my twenty-ninth | a gift to remember.

Yesterday was my twenty-ninth birthday. Twenty-nine!

That means I've been going to Wilmington for nine years now. Each trip always adds new memories to my ever growing list, and the last trip I went on, just a week ago, was one I'll certainly never forget. In honor of my final birthday in my twenties, I asked Teesh for a special kind of gift that would be a symbol of "completion," of sorts.

My best girls and I used to drive for hours to sit for hours while we were in college, hoping to get a glimpse of or have a short conversation with our favorite on-screen characters. There were two, however, that we never thought we'd have the opportunity to meet because we didn't start making these trips until after they were already off the show. Then one day, we had a miraculous run-in with Hilarie Burton (AKA Peyton Sawyer) while meandering downtown. Chad Michael Murray (AKA Lucas Scott), however, was someone we never thought we'd have the opportunity to share a frame with.

Then, this past weekend happened. And I got to stand between him AND James Lafferty (AKA Nathan Scott) for a few brief seconds. I got hugs from both of them (true story!) AND even got to take two photos with them because of an exposure issue with the first one (again, true story!). A friend we made while there called this a double portion from the Lord, and I am in complete agreement with her statement. Y'ALL! If only this picture could hold in the way they smelled.

Mmmmm, that was nice.

And yes, my husband knows all about my infatuation.

In fact, if James were to ask me to run away with him, Teesh would be the first person I'd call. Yep, it's that serious!

Anyway (now that some of you are judging me, LOL), standing between the beloved Scott brothers, specifically since I never dreamed I'd ever actually meet the one, was what I meant my completion.

After fifteen years of love for One Tree Hill and nine years of field trips to experience the magic firsthand, I've finally checked off my favorite names from my list. This little adventure has been so thrilling in unexplainable ways, and I'm not ashamed to be so proud of all I (and my best girls) have accomplished. Maybe I should be, but I'm not. HA! Feeling your heart beat out of your chest is just that -- THRILLING! And I'm a happy, content girl because of so many of my teenage dreams coming to life.

This photo collage is worth more than gold to me.

Amen, fellow OTH lovers?

I'll keep going to Wilmington for the rest of my life, mainly because of how happy it makes me -- it's something special to relive such wonderful memories every time I go. I think Wilmington will always remind me of my youth, maybe more than anything else.

So, to stay forever young, I'll go back to Tree Hill for as long as I'm able.

I mean, there's only One Tree Hill. And in my heart, it's home to me for so many reasons.

"It's the oldest story in the world. One day you're seventeen and planning for someday, and then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today, and that someday is yesterday and this is your life."

-Nathan Scott