can't skip forward, you can't pause it; everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day, it's up to you of what you do with it.
This birthday, 25, really hit me. I am that next generation. I could be a parent. About each quarter of a century, a generation starts over. I could see 4 generations in my life time. I am starting the second. I am that next generation. I am the parent. That is so scary. I don't feel ready, I was JUST 7 years old. How can I already be 25 and in the "parent" generation. Age is such an interesting thing also. 25 years have flown by. I can say things like '20 years ago', and I was actually alive back then, and not just alive, but 5 years old! When I was younger I always imagined when I would become the 'adult' age I always imagined like my parents. It seemed so outrageous and ridiculous to actually reach that or even imagine it as a child. It seemed so far away. As I aged that always stayed so far away never getting closer, or realizing it, until it did. I am an adult. And I think that is why I am still a kid at heart, because I don't stop to realize I am not a kid anymore.
I can no longer say I am in my early 20's but my mid 20's. Being and realizing internally I am 25 doesn't help that with each year I age, I look that much younger. It starts to seem weird that I am 25 but look 16-18. I have always had a young look to myself. When I am pregnant one day people are going to think I am in high school😲, lots of explanations coming one day I assume #imnot16but29 lol.
25 is also a big year of milestones. Like I was explaining earlier, I am at the age where it is not only acceptable to have kids but kind of expected. And especially thought about. It seems to come up in conversation with everyone. But with 25 coming out of left field blindsiding me with all of these realizations, I realize I am not close to having kids. I am not ready or feel old enough. And that is ok! Because in my mind I was 11 like last year. This is life, it is happening now, aging is a thing that can't go away or backwards. Time is precious and so so short and there will never be enough. That's why you make each moment count and thank God for EACH year. Cheers to 25! I am now mentally ready to embrace this new phase of life and last 5 years of my 20's! I want to live in the moment and love every second because one day I'll be in my yucky 40's and guess what, it'll be here before you know it ;).
*Oh and hey, I can rent a car! FINALLY! This makes business trips a LOT easier.
From 6 months old above to 25 years above. So much has changed in ~25 years of life. My life has been nothing but amazing. I am so grateful for the people and circumstances in my life. God is so so good.
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Now lets take a journey down memory lane :)
My BEAUTIFUL parents! Wow!
3 months pregnant with me. My parents look so young! Mom was 27 and my dad was 30.
My mama half way through her pregnancy with me.
At 36 weeks about to pop! I was born in the middle of the 36th week. Seriously I hope I look half as good as my mom does when I am 36 weeks pregnant.
The first house my mom and dad build in Austin Texas. I spent the first 8.5 years of my life in this house. I hope to be just like them building our perfect first house.
Mama at her baby shower for me! I'm not sure what was going on with the super super super dressy outfits but 😨.
My crib and nursery. Mom and dad were so excited for me. My nursery was right off of the masters room!
I put my mom into 3 days of labor coming into the world on a Monday morning. She's a saint! Mom's go through so much for us and I can't even comprehend the half of it until I become a mama one day.
My first few hours of life!
My first footprint at the hospital even in pink, my favorite color!
My favorite favorite favorite picture of my mom EVER. There is something so peaceful about this picture. I will cherish it for the rest of my life. Maybe even putting it in my future daughters nursery! The love that pours out of this picture...wow!
What is the craziest thing to me is for my whole life I have looked at this picture trying to put myself in the moment 30 years ago of how much fun and how happy-go-lucky everything was when my family got together. Everyone is/was such great friends and lots of competitive HORSE basketball games took place and heated games of Bible trivia 😅. Gigi would make a crock pot of chili to share and chow down on and when the littles (*us) started coming into the picture, the day would be spent at the park nearby and then coming home to a Disney movie night. But man, I've always looked at this picture knowing these were the days, they were having the time of their lives, jobs kicking off, marriages starting, eventually babies, good food and fellowship, but here's the absolute SHOCKER......all of us cousins are these EXACT ages. This blows me completely away. How are we already there? Their ages always seemed so far away. We are at the prime of our lives. We are them 😳, CRAZY! I have started at this picture in admiration wishing I could be apart of this day for even 5 minutes, but we are there. Life is crazy like that.
