40 years ago-  First off, I can’t believe that I am admitting to my age, but what do you do?  40 years ago, I was 4 months old and chilling as an only child with my parents.  We lived in Magna on Shamrock Circle in a small two bedroom home that I have about three memories of.  Oh, and I was a dang cute, albeit chubby little baby.

35 years ago- I was five years old and in Kindergarten  I was in Mrs. Walker’s kindergarten class and felt like a total big girl when my mom let me walk home with the neighbor girl who was in first grade.  By this time, my family had moved to East Sandy in a great house on a hill.  Our yard was a huge slope of dirt that turned to a complete mudslide any time it rained.  I went to bed every night in curlers and was always perfectly dressed and groomed down to having a bow in my hair.  By this time, I was the oldest of 4… almost 5 kids.  My three brothers had come in quick succession and my mom was expecting another baby.  This day and age didn’t have sonograms so we were surprised when my mom had my little sister.

30 years ago- I was ten and in the fifth grade.  I was intensely interested in Gem and the Holograms, but still playing with my Barbies… a pastime that I didn’t outgrow for years.   I maintained the same super curly hair and depended on my mom for all of my fashion sense.  Fifth grade was a year of lots of changes.  All of the boys and girls in my grade started going together.  I wasn’t ever on anyone’s radar though.  My self esteem was super high and I thought I was adorable.  I wasn’t really, but I thought it.  This was another big year because I started wearing a training bra.  Yep.  Full on baby.  Too bad it wasn’t only not needed, but didn’t help.  There was nothing there to train.  I think it was more just a power wish booster that made me think that someday they would be real boobs.  Nope.  That took more than just a wish to achieve later in life.

25 years ago- (Boy, this is taking some serious mental fortitude to remember these times in my life.) I was 15 and a sophomore in high school.  I had endured the awfulness that was junior high. I was teased like crazy for reason which today I do not understand. I didn’t have the right clothes or hair.  Needless to say, junior high girls can be just plain mean.  I learned to play the flute and had become decent at it.  I transferred from my home boundary school to one further north, so I didn’t live near very many people that went to school with me.  I was still putting my hair up in pink curlers every night and still had the fluffy bunny tail hair.  I started my adventures in braces and my teeth needed some wicked intense help.  At one point in time, I had braces, elastics that went from the front to the back, springs that went from the back of my teeth to the front, spikes behind my front teeth to prevent tongue thrusting, a headgear and a neck gear.  Oh I was hot.  HOT!  All my friends were dating and had their little cliques going on…. I didn’t.  I had one person that was interested in me, and he was one massively scary dude.

20 years ago.  I was 20.  I had survived high school.  That was a huge feat.  I went to a high school with a lot of cliques and popularity was the name of the game.  I was not among those popular kids.  I still had my hair up in pink curlers every night (Seriously…. my mom had an obsession with my hair being curled.  It was on my job list.) I played in the orchestra and went to a few dances.  I got my drivers license and got my own car!  It was a sky blue 1980 Dodge Aries with a front bench seat covered in sky blue fur seat covers.  It had an AM only radio, until my well meaning brother decided to upgrade it with an 8 track player and shorted out the entire system.  Oh you better believe I was the envy of everyone around me.  I had good friends and fun.  I dragged State Street on Saturday night with my girlfriends and thank heavens we never picked anyone up.  After I graduated, I went to Ricks College, that was the predecessor for BYU Idaho for those that haven’t ever heard of it.  If that doesn’t date me, I don’t know what will.   I got my Associates in Music Performance and was on scholarship.   In retrospect, it was one of the best times of my entire life.  The day I turned 20, I moved on to bigger and better things and started my career at the University of Utah.

15 years ago.  I was 25.   I had returned from an 18 month mission to the Dominican Republic.  That was an amazing experience full of all sorts of drama including a near kidnapping, 3 1/2 weeks in a Dominican hospital, making friends that would help me in more ways than I could ever imagine along the way, learned Spanish and lived with really big bugs…. like huge bugs.  I had graduated from the University of Utah.  I had a B.A. in Elementary Ed with a minor (by total default) in Spanish.  I was working as a reading specialist in West Valley, Utah.  I had spent the summer traveling including New Zealand and the Bahamas.  I had been engaged twice… to the same person and was 7 weeks away from being married.  I was living at home… but had become totally rebellious and stopped putting my hair up in pink curlers at night.  It is a good thing.  My hair was past my hips and that would have been one huge fluffy mess.

10 years ago.  I was 30 years old.  I had been married for 5 years.  I had two beautiful children ages 3 and 1.  I have moved from my parents house to my then husbands house in Sandy.  We moved once again to West Jordan to a big beautiful house that I loved.  I had massive issues with my in-laws and my marriage was on the rocks. My life revolved my kids.  I learned how to sew because Kyra was so teeny that nothing fit her.   She was 4 1/2 pounds at birth and refused to grow.  I saw my sister in law make a dress and I was hooked.  I thought if she could do it (and she didn’t like crafty things) I could do it.  So, I got a nice sewing machine and never looked back.   I figured out that I loved to be crafty.  I was involved in a big car accident when I was 7 months pregnant with Kaeson.  I had to deal with my inlaws not being supportive of my parenting and causing massive issues in my life.  I broke my ankle when I was 8 months pregnant and had to be on crutches.  I turned 30 which completely devastated me (oh man, was I diluted.)  I made a huge step in life and bought my first new car.  I was so proud of me.

5 years ago.  I was 35 years old.  Kelton had spent two weeks in the hospital when he was teeny suffering from RSV.  I had had several big time surgeries. I had had a major swing in life.  I was now a single mom three kiddos (ages 10, 8 and 3) and had been  going through a pretty wicked divorce for the previous two years and was still waiting for it to be finalized.  I was doing my best to be a stay at home mom and had started a little boutique from my house and a blog with tutorials.  I had done a tv spot on KSL and was so excited to be in my element.  Kaeson had been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD and a lazy eye.  Kyra had been diagnosed with major food allergies.  I was trying to figure out a whole new way to cook.  I discovered high heels, which ended up being a tremendous turning point in my life.  I had started a blog and found out the magic of fakebook, oh I mean facebook.  I took my first solo trip without my kids to visit my grandparents in California.  I was trying to find a way to move to get a fresh start.  I liked who I was and what I was doing with my life.  Even though it was a super tough time in my life, I was really happy.

Today- I am the big 40.  My divorce finalized and I moved on.  I married again and that lasted 8 months and ended with a terrible divorce.  I have moved for the third time in 3 1/2 years.  We are now in a perfect size life.  I am a single mom again of the same three kids ages 13, 11 and 8.  I have learned to shoot and have become rather good at it.  I spent a week in Mexico with some amazing friends.  I went back to work teaching and this year I get to teach my youngest.  Poor kid.  I have discovered the love of fashion and have gone from one pair of stylish high heels to over 200.  I finally figured out how to do my hair and make up, and I actually enjoy it.  I am rediscovering my passion with writing, photography and crafts.  I am absolutely comfortable in my station of being single.  I have run a Ragnar.  I have taken my kids to Disneyland.  I have eaten way too much pizza and ice cream and learned to live without regrets.  I have become a MASSIVE bargain shopper and love to mix up my wardrobe with vintage consignment.  I kinda love it.

I have come a long way from where I started and I love it.  Bring on the next 5!