Reflecting on my first 30 years...

When I wake up in the morning I will be 30. It's not old by any stretch of the imagination, but it does seem so much more mature than 29. My grandmother will tell you that life begins at 50, so perhaps I'm still just starting out. I think that's what perplexes me about this new age. 30 means I am an adult - a grown up. I am responsible for myself and my actions. I have a job. I have a home to care for. I have pets that depend on me. I have bills. Car payments. Insurance. Financial planning. It's all very adult-y. Yet to so many 30 is very young. In many ways I am still starting out.

In my previous post I listed 40 things I want to accomplish by the time I'm 40. I can't help but feel some disappointment at the things I haven't seen and done by now. It occurred to me this evening that perhaps I need to shift my perspective, and think about the things I have done up to this point. So, here you go...my 30 in 30:

I have:

1. Married my best friend
2. Had two jobs that I have loved
3. Learned about food and cooking
4. Visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
5. Visited the Baseball Hall of Fame
6. Learned to enjoy baseball...really!
7. Moisturized every day
8. Vacationed in New Orleans twice, and fell in love with the city on accident
9. Discovered Ikea
10. Dug my feet in the sand on the Gulf of Mexico
11. Painted my nails about 300 different colors
12. Driven to Gatlinburg 4 times to support our neice and nephew
13. Met new neices and a nephew (Kamryn, Clarissa and Harrison) and have fallen in love with them on purpose
14. Witnessed a birth live
15. Acquired three pets that I adore (most of the time)
16. Lived in 7 homes in 6 different cities
17. Learned how to cross-stitch
18. Owned 7 vehicles
19. Learned to scrapbook and make cards
20. Bought my own furniture (sounds silly, but buying our own brand new furniture was a real experience!)
21. Made life-long friends
22. Tended old friendships from far away - hopefully successfully
23. Learned that my sister is my best friend
24. Realized that my brother is one of my favorite people to talk to (it took moving out of my parents' house to discover both of these things!)
25. Made some of my mother's best dishes (Swiss Steak, Kale and Sausage, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Beef Stroganoff)
26. Learned to appreciate family history like my dad does
27. Received some beloved recipes from my great Grandma, and successfully made her Cherry Delight with my little sister (one of my favorite memories)
28. Grown closer to my Grandma Alice, and learned to love sitting and talking with her.
29. Trusted that God's plan was perfect
30. Witnessed first-hand that God's peace is there to comfort you right when you need it

Thank you Lord for a great 30 years. I have definitely experienced some trouble - some innocently, and some by my own doing - but I have yet to doubt that you are King of my heart and my life. However many years you see fit to give me, I will continue to love you for who you are, and thank you for the people you have let me share my life with.