Treinta

I celebrated my birthday last month. I wasn’t going to post anything about it, but then thought, heck, it’s a big year, it needs documentation. I hit the 30 year milestone. 30 doesn’t really sound that old, and it certainly doesn’t feel old. Oh, who am I kidding… I do feel old. Every single day! Although I think it has more to do with sleep deprivation than it does age.

Well, I’m happy and healthy…. and more mature now, right? 
I was thinking recently about how old and wise I am now. (don’t laugh). Really, I feel like I know a lot. Then I realized, I thought I knew everything at age 18. And we all know I knew NOTHING. So 10, 20 years from now, will I look back and realize that I knew NOTHING when I was 30? Probably. 
Am I rambling?

Well, here I am. This is what I look like.  
It’s not the most ideal photo of me, but I don’t have many others to choose from.  
 

Shawn took the day off work and we went shopping. Wasn’t that nice? He wanted to buy me some new clothes (I still don’t know if that was an insult or not). We went to almost 1,000,000 stores, and I bought 0 articles of clothing. I didn’t like anything! What is happening to me? I have no sense of style. But of course, I was born in a different century.

Grant asked me what year I was born. I told him 1983. “Whaaaaat?” He said, in total disbelief, “You were born in the nineteen's?” Um, yes. (I took offense to that). So, my kids think I’m some ancient pioneer… and I dress like one too evidently.

The kids went shopping and picked out their own gifts for me this year….
I’m so lucky
Reagan got me some nail polish, Grant got me an entire box of gum, and Jefferson got me some Sharpies.
(Clearly I need a new hairstyle along with my new wardrobe)

I genuinely loved everything, they did a great job. I just realized that Kennedy didn’t get me anything. Although, she has learned how to give open-mouthed kisses, which is all I need.

So, Happy Birthday to me! One year older, and wiser too.

In honor of my 30 years here on planet Earth, I made a list of 30 things I want to accomplish/see/do within the next 30 years….
in no particular order

1. learn to ride a unicycle
2. while juggling
3. Earn my Bachelor’s in something (anything)
4. Then earn my Masters of Library Science
5. Then become the Librarian in the children’s section… or a school librarian
6. learn to knit
7. learn Italian
8. Visit Italy and find records to complete more of my family tree
9. Then do all the temple work for my family 
10. Build my own house (maybe too ambitious… okay, buy a fixer-upper and do my own ‘fixing’)
11. take a wheel throwing class and make pottery
12. Learn to watercolor
13. Visit China
14. Run anything… 5k, 10k, half marathon
15. Go to culinary school
16. Go in a hot air balloon
17. Go on a church history tour
18. Do a temple session in the Manti Temple
19. Buy a pot-bellied pig
20. and own chickens, and maybe a goat
21. Read/own every Pulitzer Prize winning book
21. And Newberry Award winning book to my kids 
23. See the Aurora Borealis
24. Feel confident speaking in public
25. Write my personal history
26. Memorize all the scripture mastery scriptures
27. Have a close relationship will each of my children individually
28. Print this blog into a book
29. Sew my daughter’s prom and wedding dresses (if they’ll let me)
30. Go on a vacation cruise with just my mom and I

It was hard narrowing my goals to 30 things. There is so much I want to do… I feel overwhelmed. If you know me, I want to do it all. I watch documentaries or read about things and decide, I want to do that too! Like the clip I watched last night about the scientists who captured the footage of a Giant Squid… I went to bed totally enthused about becoming a marine biologist.

But I’m in no hurry.
I’ve got 4 kids who take up a big portion of my day. I don’t have much energy left for unicycle riding. And that’s okay.
I’m only 30, right?
And I feel my best! I felt my best at 18, then 25, now 30. Do we just continue to feel our ‘best’ as we age? I sure hope so! That means the ‘best’ years of my life are ahead of me. Bring ‘em on.