Thirty and Thankful

As I near the mostly dreaded 30s, I smile. I smile because I'm happy to have made it through my 20s. The 20s were not the best years of my life, though they were valuable. I learned so much about myself, about other people, and about life. And I hope to take every single one of those lessons and apply it to my 30s so I can live fabulously through them. I'm excited about the new adventure I'm about to embark on, and I don't feel old at all. I feel great. I feel rejuvenated. At times in my 20s, I felt old. I felt like life had beat me up pretty badly, and I thought I'd never make it through. But I did. I'm a survivor of my 20s and I'm happy to say hello to 30.

Turning 30 is not something I ever thought I'd be so happy to experience, but being where I am today makes me happy that I've come this far and excited about what the future will bring. It took most of my 20s to figure out what I wanted in life, who I wanted to be, and who I wanted to be with. It took another while of my 20s to get that all in order, and by the end of my 20s, I think I have it all together. I know exactly who I am, what I want, and who I want to be with. And right now, the pieces are fitting together and it feels good.

I am happy. I have a great family. I have friends that are like family. I have a great job that I love coming to every day. I have two beautiful children that make my life worthwhile every single day. I have an amazing man who was made just for me. I'm pretty lucky.

I don't live in luxury, nor do I care to. I don't drive a brand new car, nor does it bother me. I don't live in the biggest house, nor does it affect me at all. I look at it like this: I have what I need. My car works just fine. And my house is big enough for the beautiful family that lives in it. We have food. We have clothing. We have running water. And we have electricity. Most importantly, we have each other.

And as long as my kids are loved, laughing, and happy...I feel like I've met one of my biggest accomplishments: being a good mother and provider for my family.

I still stress about the financial worries that every family faces, but I know in my heart I am a rich girl. I will never be without because all the wonderful people I've surrounded myself with in this life.

So, here's to 30. May I continue to nurture all these relationships throughout my 30s and let them grow. May I continue to strive to be the best mother to my children and woman to my man. May I continue to be a good daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. May I thrive at my job and advance in my career. May I enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer, those pleasures that do not cost a dime.

I am incredibly happy at this point in my life and even though I stress about everything (it's in my nature!), I know I am taken care of because I am in good hands. God has blessed me with some pretty fantastic people and I don't know how I ever deserved such quality people, but I am completely grateful.

Here's to 30. Let's embrace life and love and people.

Peace and Love Everyone!