Thirty-Something

// I am no longer just thirty years old, I have now entered the thirty-something club. //

Today started with hubby bringing me my favorite breakfast in bed- eggs over easy with a side of toast, red juicy strawberries, coffee and a pink daisy.  Yates was already awake and helped Daddy sing "Happy Birthday" to me.

My mom and dad brought Chloe and Yates over to eat lunch with me at school, and my third grade students wrote handmade birthday cards to wish me a happy birthday.  This afternoon we went on a walk, Chloe and Yates each gave me a birthday balloon and we are eating cupcakes for dinner.  I have so many loving friends and family who have made my birthday a special one ... and I am one very lucky princess.

While I notice everyone else around me getting older it's hard to accept that I, myself am also getting older.  I will believe, however, that a few things have changed about myself, for the better... and for that I am proud of.

//  It's okay to sometimes appreciate the planning more than the executing, and the fantasy more than the reality. (Reading novels at night, such as the latest bestseller of Zelda Fitzgerald's biography usually fulfills this.)

// Enjoy trends while they're in, and then onto the next.  What's fun about staying the same?  So what I am a thirty-something wearing a jumpsuit?  In good taste, you only live once.

// But... do invest in nice furniture and curtains. Your home decor should remain a classic.  (Still working on this.)

// Listen to others.  Be a good ear, and don't speak over people. (Also, still working on this).

// Work hard.  Be that person people say, "How does she have time for it all?"  Because there isn't enough time on this Earth... and we need to make the most of it.

// Pray more.  Pray when you don't need something, but rather when you are thankful for something.

// Be grateful for what you have, not what you want.  There is always something or someone bigger or better.  Don't sell yourself short, but be modest in what you do and good will follow.

// Usually things don't turn out as you planned.  Trust in God that He has a plan... it is better than you ever could have imaged.  And that's the most exciting thing in the world.

// Don't be afraid to try new things.  Be ready for the future and what it brings.  Being anxious about everything will take away from the joy that life brings.  Worry less.  Be childlike in what you do and it will bring you much joy.