Birthday Thoughts

"30 is the new 20, unless your 20, then it's the new 40." - Dane Peddigrew

Today I turned 30.

I was looking forward to 30 more than I did to 29. It felt more defined, somehow. However, this morning I did not welcome it so much...a mental melt-down ensued. "I'm not where I wanted to be when I turned 30!", "What have I accomplished in the past 10 years?" and not the least of which was "When did I get crepe-y eyelids??"

But time does not stop.

I am blessed to have lived a full life. No, it is not the one I planned for myself at the age of 20, but it has been one full of laughter and much learning. New goals have been set. Different goals. I know myself better now and what I want more than I ever have before. I know what and whom I love.

I have been blessed with the most phenomenal family. My parents are loving and generous, and open to talk whenever I need them. My brother is still one of my favorite people around, despite his antics as a teenager (or mine, perhaps?), and I am fortunate to live close enough to him to get to see him on a semi-regular basis. His wife is as close to a sister as I could ask for, and I am so lucky he chose a woman who I not only connect with, but truly love and appreciate. I can talk to her like few others, and am thankful that she overlooked his faults (or a little sister's annoyances!) to settle into our family. They have provided us with the most beautiful nephew/grandson one could hope for - and in his first year he has already brought so much joy. My sisters will always be my little sisters, although they are not so young anymore, and are oh-so-accomplished young women now. They are giving, sweet natured and often still so innocent that I can't help but continue to torture them. They too have chosen such remarkable life partners who bring unbelievable character to our family. These men are more than the skills (and muscle, Dan?) they so readily provide, but wonderful and loving and it is a joy to call them brothers.

I am blessed with Craig for many reasons (40 of which I have already mentioned), and although we will always be a work in progress I love that he believes we are worth working on. Loving him has welcomed me into another phenomenal family who treat me as if they have known me for every single one of my 30 years.

Yet, this is not all I did on my 30th birthday.
"Everything I know I learned after I was thirty". - Georges Clemenceau