Ramblings

As of today I am officially 30. Whoa

Actually, it's just another birthday to me - you know, something to be excited about but not concerned about.

But even though that's how I feel, its sometimes hard to get past all the "to-do lists before I'm thirty," or "I've got to do so much before I'm thirty." And sometimes it creeps into my head, bugging me, making me wonder about the way I've chosen to live my life until now. I haven't had a to-do list. And when I'm feeling particularly frustrated with various things in life, I think I haven't really done much with this time.

Then I recognize that all those thoughts creeping into my head are from pressures that I refuse to let into my life for long. I'm actually excited about thirty. I know it may seem strange. But it's one more great year to look forward to.

In honor of my thirty years of life I've decided to share 30 of the best moments, experiences, people, etc - this list is not exhaustive by any means but some of those times and people in my life for which I am so grateful.

1. Getting my master's degree and working toward finishing my PhD without sacrificing the important times and people in my life
2. My husband, my partner, the man who challenges me to be everything that I want to be and who stands beside me with such determination and love
3. The beautiful, strong, brilliant, amazing women whom I call friends - my life has grown so dramatically because of these women
4. Celebrating the births of the two most beautiful children to two of my most favorite people in the ENTIRE world
5. Being called Aunt Liz by those two children, celebrating each of their birthdays, loving them dearly, being loved by them
6. My dad's unwavering support, be it as my soccer or softball coach as a child, or as someone I can go to about the frustrations of school or cars or really anything
7. My mom's steadfastness and quiet strength
8. The day the husband and I found Gracie and the monumentally positive influence she was in my life during the hardest times of the PhD program - she kept me sane, happy, and grounded
9. Seeing Gracie run through mud puddles at the dog park (some of which are deeper than she is tall)
10. Our dogs' fierce love for us despite all our imperfections
11. The weddings of our friends and family - it is more than special to share in such meaningful and joyful celebrations
12. Jenny - before moving to TX, we seemed to follow each other around, living in the same cities for 16 years and I am so lucky for those years. Our friendship started off rocky (I didn't invite her to my 6th grade birthday party) but has become such an integral part of my life - she, along with her husband, children, dog, occasional small furry creature, parents, and more are my family (the non-married and non-biological family) - they have a large part of my heart and I so look forward to the day they are back in my life on a weekly basis
13. Higher education - I know you question this, especially if you've heard me complain about the PhD program. Let me be specific here - the fabulous people, and I mean really freakin' fabulous people (mostly women in my programs) who I've met along that journey. And these women are Amazing - their dedication, strength, determination, resilience, intelligence, passion, and more - they are truly inspirational
14. Growing up with one set of grandparents living in the same city - and still having those grandparents in my life
15. My family, my entire extended family - their love for one another - all of whom have touched my heart in so many way
16. My mentor and friend Laura who has, at times, been the only shining ray of hope in the world of academia
17. NC State football game fun with college friends
18. Walking on the beach, preferably a NC beach, in the early evening
19. The south - and just to let you know, Texas proclaims that it is not a southern state.
20. Live music and all of the amazing concerts I've attended with good friends
21. The 6 years I lived in Raleigh, NC - amazing times, amazing friends, and amazing fun
22. Hearing about friends' babies (and bumps) :)
23. Traveling around Europe with Betsy and then studying in Vienna for two weeks with the Wake Forest crew
24. Teaching - the experience of observing someone learn something new is truly special
25. Learning. I know I've been in school forever but I really like learning and that's one reason why I really like counseling because a great deal of it is about learning about another person, their joys, their struggles, their hopes
26. Cheese fights
27. Living in a condo next door to a dear friend for a year - really, people, we should all live next door to our friends - it makes life sooooo much better
28. Grasshoppers and mudslides
29. Setting up a friend with a guy I met through another friend and then watching their relationship grow - they are now engaged!
30. Little moments - commuting with the husband and sharing about our days together, dinners with my mom every week during grad school, soccer games with my dad, driving 45 minutes to meet friends "half-way" for dinner, a drink after stats class, cold mornings that turn into beautiful days, and more.

Of course there are more but I don't want to bore you!  Have a great week!