Milestones

My car and I crossed one of life's many milestones together Monday morning ... the 100,000 mile mark. After the rather anticlimactic event, I spent the rest of my commute pondering some other milestones in my life that have involved significant numbers.

Instagram makes me feel like a talented photographer.

16: Of all my birthdays, this is probably the one I most looked forward to. Is there a bigger moment in a teenager's life other than legally obtaining their drivers license? I remember my parents making me take pictures next to my first car and Mommabear "wrapped" it with a large red bow. As an added bonus, my birthday was during finals week and it meant that I could drive my group of friends across the river to Taco Bell during our extended lunch break. It was a glorious time of my life.

18: I don't really remember that much about my 18th birthday. I think I was probably pretty excited to legally purchase R-rated movie tickets and lottery tickets, but that's as eventful as it got for me.

21: I remember having big expectations for my 21st birthday. Unfortunately, it was one of the biggest birthday letdowns ever. Most of my friends had terrific 21st birthdays that they'd probably like to forget - or have already forgotten years ago - but my birthday falls around Christmas and I was in my small hometown nearly five hours away from my closest college friends. Instead of a raucous 21st birthday, my then boyfriend took me across the river to Applebee's where I legally ordered my first drink - a chocolate martini - and I wasn't even carded. Epic fail.

25: I can't remember if I had a quarter-life crisis or not. Mr. Cush will have to recall that for you and me. We were living in Gainesville, Fla., and in all honesty, I probably spent my 25th birthday working.

30: After my 21st birthday, I pretty much stopped "caring" about my birthday. I don't mean that I don't look forward to my birthday - because all of the Facebook messages and Hallmark cards do make me feel good - but I gave up on expectations. For me, 30 was a little daunting. It felt like I was supposed to really grow up and be responsible, even though I'd been working professionally for seven or eight years and Mr. Cush and I had already done the responsible thing in buying a home. So for 30, I took matters into my own hands and organized a little soirée with my bestest of friends at a local bar in Austin. For the first time since our wedding (and excluding all family events), I was surrounded by only people that meant something to me ... friends that had somehow become family to me here in Austin. We had a good time, and I'm glad I rung in my dirty 30s with people I love.

As I look back on these past milestone numbers in my life, I can't help but think about how each one would've been different if I knew then what I know now.

And, many new friends have entered my life since each milestone. Wouldn't it be fun to have a few do-overs with the friends you meet along this journey of life?

What's been the biggest numerical milestone of your life so far? Let me know in the comments below!!!