To Me, To Me, To Me

This past Sunday was my birthday - 33rd to be exact.  I didn't know what I thought it would feel like.  Each year I wait to feel like an adult or somehow different and it never comes.  Yet the years keep passing by and unequivocally I guess I'll concede to my adulthood.  Something about the house, cars, bills and kids that really bring it home.

So where do I stand...well I'm filled with happiness and gratitude this year.  As I get older my friends although fewer mean more to me.  With limited time and declining energy I feel the importance of choosing how I use that time.  Though I wish I had more time to devote to those friendships, I'm glad for the ones that have good, strong, deep roots that will sustain these child rearing years until I can reclaim some more personal time.

Friends and family filled me with love and words of affection and encouragement that overwhelmed my little heart.  Words like, "There's something special in the way you live your life" or "Your friendship is so precious to me because I have become closer to God thanks to your example, teachings and character" or "nobody smiles like you do" or "you are one of the best people I know" or "you are the most generous and understanding person" or "Is there anything you can't do".

A girl can dream and try her best to be exactly what God means for her to be.  But if you're me - you're your own worst critic.  So the words of others give me the boost I need to keep giving each day my all.  And as a self proclaimed sporadic narcissist, I claim my birthday selfishly.  We spent the day at the beach - my favorite place, eating my favorite comfort foods of chili and cornbread once home and apple pie instead of cake.

So what does 33 look like...
Favorite Hobby: reading
Last Movie You Saw: The Fault In Our Stars
What Do You Like To Do Outside: play horseshoes with the kids/hubster or camp
Biggest Change This Year: getting used to Travis being home again
Biggest Realization: that I don't look like a teenager anymore
My guiltiest pleasures: not sleeping for long stretches for fear I'll miss something (I'm like a small child) and then crashing.

What do I hope the next five years look like...paying off our homes - 100% debt free, maybe purchasing a beach house, ever increasingly happy, righteous family, much the same as the last five, fewer faults more strengths, traveling all over the world, serving those around me, bringing people closer to God and the gospel.

Here's to Many Happy Returns!