And here's what he looked like at the end of the hike.
Wow, that's some serious beard growth.
(JK, it's really dad and son, in case you couldn't tell.)
Just so teen #2 doesn't feel left out, here's one of him:
Can you see him? He's far away because if you get too close to him, your nose might shrivel up and fall off your face. (Not just him though ... they all smelled rather ripe. Sorry if this insults your senses.)
One more cool panorama from their hike:
And now on to this week's topic:
As much as I tried to pretend that it didn't happen, my birthday caught up with me last week. Here I am blowing out the candles on my cake ...
20 years ago!!! Isn't that crazy? Where have all those years gone? That was a big year for me: I got married just 3 weeks after my birthday, and then the baby came 6 months later. (Totally kidding! It was not a shotgun wedding!)
A few months ago, I read an article in a magazine where readers wrote in with advice they would give their 21-year-old self. I thought it was a great idea and tucked it away to use at a later date. So here it is, but changed slightly because a few of our readers aren't even 21! (Jealous!)
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I'm going to give advice to 19 year-old me.
Dear young Lori,
Stay in school! I mean it! Don't drop out of high school. Oh wait, you did finish high school. Don't drop out of college! You'll never regret having a degree in something ... anything!
Don't spend your entire paycheck on clothes, even if the discount is killer. The clothes will quickly go out of style and you'll be left with nothing but weird outfits like this:
Janice, I think you still have one of those jogging suits, don't you? (You can't deny it; pictures exist.)
While we are on the subject of working at the mall, DO NOT eat a Cinnabon every day for breakfast. Your metabolism is slowing down and you don't need 880 calories and 127 carbs for breakfast. (Yes, really. It gives me the sweet shudders just thinking about it. Yuck.)
While we are on the subject of calories, it might be a good idea to start counting those now. And keep your body healthy by exercising religiously!
But, love yourself more. Have more confidence. Be proud of your accomplishments. Do not trash talk yourself!
Laugh more, cry less.
Be a good friend. Don't ever talk about people behind their backs, and not just because it's not nice, but because it will come back to bite you in the butt every single time.
Keep in touch with all your dear friends, and don't be afraid to make new ones.
Be grateful for what you have, and don't envy what others have.
Give more hugs.
Love,
Old Lori
So what's your list of advice you would give to your younger self?
And ... this week is the last full week of July, so check back for the monthly winner on Thursday! :)
