The Roaring 20's

well--today is the last day of my 20's.
on the way to work this morning, i was thinking that the theme for my 20's was definitely "Poor Decision Making".  as i'm thinking this (i'm a big thinker, as y'all know), i considered making bad decisions all day to commemorate my 20's. Like...chocolate covered doughnuts for breakfast, whataburger for lunch, speeding down the highway, telling a juicy secret (i actually have several of these that i have never repeated--big change for me over the last 15 years)...
anyway...then i started thinking about all the truly bad decisions i've made, and how hard this past decade has been...how it started off SOOOO different when i was turning 20, and how my own decisions made it SO hard on me...I made it so hard on ME.
i started to get
D
O
W
N
thinking of all the people i had disappointed and all the tears my mother has cried because of me...thoughts like that just tend to build on themselves. i got all the way to Brody's school, and was basically in tears when i pulled up.  i collected myself, and jumped out of the truck to unload him and get to work.
as i opened Brody's door i looked at his face:
those green eyes
those freckles
that little mouth
white legs
that wavy red hair
i thought...SCREW THIS! who's to say that what i've made were "mistakes"? who decides? who holds the point of reference on these things? God? NO-God was in charge always, even then.
So, who? your parents? your friends?
your "potential"? 
i mean, who is going to look me in the eye and tell me Brody was a mistake?

i dare you.

more like...BEST THING EVER!  i'm so happy to have made ALLLL those mistakes! yes it was hard, sure i regret it, and of course it wasn't ideal....but so what? it's ok! and it was humbling and revealing and motivational...it changed me for better...NOT worse.  it changed my family, and my focus and my friends. i brought us together.  Brody brought us together. he brought me closer to God, closer to my mother, closer to my friends and even my enemies!

now, I LOVE my 20's! look at everything i learned! i'll never look back with disdain again. i'll never rake myself over the coals of my past again. and i'll forgive everyone for everything...because I have been forgiven!

SO-in memory of my 20's....of everyone's 20's....i'm not going to give some high-falootin' recipe with some yuppy ingredients. instead...here's my culinary tip for the 20's:

Jello Shots:
one box of jello
a couple ice trays
an ENTIRE bottle of clear liquor

mix it all up, freeze it, and take WAAAAAAAY too many!

Trash Can Punch:

3 oranges
3 lemons
3 apples
3 GIANT bottles of hawaiian  punch
2 gallons orange juice
half gallon rum
half gallon vodka
half gallon everclear

pour it all in a HUGE ice chest filled with ice, let it sit all day, and then drink with all your friends!

and for a snack:
ez cheese sprayed all over a ritz cracker!

HERE'S TO BAD DECISIONS!!!

Adios, 20's!