thirty

on one of my nesting binges last week, i came across this gem. it was the cover to an autobiography that i had to write in 9th grade. i have no idea why i held onto it, but i did. (and it's pretty funny) at the end of this (handwritten) autobiography, i wrote down what i wanted to accomplish by the time i was 30. it says, "after high school i want to go to a high-ranked college to be either a teacher, physical therapist or pedatrician. later in life i want to get married and have a lot of children." let's start with the first part, 'i want to go to a high-ranked college'...i went to Shippensburg University, not exactly Harvard, but I graduated. (it was the best 5 years of my life...from what i can remember) the second part, 'i want to be a teacher, pediatrician, or physical therapist'...who was i kidding? there is no way that i'm smart enough to be the latter two, and quite honestly i've known teaching was my thing since kindergarten. (with this profession...i think you just know.) the last part, 'have a lot of children'...so i've reevaluted the "a lot" part, because two seems like a fine number now that i have an almost two year old and another one making her appearance in 8 weeks.)

i remember growing up and thinking that 30 was so damn old. guess what? i don't think it's that old anymore. i will say that my 20s took forever, i've definitely changed a great bit in the time and a lot  has happened in those 10 years. (that being said, at times, i still feel like the same freshman i was when i wrote that autobiography.) i can honestly say that i hope my 30s are a little less "eventful" than my 20s. i have realized that since having ella, time is just flying by way too fast. she makes me enjoy every single second of time (except when she shits her pants, wakes up in the middle of the night, or throws a tantrum in cheesecake factory), and i believe that's why the past 2 years have just really passed "in the blink of an eye," as they say.

i will say that i am very lucky to have met some great people, loved whole heartedly, and laughed. (laughed, a lot.) not to get all sappy and shit, but everyone that i've met along the way has impacted my life in some way. (yes, probably you...) i am truly thankful for every experience that i was able to have, and i can say i have zero regrets. i hope my next 30 years are as much fun as the past 30 years have been. thank you for touching my life, and for keeping me laughing along this adventure. (we are all in this together...and it's more fun that way.) my husband and i are going to a favorite restaurant tonight, because i got a 'buy one get one entree free' coupon from them for my birthday. (butch said we just cannot pass up that deal!) my friend jen (i mean fen) is babysitting our little lady. i will enjoy my (one) glass of wine with dinner (instead of a 6 pack of coors light and a couple shots of tequila) and raise my glass to my family and friends who have laughed with me along the way. cheers!

"imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." -marilyn monroe