24... The Following Takes Place On The Sixteenth of September. Events Occur in Real Time.

When I married Ben I was only Twenty-Two years old. Now, somehow, I'm Twenty-Four! That's like... the number of hours in a day!!! How on earth does time tick by so quickly? 

I was feeling a bit sentimental on my birthday and started to try and write down my 24 best moments of my life so far. Have you ever thought about that? - What your best moments have been in life? I came up with a few ideas that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. Clearly, the day I married Ben was going to be on there - but would anybody have predicted that first seeing "Phantom of the Opera" would be? Though it's obviously not on the same scale as my wedding day, it was an exciting moment that was a thrill in my life. 

One thing I did notice whilst compiling my thoughts was that it is so much easier to look back on momentous experiences and realise that they were momentous. It's actually hard to see it sometimes while we're in the moment. It also made me think about all of the things I haven't done yet; not in the sense that I was sitting there and wishing all these events had happened to me but, instead, thinking of things on many people's lists. For example, the birth of a child. I would like to imagine that the day of my birth would make my mom's list of the top 24 momentous moments! I certainly changed her life... hopefully for the better! 

If you've never made such a list... try! I didn't complete mine because I couldn't selected 24 top memories. But I had a lot of fun thinking about it and remembering some of the highlights of my life so far. 

That evening, Ben and I went out to a restaurant with all of the family who could make it: Ben's parents, my parents, my brother, my sister and her husband. They showered me with lovely, thoughtful and funny gifts. I think these things give you a pretty clear image of who I am! 

 The best gift of the day came from my husband who never fails to amaze and impress. 

I love him infinitely. Mostly because I saw the colour of the box and shrieked. 

Life is wonderful. I can't actually believe I've lived 24 years of it... but at the same time I feel like I've seen so much and had so many treasures each day.

Count your blessings!!!!!!!!!!!!