Granddad, mom, and me having an afternoon picnic in our Texas backyard.
Happy baby. I was happy 90% of the time until it was bed time. I slept only 4.5 hours a night and took ZERO naps. It was extremely rare but I still do not like sleep.
Sweet Nana and her mom, Grandmother Martin. I was lucky enough to know my great grandmother until I was 11 years old. I look the most like her now. Comparing our teenage pictures together, we look like twins. I have found I am the most like Nana's side of the family. I inherited Nana's dad's great gene of tennis. Tennis has luckily always come naturally to me and is my FAVORITE thing to do. I've even taught Cody how to play and thoroughly enjoy playing together. But nothing can beat the doubles games we used to have with me and Morgan vs Dad and Nana. My whole childhood❤️.
Anything I could climb on I would at any given chance. The thing is, I am till like that to this day 😅
Tippy toes!
Fun fact about this cute little picture of me splashing around in the bubble bath, Gigi submitted this for a photo contest and won! It was so special being the firstborn grandchild on both sides of my family. It is a very rare thing and such a special gift. God chose this role for me and I take it very seriously. I have always been extremely careful to be the PERFECT role model for my 8 cousins and sister. That was they could never say well Kayla did this or that but rather, if Kayla could do it I can too. I made sure to do everything 'right' to lead the path and to give tips, advice, and help on life's biggest milestones like middle school, lockers, drivers permit, license, high school, ACT, college, marriage, waiting for kids, etc. They chose to do whatever they want to do in life but at least they had a great example to look upon for guidance.
Me at 2 years old!
And to finish off the baby pictures of me, I had to throw in this comparison. Left is me as a baby and on the right is Cody as a baby! I can't get over how cute! I tell you what, Cody and I's future kids are going to be GORGEOUS! I can't help but say that! I mean, the blonde hair blue eyes 😍😍😍.
I always loved my sister! -Kayla: 4 years Morgan: 1 year
I have always been very athletic and really excelled in sports especially as a child, so here is a little gem I found from my gymnastic days. I learned to climb the rope when I was 4 years old (to the top of a warehouse ceiling) but like the picture, I learned how to climb the rope at 6 years old by only using my hands! (I was only using my feet in the picture to hold myself up stationary for the picture).
Morgan and I at 8 and 5 years old.
Morgan and I at 9 and 6 years old.
I found this picture of my mom when she was 26 starting her first teaching year in Texas. She was so excited and so happy to be settled into her dream job teaching Kindergarten, at her favorite school fulfilling her passion. Here on the left I am 25 years old, 1.5 years into Shaw and doing what I love, engineering in my dream job, at my dream location, home. The passion in both of our eyes and pure joy. I love comparing mom and I side by side at the same ages. I even think we look a little bit alike! Life is crazy sometimes. I wonder what my daughter will look like one day when shes 24 or 25!
Timeline
And as I promised, here is a rough timeline of the next 10 years of my life:
March-April 2019, 25 years old: We finish building our house and move in! (No more apartment living after 8 years)!!!!!!
June 30th 2019, 25 years old: Cody finishes his masters degree
Early 2020, 26 years old: Get a cute little lab doggie
January 2020, 26 years old: Snow ski in NC or Colorado!
January 2023, 29 years old: Cody gets his dream truck
January 2023, 29 years old: Babymoon to Hawaii (either cruise or just trip). (our absolute dream trip)
Mid 2023, 29 years old: *Give birth to our 1st baby (we want all three kids to be 2 years apart from each other).
*God is the ultimate planner and designer of life so this is if God's will for us on time or kids at all. We are just trying to guess Gods' plan for us the best we can until God lays it out for us in his timing.
Love,
Kayla Raborn
8/4/18
P.S.- Stay tuned to my actual birthday day post of how I celebrated my 25th birthday with my family!:)
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