Top 30 things in the past 30 years

I turn 30 tomorrow and looking back over the past 30 years of my life, these are the people/events/things that have shaped who I am today. Some of them are silly, some of them are serious, some specific, some more general but all of them hold a special place in my heart:

(PS I’m very pregnant…obviously these things are in no other order than “baby brain”)

1. Meeting and marrying a man that is even more perfect than I could ever dream up
2. Two beautiful daughters
3. Loving and supportive parents and family
4. Diving deeper into a faith I’ve been blessed to have been a part of since birth
5. A wonderful college experience and degree (go, Juniata!)
6. Moving to Erie, PA
7. My first “big girl” job at Gannon University
8. My present jobs/ministries that allow me to both feed and clothe my family while doing something truly important and meeting some fantastic people
9. Supportive friends who fluidly move in and out of my life as needed but are never too far

   

10. Breaking (and repairing) my right leg in the strangest fashion (always a good story)
11. The graces of the 5 sacraments I have received thus far that help me daily
12. Buying our home
13. Leading several service-based mission trips, all of which have their own stories and memories
14. Beginning (and finishing soon, God willing) my Masters degree

    

15. Giving birth
16. Our honeymoon in Jamaica
17. Growing up in a small town surrounded by family
18. Getting my driver’s license
19. Joining the wonderful world of essential oils
20. The complete life of my dog, Lola
21. Social media. Love it, hate it or anywhere in between, it’s been a big part of my 20’s.

    

22. The weekend we bought a house, moved, went on a road trip and got engaged…and then napped
23. Finding and sticking with a therapist who “gets” me
24. Learning (and continuing to learn) how to be a wife and a mother as a team with my husband
25. Discovering that I actually do like (some) writing and using it as self care
26. My trip to Ireland
27. Nights where I couldn’t see through all the tears…and the tomorrows that still appeared regardless of how I was feeling
28. Family vacations to Rehoboth
29. The multiple rejections throughout the years
30. Learning to not only accept, but love, myself (to be continued…forever)