Too Many to count

I have a lot of memories and I'm still making more, even as I write this.

From my childhood:

This is gonna sound odd that this is my favorite but cut me some slack, I don't remember a lot about my childhood. When I was like 8-ish my parents got me some fish. Like an entire fish tank with so many fish (really it was like 8) and in a separate fish bowl I also had a Beta fish. So we had some glow-in-the-dark Tetras, Some Dalmatian Guppies, some weird mini shark things, an Algae eater, and of course the Beta. Since I was 8-ish and clumsy and also unsure as to how to clean a fish tank, my parents always cleaned the fish tanks. One day, I was in my room while they did so, playing with my Monster High Dolls, when my mom calls me. Both my parents had grim expressions. Turns out, when he went to put my Beta back in his bowl, my Dad didn't check the water temperature and accidentally boiled my fish alive. I cried. He looked like he was going to cry. I'm not sure why it's my favorite.

During my Tween years:

When I was about 11 or 12, I LOVED playing card games, my favorite being Rummy. So I'd BEG my parents to play cards with me on the weekends and when we did, we'd stay up till 1-2 AM playing. One particular night we were playing, my dad got a snack and then he got up again to get a fork and knife. Well, he poked me in the back with the handle of his fork and my tired, 11-ish self busted into tears. It didn't hurt. So why did I bust into tears you ask? I thought he stabbed me... I don't know why. He felt so bad about it. Every time I think about it, I laugh hysterically.

Teen years:

#1 I was in a very dark place around the age of 14. Well, on February 28th, 2018 I was in class (an online class because I was homeschooled) and I was a teacher moderator which was a fancy way of saying I was privileged with the ability to take away other people's "Whiteboard tools", their chat privileges, and more. There were 4-6 of us in one class at a time. We kept our peers in check basically. In class, we were playing Wheel of Fortune to review for a unit test. The boys were notorious for beating the girls so much and so drastically. Like, I'm talking scores of 2:20. So yeah. This particular day, the girls and guys TIED! 7 to 7. I was THRILLED! So I said: "I'M SO PROUD OF MY GIRLS! AND MY BOYS, BUT MOSTLY MY GIRLS!" In the chat. A particular someone said, "Wow Victoria, that's biased." I responded with, "It's not biased, it's true." (Which it was indeed true). He sent me a private message asking about my social media and so I gave it to him. He messaged me at 5:18 PM later that day, wanting to be friends. We're now engaged.

#2 In February of last year I was accepted into a college. I no longer go because I lost interest in my major and didn't feel drawn to anything else. But at the time I was more than happy. I finished enrolling that same week and then a few months later, I walked across a stage for a piece of paper saying that I finished 13 years of school and was ready for the "real world." In short, I'd graduated high school.

#3 Getting to publish A Collection of Short Stories at 17 years old, last April.

#4 July 9th, 2021. My first date EVER. My (now) fiance and I had been dating for over 3.5 years and had yet to even meet in person. So when I went to orientation for college last July, after my mom left, I was picked up by him, his parents, and his sister. We had our first date. He gave me flowers and we hugged for 3+ minutes before finally getting in their car to go. We went to a river walk and sat on a bench and just talked and soaked in one another's presence. Then we went to a pizza place and ordered a custom pizza. Eventually, they dropped me back off at the college and I met some friends and I told them all about it and when I finally went to my temporary room, I cried from being so overwhelmed with happiness. My parents didn't know about the date until I went home.

#5 I spent my 18th birthday completely alone. Yeah, I had friends but none of them even cared it was my birthday. My fiance had to work. My family was 5+ hours away and it was a school night. It kinda sucked. To make up for it, my fiance took me out to dinner that weekend. I proposed to him that night.

#6 One day after work, he came to my dorm and crashed for a bit. While he slept, I washed his uniform and some of my laundry. I also cuddled with him and fell asleep with him for a bit. BEST SLEEP EVER. I still sleep best with him cuddling me.