Fifteen years into stand-up comedy feels both like a lifetime and the blink of an eye. From my first nervous open mic at the Funny Bone in St. Louis at 19 to celebrating what Cactus Tate dubbed my "comedy quinceañera" on our current tour, the journey has been filled with unexpected twists, meaningful connections, and moments of pure joy.

The road hasn't always been smooth. On our recent tour stops, I battled a nasty ear infection that left me feeling like I had "water in my head" – a condition that became contagious when Cactus and I shared a vape (lesson learned). The experience prompted me to quit nicotine entirely, something I wish I'd never started in the first place. If you've never smoked, trust me: stay right where you are. There are infinitely cooler ways to waste your time.

What makes this milestone special isn't just the years accumulated, but the extraordinary experiences along the way. I've been fortunate enough to meet and work with comics who inspired me from the beginning – sitting down one-on-one with Dane Cook, being taken on the road by Nikki Glaser, and recently performing a guest spot for Rory Scoville in Houston. These moments remind me how lucky I am to live within this creative community, even when my credit score doesn't qualify me for the dirt bike I sometimes daydream about.

Between apartment flooding disasters, cross-country tours, and philosophical musings about whether baby Jesus cried and needed diaper changes, this episode captures the beautiful chaos of a life dedicated to making people laugh. Looking back at that kid who first heard stand-up and thought "You knew about this and never told me?!", I can't help but feel profound gratitude for every step of this 15-year adventure.