Today is my 30th birthday!
WEEE!
I gotta say, I'm so excited to be thirty. My life thus far has been OVERFLOWING with blessings, memorable moments, lessons, some hurt, and a whole lot of love.
Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of my twenties.
I moved across the country on a whim, started college, graduated from college, worked as a teacher,
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met my husband, saw my parents divorce, quit teaching, got married, met two of my three best friends,
fell in love with fitness, crashed two cars, faced some hard sin, bought a house, adopted two kitties,
lost one adopted father, went on a cruise (for 21st b-day), traveled to Hawaii twice, traveled to Argentina,
learned to grill pizza, turned my back on God, and humbly crawled back to the kingdom of God where I was welcomed with open arms.
Needless to say the twenties were good, and if they were that good, I can't wait to see what my thirties holds.
I'm popping in here today to share with you 30 lessons I have learned in 30 years of life. You don't get through this many years in life without learning a valuable lesson or two. Maybe you'll find a tidbit of wisdom here, or at least wonder how it took me up to thirty years to learn some of these. Especially #9. So here we go!
1. Big hugs cure almost all sad faces. You really can't argue with that.
2. "Loser" is not the same as "looser". Example: It's The Biggest Loser, not The Biggest Looser. Thanks, Casey, for showing me the truth. I hear your voice every time I watch an episode.
3. I may never learn how to spell "convenient" without spell check. I cannot for the life of me remember if the first ''e has an 'i' after it or if both e's have i's. It's a spelling catastrophe.
4. Every day must involve at least a little bit of chocolate. This needs no elaboration.
5. You don't need a lot, but every girl should find really solid, supportive, loving girl friends. Those friendships last a lifetime and when grounded in the commonality of faith in Christ, they are priceless.
6. I rely way more on spell check than I should, mostly because I used to be an awesome speller in school and I'm an English major who ACED advanced grammar glass, but alas, I got lazy somewhere and just try to type close to the word, and then hit spell check. I also realize advanced grammar doesn't necessarily involve spelling, but they are related and the class I took required perfect spelling. Irony: Spell check was okay to use in class. (In #4 alone, I typed 5 errors that spell check caught. See?)
7. God answers prayer. Big and small, he answers. Not always "yes", sometimes "no" or "later". But I'm glad he said "yes" to my biggest and most hopeful prayer.
8. You don't need an expensive gym membership to get into great shape.
9. A chocolate chip cookie still warm and ooey-gooey from the oven is the best food of all time. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
10. Having an egg allergy seriously sucks and drastically reduces the amount of warm chocolate chip cookies one can eat in a lifetime. Vegan chocolate chip cookies are just not the same.
10. Pinterest will suck all the time out of your life. You've been warned.
11. Enjoy moments where you laugh so hard you cry...or pee. Those moments don't come by every day but they are some of the best food for the soul and do wonders on healing your heart. The times I've laughed myself to tears are some of my favorite memories and are almost always with the people who are most near and dear to my heart.
12. There's a difference between working out hard and working out healthy. Lately I've been dealing with adrenal and thyroid issues and working out hard has done significant damage to my system. But working out healthy has been something I'm learning to strive for, and it involves listening to my body and stopping short of exhaustion.
13. Experiences are more valuable than possessions. You can't take possessions with you anyway, and they add little value to your life in the long run. Plus they break down, need repair, wear out, and eventually get replaced. Experiences live on with you until you leave this earth and in many cases are passed down from generation to generation even after you're gone.
14. Don't go into debt. If you're in debt, get out of debt as fast as you can. I recommend Dave Ramsey's book, Total Money Makeover. Living without debt has been the most rewarding and freeing experiences of my life and our hope is that being financially free will allow us to bless the people around us, create a future and retirement for ourselves early, and set up a pattern and legacy for our future children and future generations. There are lots of details surrounding our financial future. Maybe it deserves a full post?
15. Sleep is more valuable than any physical object I own. And I don't even have kids yet.
16. Reading books and spa pedicures are some of life's most precious moments alone with myself. Especially when done simultaneously and involving Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen.
17. Learn the art of empathy. So often we judge based on what we see without having all the information. We need to spend more time understanding the situation, putting ourselves in different shoes to see why they make the choices they do and what they're going through. It's a learned skill, imperfect often, but a beautiful art when mastered.
18. Getting outside helps you forget your stress for the day. And the farther from home you can get, the further your stress is. Go to the mountains for a hike and photograph the wildlife, go swimming and jump off the diving board, visit the local arboretum for a walk, or try out the bike path that runs the length of your city.
19. Moms can be embarrassing, and even annoying, but the time spent with her means the world to her. So allow her to give you three hugs in a row, and to come over for dinner once a week. One day she will be gone, and you'll cherish those memories you made.
20. Sometimes a mother's touch is the only answer. This especially applies to times of sickness.
21. Growing veggies is not hard but very rewarding! I love my veggie garden and nothing brings me more joy in the kitchen than bringing in a basket of fresh picked produce.
22. Boys will always be boys. Even the most trained ones. I'm thankful they are boys, and I like boys, or rather one boy (my hubby), but the flip side is smelling like a boy, making boy messes, death defying adventures of a boy, and having scratchy boy faces.
23. Carbohydrates are necessary, and I don't want to cut them out. I've come to terms with the fact that cutting carbs out of my personal diet is not fun, makes me cranky, and generally unhappy. Carbs are my friend, in moderation, and should be enjoyed. Weight management can still happen while eating carbs.
24. Flossing is worth the time. This might seem trivial, but man, I had my first uncomfortable dental visit this past June, and I was nearly in tears as she scrapped away tartar. I'm blessed with incredible dental genes and have always loved going to the dentist despite never flossing, but after this last visit, I'm dreading my next appointment.I have vowed to floss on average 5 out of 7 days a week just hoping to avoid the pain I experienced. So far on target!
25. Eat your vegetables first. I grew up eating salad before the meal was served. For this reason, I always eat all my vegetables on my plate first before digging into starches or proteins. Filling up on the veggies helps me to fill up with the nutritious stuff first, and then I don't inhale the pasta or pulled pork that is higher in calories but rather enjoy in moderation. I like food. Lots of it. Eating veggies first helps me keep my waistline small.
26. Be kind. Even if it is hard not to be. Kindness goes a long way, and it's free to give. So when opportunity strikes to be kind, do so. Harsh words don't really get you far anyway.
27. Be interested in others. As an introvert and a terrible conversationalist, I'm in the process of learning that hey! the world is not about me and the best conversations happen when you ask others about their lives, their thoughts, and their days.
28. A woman's biological clock is real, people. We're not pregnant yet, but I'm tellin' you, it's not a myth. Biological clocks do exist. (the verdict is still out on aliens though.)
29. Having a healthy body is the best gift you can give yourself. Over the past year, I've dealt with major health issues including my ongoing hypothyroid issues, food allergies, injury, and adrenal fatigue. I've chosen to pursue a path of healing naturally and I'm thankful to say that today on my 30th birthday I feel better than I have in eleven months. But I can't stress enough how important it is to feed your body nutritious things, exercise, rest, and have a healthy relationship with God.
What life lessons have you learned so far in your life?
XOXO!
