twenty

12/08/2005, my birthday.

I always see birthdays as a new year, new you, fresh start type of thing. This one, however, feels like more than just blowing out candles and making wishes. I have left my teenage years behind, and I am starting to feel more like an adult… a new career in law, a wonderful man, and new goals. I am no longer a 'young adult'. I am someone carving a path, defining values, and shaping a future that I get to claim as my own. Nineteen carried the remnants of adolescence, but 20 feels different...firmer, clearer, more intentional.

My teenage years took a lot of self-discovery, and trust me, I mean a lot. It's that awkward stage in life where you are introduced to adult things, but you are not quite an adult yet. I will always have gratitude for those years as they shaped me into the woman that I am. If you were to ask me at the time. Sure, I would have told you I had regrets, but looking back on them now, I have zero.

At 20, I find myself at the intersection of excitement and responsibility. A new career is taking root, and it is one that challenges me in ways I never expected. I have goals that feel less like daydreams and more like achievable plans. And alongside me is love, in its truest form, reminding me that I am truly blessed to have met my Dannen. A man who pushes me to achieve all my goals and chase my dreams.

If the teenage years were about discovering who I might be, my twenties feel like the time to become. To refine. To rise. And so, as I step into this new decade of my life, I choose to see twenty not just as an age, but as an invitation to dream bigger, to love deeper, live with intention, and to be the change that I want to see in the world.

To my love, thank you for making my birthday so special.

So here's to turning twenty!

With Love Anaia Xx

birthday girl !

My Man

Him and I