Thirty.

In the blink of an eye... I have become a thirty-year-old woman. I think that when you reach certain ages, it is fairly normal to evaluate your life to determine if you are where you are supposed to be. And I am certainly no exception. I have actually for the most part - been GENUINELY excited to start this new decade of my life. A lot happened in my 20's. Good things, bad things, mediocre things... All of which I am grateful for. Without those challenges, my life would be drastically different.

Here are some things that happened in my 20's that I LOVED:

1. Autumn Elaine (22)
2. Lucas Alan (23)
3. Started a new job at Home Instead Senior Care at 24, just days after my ex-husband left. This job brought many good things to my life - including 2 women who I will always consider friends. I learned about living independently, and that I COULD go on without a spouse and be just fine.
4. At 26 (almost 27), I started working at Twin Cities Family Practice. So far, it is the best job I have held. I truly am grateful for the people I work with and the flexibility to be a devoted mother before anything else. For any single mother (heck, for any mother, period, regardless of relationship status), that is something invaluable.
5. At 29 years old, I started College. It's a good thing, even though it has been very difficult to balance time.

I was going to also post about some of the negative things that happened to me in my 20's, but then I thought... why do that? This post is all about moving forward. This birthday is a new beginning. Don't you love new beginnings? It just feels fresh and brand new, like anything is possible. I suppose that could be any day of the week. But there is something about a monumental birthday that makes it a little more intriguing.

I hope my 30's brings so much happiness to my life. I am working really hard to make sure that happens. My 30's are the years that my children will be growing up. By the end of this decade, my babies will almost be ready to graduate high school and move on in the world without me by their side (I am a helicopter mom if you were not aware... so that is a HUGE deal to me, lol). I really hope that I find love in this next chapter. I don't really have anything to elaborate about that. I just think everyone deserves to love and be loved. I want that, too.

This year, I got myself a birthday gift - for as long as I can remember, I have been struggling with my health and weight. I have felt so darn ugly. I have always taken care of the kids first, and left no time for myself. I started to think differently recently. I started to believe that I WAS worth it. So my gift to myself is the gift of confidence, health, and determination. With those things combined - Since beginning my journey on May 31st - I have lost 18.4 lbs! I Still have a long way to go. But, I am 5 weeks into this and I am not stopping. I cannot wait to see where this leads me. There is no stopping me now. Not ready to post any pictures, but I will keep you all updated. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!