My Next 30 Years

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Today, at approximately 6:30 AM PST is my 30th bday.  And I am happy.

When I was a little girl, 30 seemed so old and far away and it was hard to really comprehend what it would be like to be closer to my parents age than to my friends.  Of course I had dreams and I imagined what my grown-up life would be like.  I wanted a good job, friends, a house, a car, a dog and a husband (and eventually kids but not before I turned 30).  I wanted to have the kind of life where I’d hang out with my husband and friends, drink wine beer and be sophisticated but also still country enough to pack up all our stuff, go camping and swim in a river.  I even had ages by when all of these things needed to be accomplished by…23, 25, 28, 30.

When you’re little and you play house and imagine your life you always hope that everything works out like you want it to.  But then you get older and you realize that sometimes life happens, things change and the dreams you had when you were 7 might not happen.  But you were ok with that.  And it would be alright if that picture that played in your head as a little girl didn’t become reality.

Except that didn’t happen for me. Somehow I got everything I could ever want.

My 1st 30 years

That’s certainly not to say that my life has been perfect and I figured out the magic formula to eternal happiness.  I’ve dealt with family issues, gotten in fights with my best friends, struggled with money, dated crappy guys and worked my butt off to get where I’m at with my career.  And somehow it all came together.
And here are just a few things that have helped me along the way:

1. Get a dog
2. Have a best friend who’s not your husband (I’m lucky, I have two – Kara & Chels)
3. Drink water
4. Communicate
5. Know yourself
6. Be yourself
7. Have hobbies
8. Read books
9. Learn to cook
10. Wear Sunscreen
11. Travel
12. Try something that’s hard for you
13. Have a garden/grow something
14. Sleep outside under the stars
15. Go for a  boat ride
16. Go to a country concert – preferably outdoors
17. Love your family
18. Floss
19. Camp (in a tent)
20. Have a favorite – food, color, show, place
21. Follow a budget, avoid credit cards, and remember that for the most part, you’re always going to make more money
22. Work out your triceps
23. Be nice to people and follow the golden rule
24. Learn how to use tools
25. Learn a sport
26. Know your roots – where did your family come from?
27. Laugh (including at yourself)
28. Enjoy the moment & people you’re with
29. Ask for the things you want including at work and in relationships
30. Fall in love

More than anything, #30 is responsible for so much of my happiness.  Meeting and marrying Chris was the best decision I have ever made and our wedding day was the best day of my life.  He’s made me a better person and together we’ve built an incredible life.  He’s my prince charming cowboy on the white horse.  But beyond Chris, I can truly say I’ve fallen in love with all my friends and most importantly my family.  It’s all of these people – my mom, dad, step mom, brother, sister, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, best friends, old friends new friends…  That have all shaped my life and made my birthday today simply incredible.  They’ve all helped me to get to the place I am right now which is the best possible place I could ever ask to be at this moment.

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife husband
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, In my next thirty years

So as I start the next big chapter of my life I’m so excited to see what things come my way.  But I’m not going to lie. I have some pretty big expectations because up until now, my life has been amazing. And today, when I blow out my candles the only thing I will be wishing for is 30 more years with all the people who’ve gotten me this far and made the past 3 decades the best I could have asked for…