Every birthday, my twin brother and I take studio pictures together.
We had done it every year since we were little.
In 2023, we took another for our 27th birthday. We had no idea I would get married before the year ended.
The following year, my 28th birthday was approaching. I was already pregnant, but my twin had no idea.
He called me one afternoon:
“Have you booked our birthday shoot yet?”
I laughed and told him, “Let me discuss it with my husband first.”
I thought it was a harmless conversation.
It wasn't…
My junior sister called me crying so hard I could barely understand what she was saying.
When she finally caught her breath, she said, "They just told me I might never graduate."
I thought she'd failed a class.
I was wrong.
Her university had just emailed to say there'd been a software glitch during her admission.
For almost four years, her tuition had never actually been charged.
Every semester, her student portal showed "Paid."
She registered her courses.
She sat her exams.
She renewed her enrollment.
No warnings. No holds. No unpaid balance.
Now she's one semester away from graduating.
The university says she owes nearly four years of tuition and won't release her degree until it's paid.
And then…
I paid $900 for a repossessed storage unit at a public auction.
Everyone laughed because it looked like a pile of broken furniture and rusty boxes.
I figured I'd either lose my money or find something worth selling.
After hauling everything home, I noticed the back wall didn't sound solid.
There was a narrow hidden compartment.
Inside sat a locked metal box covered in dust.
I expected old family photos or a few forgotten documents.
Instead, I found dozens of old gold coins, several original property deeds, and a sealed envelope labeled:
"Do not destroy."
I thought I'd just had the luckiest day of my life.
Three days later, an attorney called me.