Stay at home mom.

Danielle Smith married right out of high school, convinced by her husband, Rob, that they were meant to be together. With the wisdom of age she often looked back on that moment with an eye roll. It's not that she didn't love her husband, she did, but marrying and having children at the earliest possible time in her life wasn't her proudest decision. Once she had children, the part of her life she devoted to herself was basically over. Now she had a son returning from his first year at college and a daughter graduating high school.

Walking down the front hallway, she paused in front of the mirror. Her lips quirk to the side as she eyed the faint wrinkles that only appeared when she smiled. She knew she looked almost exactly the same as when she married her husband, plus the frustrating curves brought on by motherhood, but every so often she found herself thinking about lost time and what she could have done if she hadn't settled down so quickly. She shakes her head, causing her brunette hair to slip free of its scrunchie, annoyed with herself for following this train of thought. She was happy with her husband and wonderful children.

Setting the elaborately wrapped box down on the kitchen table, she flipped open the card. It was from: