twenty eight

I'm turning twenty-eight tomorrow. I'm not sure how I feel about that, though honestly I'm not sure I feel anything about it to be quite honest. When I was younger, twenty-eight sounded like a fairly significant number. Little Laura would've assumed Twenty-Eight-Year-Old Laura would've been married, had one or two children, a dog, a house and any number of bells and whistles.

In short: Little Laura assumed Twenty-Eight-Year-Old Laura would've had her shit together.

And while I may not have that husband, kids, dogs or own my own home, I have plenty, and I'm basically happy. I'm a better woman than I was a year ago, two years ago or ten years ago. I'm on my way to becoming the woman I want to become. So really... do I have anything to complain about, just because I don't fit perfectly into my younger self's projected mold?

Nope. No complaints here.

(OK, maybe I have a couple of complaints: I wouldn't mind having a more disposable income, the discipline to sit down and write a best-seller every day, a home in one of my dream destinations and a handsome/charming British husband. But those aren't really complaints so much as things-to-do, right?)

But back to birthdays. In the past (OK, twice) I've celebrated my even-numbered birthdays by writing a post sharing twenty-four or twenty-six great moments/reasons to be proud on my birthday. Because we've covered so many of those greats in the past--and in the interest of being different and... well... interesting--I'm going to share my twenty-eight favorite reads from the past twenty-eight years.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. MontgomeryBoth Sides of Time by Carolyn B. Cooney  Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsEmma by Jane Austen  The Ghost at Dawn's House by Ann M. Martin The Giver by Lois Lowry The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. RowlingTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeA Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich The MacGregor Brides by Nora Roberts Matilda by Roald Dahl Persuasion by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The Prize by Julie GarwoodThe Rabbit is Next by Gladys Leithauser A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle Saving Grace by Julie Garwood Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing by Judy Blume The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis SacharSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught The Tawny Scrawny Lion by Kathryn Jackson Charlotte's Web by E.B. White These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
There's also still time to enter my Birthday Prize Package Giveaway. Just complete the Rafflecopter below. (Only valid for readers in the U.S. and Canada.)

Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday!

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