Thirty

Thirty.

It's weird turning thirty. I guess it's because I never pictured myself at 30.

Growing up, I always had a clear picture of 16...me, driving down the open road.

18 was clear too...me, freedom, independence, "grown up".

21...that requires no help in painting a picture (I was a heathen at that point).

I always envisioned me at 25...securely planted in "grown up-ness", etc.

But, somehow that's where the mental image stopped. And, now, here I am...30.

It has been looming over me for the last few months. The realization that my twenties would soon be a thing of the past. The slippery slide towards 40...all that silly non-sense.

I thought that today would be difficult. I thought I would be bothered, sad, melancholy (another one of those underused words that I love).

Instead, I am happy, thankful, blessed, optimistic, content. Because you know what? Life is good.

30 things/reasons that make 30 WONDERFUL!

1. Salvation! I am so thankful that I know Jesus and that he saved my soul! (That scripture about "He pulled me out of the miry pit", that was written especially for me, lol).

2. The most wonderful, loving, supportive, kind, handsome husband on the Earth.

3. Five healthy, intelligent, beautiful unique children.

4. Spray tanning. (Seriously, a healthy glow without the threat of skin cancer, what a great invention.

5. A church where the pastor, assistant pastor, and half the youth group call to tell me Happy Birthday (the youth actually sang Happy Birthday, our pastor doesn't really sing, lol).

6. Tickets to see this:
http://www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago/synopsis.htm

7. Waking up with the softest kneecap in the world shoved into my back (that would be Cammie's) and hearing "I love you mommy" mumbled sleepily as I gently remove it.

8. Loud dinners at nice restaurants while watching other diners count our kids.

9. The bestfriend in the world reminding me that instead of viewing my birthday as a "get out of body pump class free card", I should give myself the gift of health.

10. McDonald's $1.00 Sweet Tea (the body pump class counteracts the calories, ha).

11. Having a husband that spends hours researching technology to get the best one of these:
http://www.sonystyle.ca/html/multimedia/DSC/T200_microsite_html/index.html
to replace the one that fell off the kayak and into the ocean.

12. Hearing little voices sing along at church and then "preach" to their dolls when we get home.

13. Flyfriends.

14. Books, and the time to read them.

15. The $1.99 dry cleaner. Love those people. Love them.

16. Starbucks green-tea lemonade...refreshing.

17. This helps to keep me looking younger than my years (at least that's what they say):
http://www.puurspa.com/Antiaging.html

18. Naps...love naps. Oh yes, naps are good.

19. The funniest 13 year old on the planet. Seriously, who new that I would have a kid that cool?

20. A sunroof...always wanted a car with a sunroof and right before I turned 30, I got one.

21. New shoes. 2 pair. Yesterday.

22. The blessing of being able to give our kids a Christian education. So very thankful.

23. Dental insurance. Love dental insurance. (This seriously adds to "quality of life").

24. Keurig. (See post regarding new coffee maker).

25. Scrapbooking. So incredibly thankful that I was introduced to this wonderful hobby.

26. Outreach opportunities. Talk about keeping things in perspective...so thankful to be involved in outreach.

27. Flowers...growing or cut...reminders of the Lord's artistry.

28. My health...other than needing to lose a few pounds (okay, more than a few), I am healthy and that is truly a great blessing.

29. Peace...about who I am and where I'm going.

30. Another year...of love, laughter, fun, silliness, learning, growing, challenges, etc.

Life, is indeed GOOD.