20 Photos from the last 20 years
I am three days away from my 20th birthday and have been feeling nostalgic and excited all at once. I will no longer be a teenager, yet I am entering the best years of college and everything that my “twenties” will bring. During this past week I’ve had the chance to look through some photo albums and scrapbooks of my last 20 years. While doing this, I found some really cute, funny, and unbelievably…
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I am three days away from my 20th birthday and have been feeling nostalgic and excited all at once. I will no longer be a teenager, yet I am entering the best years of college and everything that my “twenties” will bring. During this past week I’ve had the chance to look through some photo albums and scrapbooks of my last 20 years. While doing this, I found some really cute, funny, and unbelievably happy photos that describe my favorite moments of my life so far– so I chose 20 of my favorites and am sharing them with you today!
1. The start of it all! June 14th, 1994 I make my way into the world and am immediately dressed up in a sunflower hat (the first of manyy adorable/a little bit crazy outfits my mom will dress me in). The story goes that my mom took me with her to a Talbots before I even went home from the hospital… I was 48 hours old (in her defense, there was a sale). And so my love of shopping began.
2. My first birthday on the beach of Long Beach Island with my dad. My birthday is on Flag Day, (it’s a national holiday, seriously) so I have always worn a Ralph Lauren flag sweater and dressed up in red, white, and blue.
3. For my first birthday party, I sat in this chair and greeted everyone who came. I also wore that feathered party hat… I kind of wish I still had it for my 20th.
4. Mom and I in matching bathing suits at Splash Mountain in Disneyland. Can we talk about that HUGE hot pink bow I’m wearing while in the water?!
5. My little sister, Jacqueline, was born when I was three and a half. My dad and I wore our matching flag sweaters to pick her up in the hospital (and I wore a bow, of course).
6. Jacqueline and I visiting Cape Cod one summer in matching Lilly Pulitzer dresses. My mom framed the smaller one and it is hanging in our playroom today… obsessed with Lilly? Of course not!
7. Here we are on Christmas morning. Matching nightgowns, bed head and all. Jacqueline is just a bit excited about the festivities.
8. A glance at my short-lived dancing days. I would totally still wear that sequin tutu outfit today, let’s be honest. Look closely at the background… see the little peeper trying to get into the picture?! I crack up every time I look at this!!
9. My best and oldest friend, Kaeli, and I on my 5th birthday. We were the sassiest little girls. Her bathing suit is way cuter than mine (mine had an American flag on it, naturally) but how about my foot pop?!
10. Stunner on the Jetty. I think this picture speaks for itself.
11. I grew up sailing and playing tennis at our yacht club. My first sailboat was named “Island Girl” with a palm tree in the middle. I loved learning how to sail in that boat!
12. I made the decision to be baptized when I was nine years old. I wrote a letter to God that was read in front of the Church and then my Pastor baptized me. I was so thankful to have my whole family there to witness it!
13. White water rafting in Yellowstone National Park. In the second row you can see my family. We aren’t screaming at all.
14. A pyramid that my friends and I made while they were visiting me on Long Beach Island. This picture was taken seconds before we all tumbled down!
15. Holding hands with a little girl that I met in the Dominican Republic while I was on a volunteer and sustainability trip the summer after 10th grade. It was such a rewarding and memorable experience.
16. My 19th birthday last year with all of my girlfriends. We are popping confetti on the dock of one of our favorite restaurants!
17. The graduation tea party Maddie and I had! This was such a girly party– with pretty pink flowers, yummy treats (macaroons!), and good friends. We channeled our classy selves and had a wonderful garden tea!
18. My graduation from High School. This was one of the best and most memorable days of my life. Though we started the ceremony outside on the turf field, a huge thunderstorm came over and we all had to enter the auditorium. It was complete chaos, but fortunately my parents saw me speak about how our small town Jersey shore roots shaped us to live in the present and appreciate our past.
19. My bid day for Kappa Alpha Theta! I got to see who was in my pledge class and we spent the entire day together, eating cheeseburgers, bowling, and being overwhelmingly excited and happy. I loved every second of this day!
20. The moment when my big was revealed! After she tricked me into believing it wasn’t her and then filled my dorm room with more glitter and pink than even I could handle, it was finally no longer a secret at our Spark in the Dark ceremony.
I hope you enjoyed these little life moments of mine! I definitely recommend going through your old photo albums and scrapbooks when your next birthday comes around. It has really made me appreciate every day leading up to my 20th!
p.s. I couldn’t have a top 20 favorite photos without including Liberty…
xxAmy
