WMW: Top Ten Reasons Why I Love My Life

I missed last week's WMW, so I promised myself that I'd do it this week. The prompts are:

#1. Top Ten _________ (give us a top ten list of anything!)

#2. Best afternoon pick-me-ups.

So, I decided to do the Top 10. I present to you, Top Ten Reasons Why I Love My Life.


1. I'm a wife and a mom! That fact alone stands out above the rest. I love being both more than I could've ever imagined.


2. I have a wonderful husband who loves me for me. No relationship is perfect - and my husband and I have had our share of ups and downs over the six years we've been together. But at the end of the day, I know that he loves me, and he knows that I love him. I'm blessed to be with a man that I can honestly say I want to spend the rest of my life with. 


3. I have a fabulous job that I love. When I graduated from college and didn't go the traditional public relations route, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. But then, I started working at my alma mater and fell in love with higher education. I hope to stay in this part of the working world forever.


4. I still have my independence. I've heard too many women say that once they got married, they lost their independence and became all about their husbands. I'm not that woman. Sure, I rely on my husband for a lot of things - but being a military life, I can't get too comfortable with that, because he'll be gone a lot. It's nice to be able to have control over things and to do my own things that my friends say their men do [like balancing finances, car maintenance etc.].


5. My family and I are closer than ever. I grew up in a tight-knit family...which isn't all too common when you grow up in the military. When I was a teenager, I kinda hit that phase where I didn't really want anything to do with my family - then, I left for college and missed them like crazy. Things have been on and off rocky the past few years, but at this point in my life, I'm closer to my parents and sister than ever before. It'll be hard to leave them when we move, but I know that our relationship will only continue to get stronger. I'm so grateful to have the support system that I have.


6. I have the most awesome son a mom could want. When we found out we were having a boy, I was freaked out. I'd only had experience with girls; I had no idea how I was going to raise a son! But he's been the best thing that ever, ever, EVER happened to me. It's been an absolute joy to watch him, to compare him to how I was as a child, and to help him grow. I think no mom likes seeing their babies grow up so fast, but they love to watch them grow at the same time - I feel that way about JJ. He's the most amazing little boy ever [but, of course, i'm biased].


7. My friends are fabulous. I know a lot of people but have a small group of those people that I consider my close friends. Those people have been another fantastic support system and are absolutely amazing. A lot of the time, I have no idea how in the world I got such amazing friends.


8. We're back in the military life. Being an Army brat was great. I loved watching my dad do all of his military stuff and was so proud of everything he accomplished while he served. Now that J is an Airman, I'm very, very excited to watch him grow and mature in the Air Force. I'm also excited to see just where this journey takes us - and I'm glad we can give JJ the opportunity to explore the world as he grows up. I know that the military life can be challenging, but I'm ready to face that challenge with J.


9. I've had opportunities to do things I never thought I would. Growing up, my family was clearly middle-class. We had money to do things, but we did have some struggle times. As I've gotten older, my parents have done everything they could to give my sister and I an awesome life - which we've had. The past couple of years have opened up new doors for us. We've taken some fabulous family vacations, have gone places I never thought I'd go, have made plans to do things in the future I never thought we'd be able to do...it's been amazing.


10. I'm growing up. I know a lot of people dread getting older, but I'm enjoying it. I love being 24, and I love that 25 will bring new challenges [moving to colorado, possibly a second child] and new things into my life. My life has been a roller coaster, but right now, I'm at the top and enjoying the view. I hope to stay here forever.